15 Impacts of Climate Change on Water Resources …
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African women are particularly vulnerable to the impacts of climate change
because they shoulder an enormous but imprecisely recorded portion of responsibility
for subsistence agriculture, the productivity of which can be expected to be adversely
affected by climate change and overexploited soil (Viatte et al. 2009). Global financial
crises, such as the one experienced in 2007–2008, as well as downturns in economic
trends at the national level, may cause job losses in the formal sector, driving men into
the informal sector to compete for jobs that were previously performed by women,
increasing the vulnerability of women (AfDB et al. 2010).
The health implications of the projected rise in temperature and rainfall variability are alarming, and include an increase in the incidence rate of measles, diarrheal disease, guinea worm infestation, malaria, cholera, cerebral-spinal meningitis
and other water-related diseases. These impacts of climate change and variability
worsen the plight of the poor, who are mostly women and children (Niang et al.
2014). Climate change amplifies existing health vulnerabilities, including insufficient
access to safe water and improved sanitation, food insecurity and limited access to
health care and education. The most effective strategies to build resilient development
integrate consideration of climate change risks with land and water management and
disaster risk reduction. Oppressive temperatures and increasing heatwave duration
will also likely impact human health, mortality and productivity directly. With the
warming of up to 2 °C, there is a substantial increase in the risk of potentially deadly
heatwaves.
Climate change also poses significant risks to water and sanitation services. Risks
to water services include damage to infrastructure due to flooding, loss of water
sources and increasing water demand as a result of growth in the population and
economy and as well as changes in water quality. Adverse impacts on sanitation
services also include damage and loss of services from floods and reduced carrying
capacity of waters receiving wastewater. Measures to reduce risks may include the
integration of climate resilience strategies into water safety plans, as well as improved
accounting and management of water resources. Technological options for enhancing
service delivery and changes in management models offer the potential to reduce risk,
particularly in low-income settings.
The IPCC-projected global warming of 1.5 °C clearly states that the earth is
already experiencing the adverse impacts of 1 °C of global warming through more
extreme weather, among other impacts. It further asserts that warming of 1.5 °C is
not considered “safe” for most nations, communities, ecosystems and sectors, and
poses significant risks to natural and human systems. It is clear from the report
that warming of 1.5 °C or higher increases the risk associated with long-lasting or
irreversible changes, such as the loss of some ecological systems (IPCC 2018). With
the increased frequency of extreme weather events, coupled with land-use changerelated flood events and continued growth of settlements, people will be exposed to
the negative consequences of climate change increasingly (Milly et al. 2002, Jiménez
Cisneros et al. 2014).
Howard et al. (2016) assert that the impacts of climate change on sanitation infrastructure can be both positive and negative, depending on the nature of the impacts
as well as changes in the types of technologies employed by households. In the drier
351
African women are particularly vulnerable to the impacts of climate change
because they shoulder an enormous but imprecisely recorded portion of responsibility
for subsistence agriculture, the productivity of which can be expected to be adversely
affected by climate change and overexploited soil (Viatte et al. 2009). Global financial
crises, such as the one experienced in 2007–2008, as well as downturns in economic
trends at the national level, may cause job losses in the formal sector, driving men into
the informal sector to compete for jobs that were previously performed by women,
increasing the vulnerability of women (AfDB et al. 2010).
The health implications of the projected rise in temperature and rainfall variability are alarming, and include an increase in the incidence rate of measles, diarrheal disease, guinea worm infestation, malaria, cholera, cerebral-spinal meningitis
and other water-related diseases. These impacts of climate change and variability
worsen the plight of the poor, who are mostly women and children (Niang et al.
2014). Climate change amplifies existing health vulnerabilities, including insufficient
access to safe water and improved sanitation, food insecurity and limited access to
health care and education. The most effective strategies to build resilient development
integrate consideration of climate change risks with land and water management and
disaster risk reduction. Oppressive temperatures and increasing heatwave duration
will also likely impact human health, mortality and productivity directly. With the
warming of up to 2 °C, there is a substantial increase in the risk of potentially deadly
heatwaves.
Climate change also poses significant risks to water and sanitation services. Risks
to water services include damage to infrastructure due to flooding, loss of water
sources and increasing water demand as a result of growth in the population and
economy and as well as changes in water quality. Adverse impacts on sanitation
services also include damage and loss of services from floods and reduced carrying
capacity of waters receiving wastewater. Measures to reduce risks may include the
integration of climate resilience strategies into water safety plans, as well as improved
accounting and management of water resources. Technological options for enhancing
service delivery and changes in management models offer the potential to reduce risk,
particularly in low-income settings.
The IPCC-projected global warming of 1.5 °C clearly states that the earth is
already experiencing the adverse impacts of 1 °C of global warming through more
extreme weather, among other impacts. It further asserts that warming of 1.5 °C is
not considered “safe” for most nations, communities, ecosystems and sectors, and
poses significant risks to natural and human systems. It is clear from the report
that warming of 1.5 °C or higher increases the risk associated with long-lasting or
irreversible changes, such as the loss of some ecological systems (IPCC 2018). With
the increased frequency of extreme weather events, coupled with land-use changerelated flood events and continued growth of settlements, people will be exposed to
the negative consequences of climate change increasingly (Milly et al. 2002, Jiménez
Cisneros et al. 2014).
Howard et al. (2016) assert that the impacts of climate change on sanitation infrastructure can be both positive and negative, depending on the nature of the impacts
as well as changes in the types of technologies employed by households. In the drier