The Director for the Institute for Climate Change and Adaptation attended the Pan-Africa Chemistry Network Congress form the 5th to the 7th of November 2019.
His paper on " Water A Forever Critical Resource for Life" was well received by the participants especially as it addressed the problem of water from the perspective of the changing climate.
Below is a copy of the abstract Prof. Wandiga presented:
WATER A FOREVER CRITICAL RESOURCE FOR LIFE
Life as we know it may not exist without water. However, the geographical distribution of water is not uniform across the world. Africa is the second driest continent after Australia in the world. Within the continent of Africa, we have the North which is mainly desert. The second driest part of the continent is Southern Africa. Across the equator, we have tropical forest areas (Central Africa) which form the Congo Basin. Eastern Africa receives less rainfall than the west. This distribution has for the last twenty years been altered by climate change. Regional climate models show that for the next century rainfall pattern will be slightly different from the Eastern Africa region expected to have more rains than the western Africa region. However, the models' outcomes are not found on the ground due to the Eastern Africa rainfall paradox. The models forecast more rainfall is not observed except we have low rainfall in some areas of the East African Countries. Climate Change has therefore changed the rainfall onset and cessation pattern. The climate Change has introduced changes in the quality and quantity of water available, impacted agriculture and food, human health, shelter, vulnerable populations, national security, and ecosystems. The paper will describe these climate change impacts and suggest some practical ways chemists can assist in improving life.