Page 52 - Respond 2016 Magazine

Average rainfall in the semi-arid regions of South Africa is, at best, half
the world average of nearly 1,000mm a year.

Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe and the rest of the region has declared a
drought disaster. The World Food Organisation estimates that 10 million
people will need emergency food aid in the region. This is if it rains and
maize crops grow in time for the early 2017 harvest.

Climate change projections – collated in the latest United Nations
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change report – paint a picture
where more of the same can be expected. The region will get up to six
degrees hotter by the end of this century. That will dramatically alter
rainfall, with less falling, but in more violent storms.

The report warned: “Africa as a whole is one of the most vulnerable
continents due to its high exposure and low adaptive capacity.” Critically,
maize yields in the region are projected to drop by a third by 2050.

All photos: © Delwyn Verasamy
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