Climate change in Madagascar

This is a good article. Click here for more information.
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Satellite image of Madagascar with a large cyclone to the right of it in the ocean.
Satellite image of Cyclone Batsirai approaching Madagascar. Tropical cyclones are set to become more intense in the country due to climate change.

Climate change is a significant threat to Madagascar's environment and people. Climate change has raised temperatures, made the dry season longer and has resulted in more intense tropical storms. The country's unique ecosystems, animal and plant life are being impacted.

Climate change is projected to drive declines in coral reefs and forest habitats, and threaten native species such as lemurs. The human population is highly vulnerable due to severe impacts on water and agriculture, with implications for food security. Infectious diseases are also expected to increase. Madagascar is a signatory to the Paris Agreement and has set out goals for climate change adaptation, although their implementation faces challenges due to country's relative poverty.

Effects on the natural environment

Bar chart showing blue lines below the x-axis, which change to red lines above the x-axis, representing increasing average annual temperature in Madagascar.
Temperature change in Madagascar, 1901 to 2020
Map of South Madagascar showing areas of reduced rainfall.
Droughts in Madagascar are being made more likely due to climate change.

regional climate model put the increase at 1.1–2.6 °C, varying depending on topography, for the period 2046–2065.[1][2] The south of Madagascar is projected to warm the most, with the north and coastal areas warming the least. This would have significant impacts for the fragmented eastern forests.[2] Madagascar has the highest risk of cyclones in Africa, experiencing three to four per year.[3] Cyclones are expected become more intense due to climate change but less frequent, greatly impacting the country and increasing flood risk.[3] By 2018, the number of violent cyclones with superior wind speeds up to 150 km/h doubled in the prior 25 years.[4] Madagascar's dry season is becoming longer.[4] Vegetation cover correlates strongly with the El Niño–Southern Oscillation, with this relationship indicating climate change is likely to further degrade Madagascar's environment.[5]

amphibians and reptiles are threatened by higher temperatures.[2] Suitable eastern rainforest habitat for ruffed lemurs is projected to decline considerably due to the interacting impacts of climate change and deforestation in Madagascar.[12] The fecundity and reproduction of the Milne-Edwards's sifaka is significantly impacted by changes in precipitation and increased cyclones.[6] Coral reefs in Madagascar are likely to decline in the 21st century due to climate change, although deforestation is thought to have a greater impact.[13] Coral bleaching events are projected to increase and cyclones damage them directly, leading to declines in fish populations and increasing coastal erosion.[3]

Present (left) and predicted future (right) Köppen climate classification maps of Madagascar

Effects on people

Satellite image of a river flooding.
Flooding of agricultural fields (pictured in 2010 near the Betsiboka River) is increasing in Madagascar due to climate change.

poverty, poor infrastructure and high dependence on rain-fed agriculture being primary factors.[15][16]

water management infrastructure, deforestation, erosion and saltwater intrusion. Decreases in annual rainfall, increased evapotranspiration and sea level rise are projected to further reduce water availability across much of the country.[3] This includes the capital Antananarivo, where water availability may not be able to meet demand by 2025.[3] Water in Southern Madagascar, where groundwater is the primary water source during the dry season, are likely to also be severely affected as water becomes further limited.[3]

Climate change also has significant implications for

malnutrition have been linked to climate change.[4]

Mitigation and adaptation

Image of a man in a suit.
Minister of Environment, Ecology, Sea and Forests Ralava Beboarimisa at the 2015 United Nations Climate Change Conference

Madagascar is a signatory to the

energy,[20] and this use of firewood and charcoal for cooking is contributing to deforestation.[21] Only a fraction of the population have access to electricity, but some solar power has been built, such as Ambatolampy Solar Power Station.[22]

In its nationally determined contribution, with the help of reforestation, the country aims to absorb more GHG than it emits in 2030.[23] President Andry Rajoelina urged tougher international action on climate change at the 2021 United Nations General Assembly:[24]

Madagascar finds itself a victim of climate change. There are recurrent waves of drought in the south. The water sources dry up and all the means of subsistence become almost impossible. My compatriots in the south are bearing the weight of climate change which they did not participate in creating.

— President Andry Rajoelina[24]

Madagascar is a poor country,

COP26, environment minister Baomiavotse Vahinala Raharinirina called for $100bn in climate finance from rich countries to poorer countries like Madagascar to implement adaptation measures, highlighting a proposed water pipeline from the north to the south of the island requiring funding.[29]

See also

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Climate change in Madagascar.

References

  1. ^ Tadross, Mark; Randriamarolaza, Luc; Zo Rabefitia, Zo; Ki Yip, Zheng (February 2008). "Climate change in Madagascar; recent past and future".
  2. ^
    PMID 18664414
    .
  3. ^
    S2CID 245237470. Archived
    from the original on 17 August 2022. Retrieved 12 September 2022.
  4. ^
    S2CID 115440273
    .
  5. S2CID 12434479. Archived
    from the original on 11 September 2022. Retrieved 12 September 2022.
  6. ^
    S2CID 86151651. Archived
    from the original on 11 September 2022. Retrieved 12 September 2022.
  7. ^ Weston, Phoebe (9 April 2021). "Lemurs and giant tortoises among species at risk if global heating hits 3C". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 12 September 2022. Retrieved 12 September 2022.
  8. ISSN 2150-8925
    .
  9. PMID 25859320
    .
  10. ISBN 978-0-387-34586-4. Archived
    from the original on 16 February 2023. Retrieved 12 September 2022.
  11. ISSN 0006-3207
    .
  12. S2CID 209448969. Archived
    from the original on 21 August 2022. Retrieved 13 September 2022.
  13. PMID 23736941
    .
  14. PMID 24535397
    .
  15. ^ a b Tandon, Ayesha (1 December 2021). "Climate change not the main driver of Madagascar food crisis, scientists find". Carbon Brief. Archived from the original on 11 September 2022. Retrieved 11 September 2022.
  16. ^ "Madagascar on the brink of climate change-induced famine". BBC News. 24 August 2021. Archived from the original on 28 August 2021. Retrieved 12 September 2022.
  17. S2CID 214418918
    .
  18. PMID 30486244
    .
  19. ^ "Per capita greenhouse gas emissions". Our World in Data. Archived from the original on 12 September 2022. Retrieved 12 September 2022.
  20. S2CID 225095673. Archived
    from the original on 16 February 2023. Retrieved 12 September 2022.
  21. ^ "Climate emergency and global energy crisis: which way for Madagascar?". www.wwf.mg. Archived from the original on 12 September 2022. Retrieved 12 September 2022.
  22. ^ "The Force of the Sun: Madagascar Embarks on Renewable Energy Production". World Bank. Archived from the original on 7 October 2022. Retrieved 11 September 2022.
  23. ^ "Contribution Prévue Déterminée au niveau National (CPDN) de la République de Madagascar" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on 12 September 2022. Retrieved 12 September 2022.
  24. ^ a b AfricaNews (23 September 2021). "Madagascar President urges tougher action on climate change". Africanews. Archived from the original on 5 October 2022. Retrieved 12 September 2022.
  25. ^ "Madagascar overview". World Bank. Archived from the original on 11 February 2023. Retrieved 7 October 2022.
  26. ^ "Climate adaptation bill for African countries to dwarf health spending". The Guardian. 13 July 2022. Archived from the original on 12 September 2022. Retrieved 12 September 2022.
  27. ^ "Even as the government bets big on carbon, REDD+ flounders in Madagascar". Mongabay Environmental News. 18 August 2021. Archived from the original on 22 January 2023. Retrieved 7 October 2022.
  28. ^ "Madagascar closer to 1.8m issuance under World Bank scheme". www.qcintel.com. Archived from the original on 9 October 2022. Retrieved 7 October 2022.
  29. ^ "Madagascar paying price for cheap European flights, says climate minister". The Guardian. 6 November 2021. Archived from the original on 12 September 2022. Retrieved 12 September 2022.

External links

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Climate_change_in_Madagascar&oldid=1189291898"