East African Community

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Climate change:
(Ministry of Water and Environment, 2007) Ministry of Water and Environment
Global warming, the gradual increase in the average temperature on the earth, affects every sector of development. It is a frightening reality that every country has to come to terms with, as evidenced by the highly destructive hurricanes in the USA (2005), severe droughts in Niger (2005) and the devastating floods in Mozambique (2000). Indeed, global warming may be the single most serious global problem of our time. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has pointed out that human activities are altering the climate system and that global mean temperatures are projected to increase in the range of 1.4 to 5.8 degrees centigrade during the period 1990 to 2100. Among the most prominent examples of the effects of global warming, is the gradual disappearance of the tropical ice caps as illustrated in the figure below. The previous permanence of the ice caps has been cherished sources of water for the communities living on the slopes of Mount Kilimanjaro and Rwenzori Mountains. The melting of ice caps has serious consequences on local social and economic development as well as local ecosystems and ecotourism.