UNIT 13

Climate Change Adaptation and Mitigation

Climate change refers to a long term (e.g. decades) change in temperatures

and the patterns of the weather

Climate variability refers to the short term (days, weeks or months) variability

in the climate

•Variability does not cause fundamental changes in the ecosystem

•Climate change leads to fundamental changes in the ecosystem

Below are some examples

Cont.

A decrease in crop and animal productivity

Animals and plant species may be threatened and even become extinct

Changes in water availability

Changes in storm patters and frequencies

Increased flooding of coastal areas

Changes in rainfall amount and patterns

Increased frequency of drought

Drying of surface water resources

Increased soil erosion

Increase in desertification

Cont.

The major cause of climate change is the production and release of gases called

greenhouse gases to the atmosphere from different sources

The major greenhouse gases are

Carbon dioxide (CO2),

Methane (CH4) and

Nitrous oxide (N2O)

Human activities like agriculture, forest clearing, forest burning, and fossil fuel

burning release these gases into the atmosphere.

Climate Change and Its Effects

Consequences of climate change are

An increase in global temperatures and the melting of icecaps and glaciers

Rise in the sea level and droughts that cause an increase in evaporation

Effects of climate change on agriculture

Adecrease in rainfall

Reduces water availability

An increase in temperature

Also increases water losses from soils and surface water resources

In some areas, climate change can also cause increased rainfall.

The increase in rainfall may result in increased soil erosion

Global warming could increase the incidence of some crop and animal

diseases

Cont.

Climate change also affects animal production through

Reduced forage yields,

Heat stress from increased temperature,

Water shortage and increased incidence of existing and

New diseases and parasites causing reduced animal growth and productivity

Ethiopian agriculture make it highly vulnerable to the effects of climate change

More than 90%of crop production in the country is rainfed, with very low

production under irrigation

Effects of climate change on forestry

Global warming and reduced water availability causes reduced vegetation

growth, reduced productivity and loss of some tree species.

This reduces the capacity of the forest to absorb carbon through

photosynthesis

Degradation of the environment in the form of deforestation, soil erosion and

disappearance of wildlife enhances desertification in arid and semiarid areas

Effects on sea level

An increase in global temperature

Global warming - has already caused melting of polar ice caps

This causes sea level to rise and coastal communities become more vulnerable

to flooding

Ocean acidification

Oceans absorb about 30%of carbon dioxide released to the atmosphere

When carbon dioxide is dissolved in water, it produces carbonic acid

When the amount of carbon dioxide dissolved in oceans increases, the oceans

become more and more acidic

This is harmful to organisms that live in the oceans

Strategies of Mitigating Climate Change

Climate change mitigation refers to the activities implemented to either reduce

or remove the emissions of greenhouse gases to the atmosphere

These practices reduce or remove greenhouse gas emissions in two ways:

Reducing greenhouse gas emissions

Enhancing removal of greenhouse gases by carbon sinks

Reducing greenhouse gas emissions from sources

I. Energy

Shift to renewable energy sources like solar energy, wind energy and

hydropower in order to reduce carbon emission

Cont.

II.Deforestation

The reduction of deforestation is an important way of reducing carbon

emission from forests

Enhancing carbon sinks

Afforestation means planting new forests and

This enhances the carbon storage capacity (sink capacity) and

Helps to mitigate climate change

Improved soil management

About 2 times more carbon is stored in the soil, compared to the total amount

in the atmosphere

So, conservation and management of soils through implementing best

practices enhances the carbon storage capacity of soils

Climate Change Adaptation Strategies in Ethiopia

The adjustments that farmers and other communities make in response to

actual or expected climate change

Modify their ways of doing crop production and animal rearing

The most common climate change adaptation practices include

Changing crop rotation and involving more drought adapted crops in the

cropping pattern

Intercropping, mixing legumes and cereals reduces soil erosion and reduces

water loss by evaporation

Changing the crop type to crops that are better adapted to drought conditions,

crops with lower water demand

Cont.

Changing the crop calendar with changes in the climate which means

planting early or late following the onset of rainfall

Using perennials like fruit crops mixed with legumes and cereals protects the

soil from erosion and reduces water loss

Using animal breeds which are better adapted to increased temperatures,

water stress and possessing better feed conversion efficiency

Grazing land enclosures to reduce land degradation and increase animal

forage production and reduce incidence of animal diseases

Utilization of locally available, non-conventional or unusual feed resources

including agro-industrial by-products

Cont.

Are some of the common climate adaptation strategies used by farmers in

Ethiopia

I. Expansion of perennial crops

This includes planting crops like enset and tree species that better tolerate the

effects of climate change

Use of these perennials reduces the risk of total yield loss

II.Income diversification

Instead of depending totally on agriculture, farmers participate in off farm

activities like trading, paid labor work and other activities

These reduce the chance of total income loss for the household, particularly

during climate change

Cont.

III.Change in crop varieties

Are more adapted to moisture shortage conditions than others

Can tolerate the drought conditions through short maturity period or efficient

use of the available water

Cont.

IV.Mixed cropping

More than one crop species is planted on the same farmland

This helps to use the soil resource efficiently and, during climate change,

reduces the risk of total crop loss

V.Selecting or breeding more suitable animals

Climate change would reduce animal productivity and will increase the

susceptibility of animals to parasites and diseases

Replacing low producing animals with fewer highly productive, disease

resistant and breeds adapted to the local climate conditions and feeds is

important to improve animal productivity in a changing climate

Cont.

VI.Improving management practices

Globally animal production is the major source of methane (CH4) emission

which causes global warming

Improving the management of animal manure for example through using it for

biogas production has the potential to reduce greenhouse gas emission from

the sector

Improving animal nutrition can reduce methane emission from the animal

production sector

Implementing cut and carry system for animal feeding and limiting free

grazing are also important strategies to reduce emission of greenhouse gases

from animal production

Climate Smart Agriculture (CSA)

CSA is an integrated approach where crop production, animal production and

natural resources are managed to address the changing climate

Has three aims

Increase sustainable productivity

Reduce vulnerability to climate related risks and improve capacity to adapt to

climate change

Reduce greenhouse gas emissions from agricultural production

It may not be a single practice that achieves these objectives but a

combination of practices

Indigenous Knowledge in Climate Change Mitigation

Strategies

1. Gedeo environmental protection

The Gedeo community have great respect for nature

Nature including mountains, trees, hillsides and riversides are recognized as

intermediates connecting the creator (God) and the creation (man)

Protecting these natural resources is away of expressing human desire and

prayers to God

Cont.

2. Indigenous soil conservation of the Konso community

Have a traditional landscape characterized by indigenous stone terraces

Indigenous stone terraces have been used for soil conservation for hundreds of

years in the community

The stone terraces collect maximum amount of water and discharge the

excess

The effect of soil erosion protection is improved soil capacity.Improved soil

stores carbon