Springer Climate Change and Water Resources in Africa: Perspectives and Solutions Towards an Imminent Water Crisis

The focus of this book is on the key water-related vulnerabilities to climate change in Africa, particularly in its most vulnerable areas, exploring potential management responses to such vulnerabilities. The African countries are particularly exposed and vulnerable to the negative impacts of climate change, with important impacts on water resources and hydrological systems, water availability, water resource management and sea level variations. Already, under various anthropogenic pressures, the status of water resources in Africa has been changing over the past decades, with decreasing water quality, falling groundwater levels, and variability in rainfall, both in terms of timing and intensity. Climate change will further accelerate the rate of change, affecting the ability of people and societies to respond in a timely manner.  It is clear that there is no quick fix to the pressures imposed on water resources by climate change. Increasing the resilience of ecosystems and communities to extreme events such as flooding and drought, and integrating climate change risks and opportunities into development decision-making is indeed a key challenge, as much a technical climate-change one, as a political and developmental challenge.  The book, in this regard, intends to contribute to the debate around climate change in relation to water resources management in Africa, and in particular inform policy decisions and actions that will improve governments’ and communities’ ability to manage the challenges of climate change and variability in relation to the aquatic ecosystems that they depend on. The knowledge collected in this book will benefit policy makers, researchers, as well as other stakeholders.  Review Review From the Back Cover This book dedicated to “Climate Change and Water Resources in Africa” sets out the many challenges and implications of climatic change for freshwater resources in Africa, including its rivers, lakes and aquifers. Under the influence of a range of human factors, the status of water resources in Africa has been changing for decades, transpiring in changes in water flow and variability, falling groundwater levels, changes in rainfall levels and timing, as well as overall decreasing water quality. Indeed, change is not new in this context. Climate change, however, will strongly accelerate the rate of change, affecting the ability of people and societies to respond in a timely manner to address their own needs. With this in mind, this book has been dedicated to providing a deeper analysis of the effects of climate change on water resources in some of the most vulnerable areas in Africa, including the approaches that may help reduce or mitigate the impacts of climate change. In this regard, while there is no quick fix to the pressures imposed on water resources by climate change, it is clear that increasing the resilience of ecosystems and communities to extreme events such as flooding and drought, and integrating climate change risks and opportunities into development decision making, will be key. It is also important that wealthier countries as well as major current GHG-emitting countries assume responsibility for their historic GHG emissions and support those countries that are most impacted by those emissions to adapt to such impacts, while reducing their own carbon footprints. As a whole, this book intends to contribute to the debate around climate change in relation to water resources management in the African continent, and in particular inform policy decisions and actions that will improve governments’ and communities’ ability to manage the challenges of climate change and variability in relation to the aquatic ecosystems upon which they depend. About the Author Professor Salif Diop has worked at the United Nations, in UNEP’s Division of Early Warning and Assessment (DEWA), for the past 16 years as Senior Officer. His water e