Download UNESCO

Cost of Adaptation
in
Coastal Zones of Africa
UNESCO
African Ministerial Conference on the Environment
Special Session on Climate Change
Nairobi, Kenya, 25-29 May 2009
Prepared and researched by:
Jurgen Theiss
IOC of UNESCO
[email protected]
Presented by:
Isabelle Niang
IOC of UNESCO
[email protected]
The
African Union Commission
mandated
UNESCO
“The African Union Commission
welcomes the initiative of UNESCO on preparation and
involvement of African scientists and negotiators in the
Copenhagen Climate Change Conference, 2009.”
The African Union Commission
seeks network partners to work beyond COP 15.
Please contact us.
Our approach
We have been
talking and listening in Africa.
Here is what we have learned and
concluded about perceptions of and
threats to Africa’s coastal zones.
Our learning and conclusion
Building Africa’s capacity
to plan coastal activities today,
will lower costs of adaptation tomorrow.
Many benefits unrelated to climate change are
waiting to be gained.
Climate Change and Coastal Zones
Features of coastal zones figure in all
IPCC Fourth Assessment Report sectors:
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Water
Agriculture
Infrastructure/Settlement
Human Health
Tourism
Transport
Energy
Addressing coastal zones holistically will aid the
development of a comprehensive plan of climate
change adaptation in the coastal zones.
Adapt to what?
Sea level rise
From African scientists to African negotiators, all worry about sea level rise.
(Communications with African experts; UNESCO-IOC 2009, African Oceans and Coasts)
“Sea level rising faster than expected” and “may well exceed one meter by 2100”
(Quote and figure: Stefan Rahmstorf, March 2009)
Adapt to what?
Implications of sea level rise
 Permanent flooding
 Coastal erosion
 Salinization of drinking water
Other implications of climate change in the coastal zones
 More severe and frequent storms
 Rising coastal ocean temperature
 Salinification and acidification of the coastal ocean
 Africa did not cause the climate to change.
 Yet Africa has to deal with its impacts, and is more vulnerable than most.
 Can we turn the threat around by innovating the best adaptations?
How important are Coastal Zones?
Coastal zones are
“most important areas in the world to humans”
(FAO, 2005, Coastal GTOS – Strategic design and phase 1 implementation plan)
2005: 50% of population living within 200 km of coast,
40% of population derive livelihoods from coastal & marine ecosystems.
(Advisory Committee on the Protection of the Sea)
2025: 75% of population living within 200 km of coast.
An unbroken chain of cities from Accra to the Niger Delta?
(UNESCO, 2003, Environment and development in coastal regions and in small islands)
Life in the coastal zone:
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Fisheries
Trade (e.g. harbours, coastal roads)
Tourism
Biodiversity
Culture (e.g. monuments, traditional practices)
Losses in Coastal Zones I
Loss of Land
 Displacement of populations (emotional distress, loss of jobs, social conflicts)
 Loss of agricultural land
 Loss of infrastructure
 Loss of cultural sites (next three slides)
Loss of biodiversity
 Loss of fish stock and habitat that replenishes it
 Loss of tourism
Loss of water supplies (intrusion of salt water)
Loss of lives (increased storm surges and flooding)
•Ancient royal graves in the Bay of
Loango, Republic of Congo
What is the cost of loosing
an ancient graveyard?
What is the cost of loosing a cultural heritage?
•Island of Mozambique
•UNESCO World Heritage Site
since 1991)
What is the cost of loosing a sacred site?
•Libation near Eastern coastal
forest zone
Losses in the coastal zones II
Besides loss of land (previous slides)
Loss of biodiversity
 Loss of fish stock and habitat that replenishes it
 Loss of tourism
Loss of water supplies (intrusion of salt water)
Loss of lives (increased storm surges and flooding)
The African Process of the Advisory Committee of the Protection of the
Seas addresses these potential losses with five working groups on:
 Coastal erosion
 Tourism
 Sustainable use of living resources
 Pollution
 Management of key habitats
How are these losses enumerated, and how costly is protection?
•LOSSES IN WATER SUPPLIES
Impacts of sea level rise on
a coastal aquifer at the
head of the Cap Vert
peninsula
FEFLOW Model
A
Dissolved salts isovalue
curves (mg.l-1)
A: now
B: with a 0.5 m sea level rise
Values > 15,000 mg.l-1
Isovalue of 1,000 mg.l-1
B
Cost of losses and protection
National Communications have enumerated costs of losses and protection
Cost of losses
• Destruction of coastal infrastructure: US$ 400 million or 2.2 X GDP (Comoros, 2002)
• Inaction: US$ 2.9 billion (Egypt, 1999)
• Damage due to sea level rise in Tewalet area: US$ 14 million (Eritrea, 2002)
• Loss of land due to sea level rise: US$ 217 million (The Gambia, 2003)
Inaction is costly by any standards
Costs of protection:
• Protecting entire coastline of Tanzania: US$ 7 billion (Tanzania, 2003)
• Building a wall along entire coast of Eritrea: US$ 50-500 million (Eritrea, 2002)
• Full protection of Sierra Leone coast: US$ 1.5 billion (Sierra Leone, 2007)
Is building sea walls the best response?
Adaptation possibilities
Change current human activity that will stop:
 Beach dredging
 Development in low-lying areas or close to the beach
Build protection
e.g. sea walls
Sea wall had to be raised to protect Stone Town
in Zanzibar, a UNESCO World Heritage site,
from flooding.
Comprehensive approach (outlined in the next several slides)
In every crisis there is opportunity.
Kila lenye ubaya halikosi wema.
Opportunities
General capacity building
Needed to adapt to climate change in the coastal zones
and generates many other benefits
Improving the coordination between all stakeholder of the coastal zones
Makes the coastal zones naturally more resilient
Other benefit: Policies are mutually beneficial (e.g. fisheries and tourism benefit)
Preparing financial institutions for financial flows
Better management of financial flows to adapt to climate change
Other benefit: Generally improved financial sector (e.g. benefits trade)
Diversifying the economy
Jobs for those that lost jobs (e.g. erosion of agricultural land)
Other benefit: Further development of the manufacturing and services industries
Strengthening institutes of marine sciences
Science input to policy from Africa’s own scientists
Other benefit: Produces scientists benefiting also other sectors (e.g. telecommunication)
Opportunities
Strengthening of institutes of marine sciences
Example:
Capacity-building in coastal modelling at the Institute of Marine
Sciences in Zanzibar, Tanzania (www.ZanzibarProject.org)
Zanzibar
magnification
Simulation of one typical year (Arrows: Ocean currents; Color: Ocean temperature)
(Zavala-Garay, J. and Mahongo, S., 2008)
Coastal models
help investigate:
 Beach erosion
 Pollution dispersion
 Coral reef health (coral larvae dispersion)
Opportunities
Preservation of Africa’s heritage
Needed to adapt to climate change in the coastal zones
and a worthwhile effort in itself
Preserving and/or restoring the natural resilience of the coastal zones
UNESCO’s programmes in Africa help find workable approaches, e.g.
UNESCO’s MAB Biosphere Reserves
UNESCO’s Africa Bio Carbon Initiative (new)
Preserving indigenous and traditional knowledge
UNESCO’s programmes in Africa help, e.g.
UNESCO’s World Heritage sites
UNESCO’s Frontlines of Climate Change
Financing
Facilitating the funding management
UNFCCC’s Financial Needs Assessment programme
Assists in determining the financial needs for adapting to climate change
Close collaboration with the Finance Ministries
Allows better integration of climate change issues in economic planning
(Watkiss, P., 2009, Economics of climate change: Key messages)
Capacity-building in financial institutions
Ensures preparedness for financial flows for adaptation to climate change
(Watkiss, P., 2009, Economics of climate change: Key messages)
Financing
Funds
Architecture of the
new climate funds
(www.climatefundsupdate.org)
Explained by previous
UNEP presentation
Some funds have
been dispersed, but
most represent only
pledges
(Watkiss, P, 2009, Personal
communication)
Besides these major climate funds, other funds are also available (next slide).
Financing
More funds
National Adaptation Programmes of Action (NAPA) funds
Only 1 in Africa for coastal zones
CDM Projects
Only 2% in Africa
Funds for technology transfer / knowledge sharing
Governments need to plan coasts as low interest from private sector
International Assistance
Funds under the 1972 World
Heritage Convention
Fund under the 2003 Convention
for the Safeguarding of the
Intangible Cultural Heritage
Funds from socially responsible local businesses
UNESCO’s Frontlines of Climate Change
Conclusion
 Climate change impacts the coastal zones in many facets
 Planning and early adaptation reduces losses and
generates other benefits
 Large pledges (Can they be converted into funds?)
If we can help you Prepare Coastal Issues
for COP 15 and beyond
Please contact us at AUC / UNESCO
Main contributors
AUC
 Bather Kone
[email protected]
UNESCO
 Jurgen Theiss
 Ehrlich Desa
 Joannes Berque
 Stefano Mazzilli
 Mika Odido
 Andrew Fanning
Fumiko Ohinata
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
GEF Project ACCC
 Isabelle Niang
[email protected]