FOCUS ON NIGER

CLIMATE CHANGECan we protect the poor from the effects of climate change?

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?When we talk about ‘climate change’ we mean changes in the pattern and intensity of climate-related events. This includes the rise in the earth’s temperature and sea levels in the last 100 years. If temperatures continue to rise as they are, there will be more and more extreme weather occurrences like flooding and drought.

Climate change is not simply due to natural variations in the earth’s weather cycle. There is evidence that the greenhouse gases currently driving the increase in the average global temperatures are produced by the burning of fossil fuels and are aggravating natural variations. Do you think human activity has been a likely factor in climate change?

The impact of climate change poses a huge global risk and threatens the most essential aspects of life on earth: health, access to water, and food production. It is the primary environmental challenge of this century.

CLIMATE CHANGEWhat is Climate Change?

DID YOU KNOW?■■ The top three emitters of carbon emissions in the world is China, the U.S., and the European Union. The fourth greatest emitter, India, emits less than half of the United States’ emissions.

■■ There are an average of 341 climate-related disasters each year.

■■ Food is transported all around the world, with the average meal traveling 1,490 miles. The CO2 emissions attributable to producing, packaging and distributing the food consumed by a family of four are estimated to be about eight tons a year.

CHECK IT OUTLearn more and calculate your carbon footprint: https://www3.epa.gov/carbon-footprint-calculator/Read more about climate change and the SDGs: http://www.un.org/sustainabledevelopment/climate-change-2/

Unsustainable use of energy and resources in everyday life: Everyday lifestyle actions which consume fossil fuel energy contribute to climate change. The rapid rate of fossil fuel burning since the Industrial Revolution has disrupted the natural balance of carbon in the air, soil and seas.

Transportation: Transportation related emissions of carbon dioxide are growing rapidly. The United States alone consumes about 19.4 million barrels of oil and liquid fuel per day, of which approximately two-thirds is used to fuel transport needs.

Deforestation: Worldwide, 80 percent of original forest cover has been cleared, fragmented or degraded. Carbon stored

for years in the trees is being released at a high rate. Africa lost 64 million hectares between 1990 and 2005, the greatest decline seen by any continent.

Agriculture and food industry: Intensive agriculture and the global food industry have contributed to the effects of climate change and the loss of bio-diversity through deforestation, transportation of food over long distances, use of fertilizers and few crop varieties, and livestock management.

Population growth: The earth’s expanding population is leading to an increased demand for food, livestock and energy, which is in turn leading to increased emissions.

CAUSES

Storms: In 2005 there were 28 tropical storms in the Caribbean and North Atlantic—the highest

number since record-keeping began about 150 years ago. It is likely that future tropical cyclones will become more intense due to the rise in North Atlantic sea surface temperatures.

Floods and rise in salinity in land and water: Rising sea levels threaten low lying

areas with flooding, erosion, and the contamination of freshwater supplies. Salt water seeps into the ground water, damaging productive farmland and fresh water supplies.

Drought: The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) warns that climate change will

bring more floods, more droughts, and more vulnerability, hindering the efforts of millions of people to escape poverty.

Internally displaced people and environmental refugees: Millions of people are being

forced to migrate each year to avoid droughts and floods. Those who lose their jobs or homes end up in city slums and camps where the fight for survival becomes a daily reality.

Pests and diseases: The World Health Organization estimates that between 2030 and 2050,

there will be 250,000 additional deaths per year caused by climate change disasters. Flooding gives rise to parasites and plagues of rodents. Warmer highlands allow malaria-carrying mosquitoes to survive.

Food insecurity: Poor farmers who can’t adapt quickly enough to changing weather patterns will

be the worst affected. African communities are particularly vulnerable to changes in rainfall, because the majority of their agriculture is rain fed with no access to irrigation. Climate change has resulted in unpredictable seasons and crop failures.

CONSEQUENCES

?CLIMATE CHANGE AROUND THE WORLD What is the impact on the poor?

There is a strong link between climate change and poverty. The impact of uncurbed global warming is already disturbing the lives of millions of people across the globe, particularly in those countries that have the fewest resources to cope. For the poor, the devastating effects of climate change are now a fact of life and are already undermining the progress intended under the internationally agreed Millennium Development Goals.

Those who are least responsible for contributing to the negative impacts of changes in the climate will be the very ones to suffer most from its effects.

IS CLIMATE CHANGE AN URGENT CONCERN? YOU DECIDE!

CHECK IT OUTNational Geographic Photographers Capture Climate Change: https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/national-geographic-asked-photographers-to-show-the-impact-of-climate-change-heres-what-they-shot/2016/11/23/248ff974-b1b7-11e6-840f-e3ebab6bcdd3_gallery.html

What’s the difference between climate change and global warming?

Climate: the average weather, usually measured over a 30 year time period, for a particular region

Climate Change: any long-term significant change in weather patterns of an area

Greenhouse Effect: the effect of water vapor, carbon dioxide, and other atmospheric gases absorbing outgoing infrared radiation, raising the Earth’s temperature

Global Warming: an increase in the earth’s atmospheric and oceanic temperatures widely attributed to an increase in the greenhouse effect caused by pollution

Climate Adaptation: responses to the changing climate in human behavior to minimize the predicted impacts of climate change

Disaster Risk Reduction: techniques that focus on preventing or minimizing the adverse impacts of hazards

Carbon Footprint: a measurement that determines how much energy is required to sustain an individual’s daily activities.

WHAT’S THE PROBLEM?The atmosphere is an envelope of gases that surrounds the earth. It consists of a mixture of mostly nitrogen, oxygen and argon. But it also contains another mixture of gases known as greenhouse gases, so called because they absorb infrared light but keep the earth’s heat from escaping. Without the natural greenhouse effect, life on earth would be impossible to sustain.

However, as humans cause more greenhouse gases to be released into the atmosphere, the greenhouse effect becomes stronger. More heat is trapped and the earth’s climate begins to change unnaturally.

Greenhouse gas emissions arise from a range of sources including transportation, energy production, agriculture, and industrial processes.

Solar radiation powers the climate system

Some solar radiation is reflected by the Earth and the atmosphere

Infrared radiation is emitted from the Earth’s surface

THE GREENHOUSE EFFECTSome of the infrared radiation passes through the atmosphere but most is absorbed and re-emitted in all directions by greenhouse gas molecules and clouds. The effect of this is to warm the Earth’s surface and the lower atmosphere.

About half of the solar radiation is absorbed by the Earth’s surface and warms it

Rising temperatures in Alaska have spurred the spruce bark beetle to breed faster. From 1993 to 2003, the beetle chewed up 3.4 million acres of Alaskan forest.

In 2007 the worst flooding in 50 years in Hunan Province in China caused a plague of 2 billion mice.

In 2010, Pakistan experienced unprecedented levels of heavy rain which triggered the nation’s worst flooding on record. An estimated 20 million people were impacted by the loss of livelihoods and/or homes.

Himalayan glaciers are receding at 10-15 meters per year, while in India the Gangotri glacier is receding at an average rate of 23 meters per year.

Crop yields in Sub-Saharan Africa are projected to fall by 20 percent because of global warming.

In the Horn of Africa in 2011, the worst drought in 60 years along with record highs in food and fuel costs left over 12 million people facing extreme hunger.

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Niger Country InformationLOCATION: Western Africa

CAPITAL: Niamey

POPULATION: 18.6 million

SIZE: Slightly less than twice the size of Texas

LANGUAGES: French, Hausa, Djerma

RELIGIONS: Muslim 80 percent, other 20 percent

LIFE EXPECTANCY: 56 years

CHILD MORTALITY RATE: 96 deaths / 1,000 live births

ACCESS TO CLEAN WATER: 58 percent

LITERACY RATE: 19 percent

SCHOOL LIFE EXPECTANCY: 5 years

POPULATION LIVING ON LESS THAN $2 DAY: 63 percent

KEY EXPORTS: uranium ore, livestock, cowpeas, onions

Sources: CIA World Factbook, 2016 & UNICEF, 2015

Niger has suffered from military rule and political instability since its independence from France in 1960. General Ali Saibou dominated with single-party military rule from independence until 1991. The first multi-party elections, held in 1993, aimed to establish a democratic state but political divisions brought the new government to a halt. A military coup led by Colonel Ibrahim Bare replaced the government in 1996, but Bare was killed in 1999 by a counter coup. President Mamdou Tandja was then voted in and re-elected twice until he was deposed in February 2010. Niger is currently under a transitional military government pending the next election period.

NIGERHow does climate change affect a country that is already

vulnerable to food insecurity?

CHECK IT OUTLearn more about Niger: http://www.concernusa.org/country/niger/Read about the 2012 food crisis: http://www.concernusa.org/story/as-food-crisis-looms-in-niger-lives-hang-in-the-balance/

The government has offered minimal services to its people and has lacked the resources to develop Niger’s economy. Its largely subsistence agricultural base is frequently destroyed by repeated droughts common in the Sahel region. Droughts, desertification, and high population growth have diminished Niger’s economy and repeatedly threatened the country’s food security. In addition, Niger faces serious environmental issues accelerated by the effects of climate change such as overgrazing, soil erosion, deforestation, and endangered wildlife due to poaching and habitat destruction.

Millet is what keeps most people alive in Niger. This small nation is largely comprised of farmers and pastoralists who depend on rain to sustain the crops and livestock that are their sole sources of income and food.

In the past 10 years, Niger has repeatedly suffered from the increased effects of climate change including desertification, deforestation, drought, and plagues of

locusts. Niger suffered a serious food crisis in 2005 due to drought. Lack of rain in 2010 led to another massive crop failure of millet and other staples, threatening a food crisis predicted to be worse than that of 2005. The United Nations warned that food supplies were dangerously scarce and that 60 percent of the country’s population was facing hunger.

HISTORY

NIGER’S DROUGHT & FOOD CRISIS

DID YOU KNOW?■■ Niger is one of the poorest countries in the world; it is ranked near the very bottom of the UN Human Development Index

■■ It is one of the hottest countries in the world, consisting of mostly desert and sand dunes

■■ Only one-fifth of the land-locked country is fit for livestock and limited agriculture

■■ It has some of the world’s largest uranium deposits

NIGER

?Emergency Nutrition: To prevent and mitigate the onset of severe malnutrition Concern screened, referred, and reinforced the Ministry of Health to provide nutrition support to mothers and children under five.

Seed and Cash Distributions: Concern sought input from mothers, farmers, and community members who have long fought against hunger in Niger to make sure they were delivering what was needed most. Concern’s staff informed the community they could choose:

■❑ A seed pack with improved, drought-resistant millet and cow pea seeds, as well as fertilizer and a one-off cash installment of CFA franc 20,000 (roughly $37)

■❑ Or four monthly cash transfers of CFA franc 20,000 each ($37).

CLIMATE CHANGE IN NIGERHow have people in Niger responded to the effects of climate change?

Which option do you think most families chose?

The majority of families in the Salou village where Concern worked chose the seed-and-cash option.

Using Mobile Phones: Concern initiated a groundbreaking pilot—distributing cash through mobile phones, text messages, and cash distribution agents. A code is delivered via text message to each recipient, which can be redeemed for cash at mobile dispensing agents. It is the first time mobile emergency cash transfers have ever been used in a French-speaking African country.

Why do you think mobile phones were introduced versus distributing cash by hand in communities?

IMMEDIATE RESPONSE

CHECK IT OUTRead more about Concern’s mobile phone cash transfers: http://www.concernusa.org/story/can-text-messages-save-lives-in-niger/Read about inspiring women farmers: http://www.concernusa.org/story/women-cant-wait-empowering-women-farmers/

Climate Adaptation: To mitigate the effects of desertification and water shortages, Niger’s National Adaptation Program of Action (NAPA) has focused on water resource management, including an increase in the use of irrigation and the protection of livestock farming through the provision of animal feed in planting and storage banks.

Other climate adaptation models have focused on reducing soil erosion around fragile water sources and using quick-maturing crop seeds as well as seed banks to help farmers regulate production in the midst of varied and shorter growing seasons.

Disaster Risk Reduction: Concern works closely in the Tahoua region to reduce the chronic vulnerability of poor people in Niger to hazards and disaster risks by strengthening Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) approaches.

Concern aims to increase resiliency of vulnerable households to risks by forming seed banks, building embankments to protect villages from flooding, rehabilitating and constructing irrigation canals, improving agricultural practices, and introducing drought-resistant seed varieties to ensure consistent food supply in vulnerable communities.

LONG TERM SOLUTION

Agaycha Awikguini’s Story

Agaycha Awikguini is 50 years old and a widow. She cultivates millet, sorghum and beans on her small farm and lives with her 13 year-old daughter. “I haven’t harvested anything last year because of the drought . . . I cannot buy big quantities of millet anymore because prices have gone up. Before, I used to grind two bowls of millet to cover my day’s needs. Now I only grind one bowl. Since I have changed my food habits, I have lost weight . . . I do not mind going to bed on an empty stomach, but if [my daughter] is hungry she will start crying.”

Agaycha got her first cash transfer from Concern in April 2010. “I am very happy! I am going to buy millet . . . Just millet. I will buy the big bag, the 100 kg bag.”

?The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) was established in 1988 to assess scientific, technical and socio-economic information relevant for the understanding of climate change.

IPCC’s First Assessment Report in 1990 led to the adoption of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) in 1992.

Under Article 2 of the Convention, countries are committed to: “Achieve stabilization of greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere at a level that would prevent dangerous interference with the climate system—within a time frame sufficient to allow ecosystems to adapt naturally—to ensure food production is not threatened and to enable economic development to proceed in a sustainable manner.”

IPCC’s Second Assessment Report led to the negotiation of the Kyoto Protocol in 1997 which passed into international law on February 16, 2005.

GLOBAL EFFORTS TO REDUCE THE EFFECTS OF CLIMATE CHANGE

INTERNATIONAL AGREEMENTS: WHAT CAN BE DONE?

“The poorest developing countries will be hit earliest and hardest by climate change, even though they have contributed little to causing the problem.” —Stern Report

“The danger posed by war to all of humanity—and to our planet— is at least matched by the climate crisis and global warming. I believe that the world has reached a critical stage in its efforts to exercise responsible environmental stewardship.” —Former UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon

“Some of the scientists, I believe, haven’t they been changing their opinion a little bit on global warming? There’s a lot of differing opinions and before we react I think it’s best to have the full accounting, full understanding of what’s taking place.” —George W. Bush

“All across the world, in every kind of environment and region known to man, increasingly dangerous weather patterns and devastating storms are abruptly putting an end to the long-running debate over whether or not climate change is real. Not only is it real, it’s here, and its effects are giving rise to a frighteningly new global phenomenon: the man-made natural disaster.” —Barack Obama

“Developing countries are bearing the brunt of climate change despite not being the perpetrators. There is need for a collective effort on the part of the third world to put a stop to it.” —Yahya Jammeh, Former Gambia President

“Developed countries should take up their responsibility and provide new, additional, adequate and predictable financial support to developing countries to enable them to have access to climate-friendly technologies.” —Hu Jintao, Former China President

IMPACT ON THE POOR AND WOMENWomen are the biggest victims of climate change, as the provision of food, fuel and water falls on their shoulders. Many women struggle with the double burden of poverty and social exclusion.

If climate change policies are to be successful, women must have opportunities to:

■■ influence decision-making

■■ build their capacity

■■ lower their vulnerability

■■ and diversify their income sources

Developed countries have accepted greenhouse gas emission reduction obligations and have to submit an annual greenhouse gas inventory.

Developing countries have no greenhouse gas emission reduction obligations yet but may participate in Clean Development Mechanisms.

At the 2015 United Nations Climate Change Conference in Paris (COP 21), a global climate agreement was finalized, bringing nearly 200 nations to a consensus on cutting greenhouse gas emissions.

Rich countries committed to help poorer nations by providing “climate finance” to adapt to climate change and switch to renewable energy.

The United States has not signed the Kyoto Accord but has signed on to the Paris Agreement.

Do you think the US should join international efforts to stop climate change?

Can we protect the poor from the effects of climate change?

?Solar — More sun hits the earth in one hour than would satisfy the energy needs of one year. Solar energy is abundant, clean and safe but the component parts of the systems are still expensive and the pay back time is not very immediate.

Wind, wave, and tidal power — There is evidence to suggest that enough wind power can be harnessed to fuel vehicles, power plants, and climate and air pollution programs.

Nuclear — Climate change is being harnessed as a late hope for a nuclear-energy revival. However, with nuclear power comes the problem of nuclear waste and the danger that civilian nuclear technologies could be adapted for weapons.

WHAT CAN YOU DO TO COMBAT CLIMATE CHANGE?

Transportation — Simple activities like walking, cycling, or using public transport whenever possible can make a difference. When only private transport is feasible, driving at a pace which ensures energy efficiency can lessen emissions.

Shipping — Solar panels and huge sails could reduce the emissions of large freight vessels.

Air Travel — Environmental damage caused by flights could be offset by planting trees.

Sensitive and sustainable forest management — Trees have the potential to absorb about 10 percent of projected global carbon emissions. However, when cut down they contribute global carbon emissions and threaten food, energy, and environmental security.

DEBATE ITWhich one of the following solutions do you think is the best sustainable alternative to the energy crisis?

■❑ To campaign that my country fulfills commitments under the Paris Climate Agreement of

■❑ To take personal action to help solve the climate crisis by reducing my own CO2 pollution as much as I can and offsetting the rest to become carbon neutral

■❑ To fight for a moratorium on the construction of any new facility that burns coal without the capacity to safely trap and store the CO2

■❑ To work for a dramatic increase in the energy efficiency of my home, workplace, school, place of worship, and means of transportation

■❑ To lobby for laws and policies that expand the use of renewable energy sources and reduce dependence on oil and coal

■❑ To plant new trees and to join with others in preserving and protecting forests

■❑ To buy from businesses and support leaders who share my commitment to solving the climate crisis and building a sustainable, just, and prosperous world for the 21st century

PLEDGE TO COMBAT CLIMATE CHANGECheck which one of the following options you pledge to help combat climate change or make your own pledge and petition it at your school!

Each year, the US consumes 100 billion single-use plastic bags at a cost of $4 billion a year. Imagine how many lives we could save by investing that money to better protect vulnerable populations from the effects of climate change?

Can you make a list of everyday actions that you can take to combat climate change?

CLIMATE CHANGEIntergovernmental Panel on Climate Changehttp://www.ipcc.ch/NASAhttp://climate.nasa.gov/United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Changeunfccc.intUS Environmental Protection Agencyhttps://www.epa.gov/climate-indicatorsUN Climate Change Conferencehttp://www.cop21paris.org/

NIGERBBC Newshttp://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-13943662IRIN Humanitarian News Analysishttps://www.irinnews.org/afrique/afrique-de-louest/niger

REFERENCES AND RESOURCESUNICEFhttp://www.unicef.org/infobycountry/niger.htmlThe World Bankhttp://data.worldbank.org/country/niger

ORGANIZATIONSClimate Institutehttp://www.climate.org/The World Meteorological Organizationwww.wmo.intWorld Health Organizationhttp://www.who.int/globalchange/en/World Wildlife Fundhttp://www.worldwildlife.org/climate/United Nationshttp://www.un.org/climatechange/United Nations Environment Programmehttp://www.unep.org/

CAMPAIGNSEarth Dayhttp://www.earthday.org/Global Goalshttp://www.globalgoals.org/

CONCERN WORLDWIDE US, INCwww.concernusa.org

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This publication is intended to inform readers about the issue of climate change and does not necessarily reflect the views of Concern Worldwide U.S., Inc. or Concern Worldwide on this issue. Concern Worldwide does not officially recommend or endorse any of these organizations.Concern Worldwide U.S., Inc. is a New York not-for-profit corporation exempt from Federal income taxation under section 501(c) (3). Concern Worldwide U.S., Inc. supports projects carried out in the field by Concern Worldwide, registered in Ireland.This publication was written and produced in 2011 and updated in 2017.Photos: Niger, Concern Worldwide.

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