Opportunities and Challenges for Low carbon development in Africa

#low carbon, #sustainable, #development, #innovation, #climate change, #Africa, #mudombi, #shakespear

Author: Shakespear MudombiType: Book Chapter

Climate change has been noted to be one of the key challenges to achieving sustainable development the world over. However Africa is one of the most vulnerable to climate change. Adaptation and mitigation are the response measures to climate change. It has been noted that of greater priority to Africa is adaptation because the continent is already feeling the impacts. Though the continent has not contributed a lot to the causes of current changes and variability in climate, it has been noted that the Africa can play a significant role in mitigating climate change. Low carbon development has been touted as a development path that will ensure economic development while at the same time mitigating climate change. Adoption of various aspects of low carbon development on the African continent will present opportunities and challenges for the continent.

The paper was first presented at AISA's emerging scholars symposium in November 2011 at the 17th Conference of the Parties (COP17) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) in Durban, South Africa. It was further improved and published into a book chapter 'Exploring challenges and opportunities for low carbon climate resilient development in Africa' by Shakespear Mudombi. It is chapter 9 in book titled Africa in a changing global environment: perspectives of climate change adaptation and mitigation strategies in Africa, published by the African Institute of South Africa, Pretoria.