Elaboration of a strategy to integrate training on adaptation to climate change within the educational system of cameroon
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- 1.2.3. Need for Conceiving Adaptation Strategies in Africa and Cameroon in Particular
- 1.3 Objective
1.2.2. MonitoringSystematic observations of the climate system are usually carried out by national meteorological centres and other specialised centres. They take observations at standard preset times and places and monitor the atmosphere, ocean and terrestrial systems. Scientists at the Meteorological Office in the Hadley Centre in the United Kingdom (UK), and at the Climate Research Unit at the University of East Anglia (UK), have maintained that global temperatures from 2000 to 2008 are almost 0.2oC warmer than the average for the decade 1990 to 1999 with the year 2007 being the second warmest year in history (Allen, 2008, Pachauri 2008, Hinrichsen 1992). Improved systems for monitoring and reporting such extreme weather events linked to climate change are available in the developed World but absent in the less developed World. This explains why a developing country such as Cameroon is affected without warning signals. Infact, there is no effective and continuous monitoring and evaluation of the trends and impacts of the phenomenon in most developing countries. This is due to inadequate infrastructure and a lack of innovative tools, techniques and methods, relevant expertise, incentives, and more importantly, government policy favouring holistic approaches for monitoring. On a global scale, although current climate prediction models utilize a wide range of data on GHG emissions, volcanic activities, ocean components, etc., there is still a huge variation in the scientific estimates/predictions of the effects of climate change in the future. Reliable global weather records in most developing countries have only been kept during the last hundred years or even less and it is only these recent climatic fluctuations which can be investigated adequately. Previous work on the variability and trends of climate change in Cameroon from 1930 to 1995 on water resources in volcanic terrains and on the environment indicated linear increasing trends in temperatures and decreasing trends in total amounts of annual rainfall and number of days of rainfall in some specific locations across the country (Ayonghe, 2001). 1.2.3. Need for Conceiving Adaptation Strategies in Africa and Cameroon in ParticularAs a result of global warming, the type, frequency and intensity of extreme events, such as tropical cyclones, hurricanes, typhoons, floods, droughts as well as increases in the frequency and intensity of heat waves and heavy precipitation events are expected to rise even with relatively small average temperature increases (Meehl et al. 2007). Rising temperatures will cause shifts in crop growing seasons which affects food security, and lead to changes in the distribution of disease vectors putting more people at risk from diseases such as malaria and dengue fever. Temperature increases will potentially increase rates of extinction for many habitats and species of up to 30 per cent with a 2° C rise in temperature. As a result of global warming, the climate in Africa is predicted to become more variable and extreme weather events are expected to be more frequent and severe, with increasing risk to health and life. This includes increasing risk of drought and flooding in new areas (Few et al., 2004, Christensen et al., 2007) and inundation due to sea-level rise in the continent’s coastal areas (Nicholls, 2004; McMichael et al., 2006). Africa will face increasing water scarcity and stress with a subsequent potential increase of water conflicts as almost all of the 50 river basins in Africa are transboundary (Ashton, 2002; De Wit and Jacek, 2006). Agricultural production relies mainly on rainfall for irrigation and will be severely compromised in many African countries particularly for subsistence farmers and in sub-Saharan Africa. Under climate change, much agricultural land will be lost, with shorter growing seasons and lower yields. Africa has a low adaptive capacity to both climate variability and climate change exacerbated by existing developmental challenges including: low Gross Domestic Product (GDP) per capita, endemic poverty, weak institutions, low levels of education, and low levels of primary health care, amongst others. Accordingly, should the present trends continue undisturbed, the effects will be disastrous even within the next 20 to 30 years; thus the need to act now. From the above analyses, adaptation approaches will therefore be location specific. As examples, in Europe and USA, increase in temperature means more suitable conditions for the production of cereals such as maize while in Africa, and Asia, production of crops such as rice and maize will decrease with increase in temperatures (Benhin, 2008). High temperatures on the African continent affect cattle raring which is gradually being taken over by sheep and goats which are more resilient. Constant sensitization of the community in general and the future generation in particular on climate change issues is accordingly important for mitigation, adaptation, and the conception of resilience approaches towards the phenomenon (Amougou, 2009). Furthermore, the teaching of climate change issues in the educational system is sporadic and absent in most cases. Curricula in the educational system of Cameroon have only elements of climate variation and not climate change knowledge and adaptation strategies in particular. In order to close this existing gap, there is a need for the development of a functional and holistic curriculum supported by well articulated course contents and an integrated strategy that can be mainstreamed into the educational system of the country for the training of the youths on climate change knowledge and adaptation. It is from this back drop that this study on the Elaboration of a strategy to integrate training and adaptation on climate change within the educational system of Cameroon was initiated to achieve the following general and specific objectives: 1.3 Objective1.3.1 Main ObjectiveThe general objective as presented in the Terms of Reference (ToR) (Appendix I) was to elaborate a strategy for the integration of courses and/or training programmes on climate change knowledge and adaptation within the English speaking and French speaking formal educational systems (primary, secondary and tertiary) of Cameroon. 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