GEC In Zambia, Canada And South Africa

GEC In Zambia, Canada And South Africa
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GEC In Zambia, Canada And South Africa
Climate change is considered to be one of the most pervasive threat that human beings have faced in the past century. It is observable that the sheer amount and scope of its effect is felt in the whole world, therefore, almost all the nations in the world have dedicated intensive resources so as to mitigate its imminent effects. Nevertheless, the climate issue is far from being resolved. The main aim of this paper is to evaluate the similarities and differences on issues of general environment changes on South Africa, Zambia and Canada.
South Africa
South Africa is located in the southern tip of the continent of Africa, its neighbors being Namibia, Zimbabwe and Mozambique. In the economic level, the country is considered to be an upper-middle-income country of the world bank and it is the second industrialized country in Africa (Niang & Ruppel, 2014).
The Country’s Main Contributions To GEC
Research indicates that south Africa have significantly more emissions when compared to the neighboring countries. The country main source of Greenhouse gas emissions includes; agriculture, industrial processes, waste, forestry sectors and the land-use changes. Energy is considered to be the largest in the overall Greenhouse gas emission with 84% and agriculture comes second with 7%. In terms of the CO2 emissions, recent research indicates that 15% of the country’s emissions are generated through quarrying (World Climate Simulation, 2017).
Primary Effects of GEC And Who/What Is Most Impacted
In spite that South Africa’s contribution towards GEC is considered to be relatively small, the climatic change has been extensive in the region. Some of the primary effects include the increased summer heat which have increased at a higher rate in the previous two decades. The prolonged periods of heat waves resulted to prolonged periods of draught, thus reducing the viability of lands used for agriculture. More so, the GEC in the country has led to increased temperature which has increased the cases of malaria especially in the areas near farm lands. The effect from the GEC are felt by the general public and also living organisms such as livestock where these problems are felt.
The Responses to GEC Taken by Different Jurisdictions/Actors
South Africa main environment stakeholders have already felt the effects caused by the changes and have devised various strategies to address them. Some of the strategies include; supporting the national and sustainable development. All the national change response program will strongly support any sustainable initiative being local or international aimed at integrating climate change response programs. Noting that climate change is already taking place and the effect is already being felt, the involved stakeholders are devising ways of adapting to the conditions. Other measure includes developing sustainable energy programs, meeting international obligations, integrating the climate change response in the government, educating and training on how to control greenhouse emissions and developing domestic legal obligations which relevant stakeholders have to observe to enhance reduction of pollution.
An Evaluation on The Question of Equity and Fairness
It is noticeable that changes on the environmental conditions has effect on all people. Some of the adverse effects discussed above tend to affect all people but it is important to note that those who are highly affected is the general public. Top government officials and other rich people are not affected an indication that equitability and fairness is not observed when the environment conditions continue taking place.
Zambia
Zambia is considered to be a country of 16 million people and it is located in the South-Central part of the African continent. Despite its recent economic growth, the country is still struggling to sustain poverty reduction and it is increasingly at risk as a result of the rapid physical and biological changes which have effect on the livelihoods of the existing vulnerable populations (German et al, 2011). Most of the population in Zambia rely on agriculture as their primary source of income and sustenance.
Country’s Main Contributions To GEC
The major contributors of Zambia’s global environment change are the greenhouse emissions from agriculture and land use change and forestry. Waste and energy sectors are also elements which result to greenhouse emissions which tend to have effect on the climatically conditions. A research done by the Indaba Agricultural Policy Research Institute (IAPRI) indicated that approximately 2/3 of the urban residents rely on charcoal for cooking. This has increased the demand for charcoal resulting deforestation. More trees are being cut to acquire charcoal and firewood and also to create land for agricultural practices. As a result, the country has reported 0.3 tones per capita of carbon emission which is as a result of the rise in deforestation and agricultural changes which have contributed to carbon dioxide release, biodiversity loss, soil erosion and water availability.
Illustration of the deforestation activities in Zambia
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Trees fallen down are used to burn charcoal as illustrated in the diagram below
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The Primary Effects of GEC And Who/What Is Most Impacted
The primary effects of the GEC in Zambia are the episodes of draughts and rainfall surplus in various parts of the country which have increased at a high rate in the past few years. These droughts and floods tend to negatively impact farming, crops and livestock. The problems have result...