AFRICAN DEVELOPMENT BANK
Climate change A threat as well as an opportunity for Africa
… the African Development Bank’s Climate Change Plan 2011-2015
A
frica as a whole is considered to be among the most vulnerable regions to climate variability and change. The impact is already
manifested by increased frequency and intensity of extreme weather conditions in the form of floods, droughts and heat waves. Africa is taking both medium and long
term actions to mitigate the impacts of cli- mate change by choosing a development path that involves a low carbon footprint. Tere exist opportunities for reducing the effects of carbon emissions in land use, forestry and energy. For Africa, the main challenge in address-
ing climate change lies in mitigation meas- ures, adaptation and climate finance. With respect to mitigation, the aim is
to support African countries on the path to low-carbon economic development. Ef- forts should concentrate on the enhance- ment of sources of renewable energy (water, solar, wind, biomass, geothermal), practices that contribute to energy efficiency, the pro- motion of long-term land use, sustainable management of forests, and the implemen- tation of initiatives to promote sustainable transport. With respect to adaptation, the continent
should engage in strengthening climate re- silience, especially projects involving water, agriculture and forestry.
32 | June 2011 New African
AfDB’s Plan 2011-2015 Te African Development Bank (AfDB) is actively engaged in supporting Africa to deal with the challenges of climate change. In 2009, the AfDB Group developed a “Climate Risk Management Strategy and Adaptation to Change” plan, which aims to strengthen the capacities of African countries in addressing the risks associated with climate change. Te plan also ensures that any investment
financed by the Bank “passes the climate test” by designing, implementing, and managing investments in a way that reduces the impacts of climate change, at a minimum cost. Tis strategy is now being translated into a
global plan of action that will include invest- ments of nearly US$8bn between now and 2015. Te global plan is aimed at reducing the continent’s vulnerability to climate change and supporting a transition period that will lead to an economy of low greenhouse gas emissions.
“The AfDB Group’s
strategy aims to strengthen the capacities of African countries in addressing the risks associated with climate change.”
Concrete achievements Te AfDB has supported many initiatives promoting adaptation to climate change and the attenuation of its effects in the agricul- ture, water, transport, and energy sectors. Te projects supported so far include the following:
The Ain Beni Mathar thermo-solar power station, Morocco Tis project is designed to support the efforts of the Moroccan government to guarantee the security of the electricity supply, the diversifi- cation of sources of energy, and the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions.
The Sahanivotry hydroelectric power station, Madagascar Tis is the first privately owned power station on the island, located on the Sahanivotry Riv- er, 30 km south of Antsirabe, in the province of Antanarivo. It has a generating capacity of 15 megawatts and an average generation of 90 gigawatt hours. As a producer of clean energy, the power station can sell its carbon reduction credits under the Kyoto Protocol’s Self-Development Mechanism.
Lake Chad, Niger Lake Chad is in the process of drying up. Its surface currently covers 2,500 sq km, repre- senting just 10 percent of the area it covered in
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