Knowledge for Development

Climate change

ACP countries consume very little fossil fuel but bear the brunt of the consequences of huge emissions of greenhouse gasses by industrialized countries. They suffer the most adverse effects due to their inability to respond adequately to projected climate changes caused by these emissions. This dossier investigates the consequences of climate change in ACP countries and explores S&T strategies for agricultural and rural development required to mitigate them.

This report published by the SEA Change (Vietnam) and UKCIP (UK), is a synthesis and summary of frameworks for the monitoring and evaluation (M&E) of climate change adaptation and resilience (CCAR) interventions, with a specific focus on international development projects and programmes. The objective of this report is to: (i) provide an easy-to-read synthesis of current adaptation and resilience M&E resources, frameworks, and approaches so that practitioners are able to more easily identify the information and tools that are most relevant to their needs; (ii) provide a short analysis of the 'state of play' of adaptation and resilience M&E guidance, identifying key themes and reflecting upon gaps and future priorities. The synthesis exposes a considerable overlap between some of these M&E frameworks, but also very important differences in approach, methodology, and intended audience. Among the key findings was a strong demand for an overarching, comprehensive document that would help M&E practitioners and CCAR programme managers understand the state of play of CCAR M&E, and also provide guidance in choosing which materials are best suited to the needs at hand.   (SEA Change CoP, 15/05/2014)    30/06/2014
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The Asian Development Bank identifies in this comprehensive report the effects and quantifies the costs of the adverse outcomes of climate change to the Pacific island economies, with details provided for selected key sectors including agriculture, fisheries, tourism, coral reefs, and human health. It presents policy recommendations and action steps for the countries to minimise or mitigate these impacts. Some of the report's findings include the following: the combination and interaction of geographic, economic, environmental, and demographic factors are expected to make the Pacific region particularly sensitive to climate change; mainstreaming climate change actions in development planning is crucial to minimise the impacts of climate change; an adaptation strategy is key to addressing the multitude of climate change impacts. This publication is available for a fee as well as free download.   http://www.adb.org/publications/economics-climate-change-pacific   (ADB, 11/2013) 13/05/2014
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Andrew Leakey, plant biology professor at the University of Illinois, US, and colleagues report that levels of zinc, iron and protein drop in some key crop plants when grown at elevated CO2 levels. The teams simulated high CO2 levels in open-air fields using a system called Free Air Concentration Enrichment (FACE), which pumps out, monitors and adjusts ground-level atmospheric CO2 to simulate future conditions. The experiments revealed that the nutritional quality of a number of the world’s most important plants dropped in response to elevated CO2. Zinc and iron went down significantly in wheat, rice, field peas and soybeans. Wheat and rice also saw notable declines in protein content at higher CO2. Nutrients in millet, sorghum and maize remained relatively stable at higher CO2 levels because these crops use a type of photosynthesis, called C4, which already concentrates carbon dioxide in their leaves.    (University of Illinois, 07/05/2014)    30/06/2014
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A report in the Los Angeles Times details the efforts Carl Schmidt and his colleagues at the University of Delaware, USA, put into developing heat-resistant chickens. They are trying to map the genetic code of African naked neck chickens to see if their ability to withstand heat can be bred into flocks of US broilers.    http://www.latimes.com/nation/la-na-climate-chickens-20140504-story.html#page=1   (Los Angeles Times, 03/05/2014)    Editor's note: Julius Kofi Hagan, at the Department of Animal Science, School of Agriculture, University of Cape Coast, Ghana, was awarded the third prize in the Young Professionals in Science competition for his research on developing chicken breeds that can be highly productive under the hot and humid environments of the tropics. The research undertaken in this breeding programme involved introducing two heat-tolerant genes – the naked neck (Na) and frizzle (F) traits – into chicken of the Lohman Brown, an imported bird of hybrid origin, to make them more productive in Ghana.   How can the benefits from developing improved breeds in the US based on indigenous genetic resources from Africa be shared? What are the policy instruments? K4D has been advised by Prof Luke Mumba that there are a number of on-going efforts on the African continent to protect and at the same time sustainably utilise Africa’s biodiversity and indigenous knowledge.  Through the support of NEPAD/SANBio,  the SADC Plant Genetic Resources Centre has published policy guidelines on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture in June 2013 (www.spgrc.org.zm).  At  continental level, the AUC is working on Policy Guidelines to govern access, use and protection of biodiversity and indigenous knowledge.    30/06/2014
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