Sustainable mountain development in East Africa in a changing climate

Climate Change effects Changes in annual temperature projected for 2080-2099 compare to 1980-1999

ºC 4.0 5.0 3.5 3.0 2.5 2.0 1.5

Changes in annual precipitation projected for 2080-2099 compare to 1980-1999

People drawing water from the Mago River in Omo Valley, Ethiopia

a result, it is expected that the region will experience less severe droughts. These scenarios indicate that there is high certainty of an increased intensity in rainfall, which in turn, increases the risk of flooding in the region (Shongwe et al., 2010; IPCC, 2013). Impacts of climate change on vulnerable sectors Africa is recognized as one of the most vulnerable continents to climate change and climate variability, due to ‘multiple stresses’ such as endemic poverty, weak governance and institutional arrangements, ecosystem degradation, complex disasters and conflicts, and limited access to capital, infrastructure and technology

(IPCC, 2007). As a result of these factors, Brooks et al. (2005), rated Burundi, DRC, Ethiopia and Rwanda as some of the most vulnerable countries in the world to climate change, and Kenya and Uganda as moderately to highly vulnerable. The sectors presented below are particularly vulnerable in the mountainous areas of East Africa due to a combination of factors such as high exposure to climate-related hazards or trends, low adaptive capacity and the importance of the

% +20 +15 +10 + 5 0 - 5 - 10 - 15 - 20 - 30 - 50

sector to the region. Water availability

1 000 km

The mountains in East Africa receive more rain than lowland areas and play a key role in capturing, storing and purifying water. As such, these mountains are

Source: IPCC,2007, “ClimateChange2007:ThePhysicalScienceBasis.Contributionof WorkingGroup I to theFourthAssessmentReportof the InterngovernmentalPanelon ClimateChange”,CambridgeUniversityPress. Copyright©2015GRID-Arendal ·Cartografare ilpresente/NievesLópez Izquierdo

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