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G lobal warming is already affecting much of southern Africa. Records from the twelve countries (see map) that make up the Southern African Development Community (SADC) reveal that temperatures have risen by over 0.5° C over the past hundred years, with the last decade being the warmest and driest ever. Over the past 20 years, there has been noticeably less rainfall, and drought has become an increasingly serious threat. These disturbing changes are happening despite the fact that Africa has contributed little to the build-up of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. As Kenyan journalist and conservationist Hilary Ngweno has noted, the impacts of climate change in Africa will be akin to the impacts of secondary smoke on non-smokers. In this case, the smokers are the industrialized countries, and the victims will be Africans who have to contend with drier and more unpredictable weather conditions. The whole of the continent of Africa currently only contributes around 7% of world greenhouse gas emissions. The SADC countries account for a mere 2% of global emissions-about half as much as a small industrialized country like the UK.

The 1991/92 and 1994/95 wet seasons were among the five driest years this century. The period between 1985 and 1995 proved disastrous for many rural communities, especially in Zimbabwe, Mozambique, southern Zambia and northern South Africa. Bore holes dried up, making it impossible to grow crops or maintain livestock herds and forced women and children to walk further and further to collect water to meet their families' needs. The 1991/92 drought hit particularly hard, putting more than 18 million people in 10 countries at risk of starvation.

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Urban dwellers were also affected. Water supplies in Zimbabwe's capital, Harare, sank to alarmingly low levels during 1995 and power shortages became commonplace. By October 1995, the Kariba Dam, which produces most of the country's electricity, was running at only 14% capacity. Only the abundant rains of 1995/96 averted an energy and agricultural crisis for Zambia and Zimbabwe.

SOUTHERN AFRICAN AREAS AFFECTED BY CLIMATE CHANGE


Southern Africa


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