Africa is projected to suffer the greatest effects of environmental strains of any region in the world. More and longer-lasting heat waves, drought, flooding, and hurricanes have already impacted millions of Africans and disrupted livelihoods.
These disruptions and the resulting decreased viability of arable land are reshaping Africa’s security environment. Of particular concern for efforts to combat environmental strains are threats from land pressure and illegal logging in the Congo Basin, the world’s second most important carbon sink.
This public roundtable assessed the range of environmental-related security pressures on the continent and the importance of incorporating environmental security into African security policy.
Panelists
- Dr. François Engelbrecht
Climate scientist, University of Witwatersrand’s Global Change Institute, Johannesburg, South Africa - Mr. Andrew Mambondiyani
Freelance contributor on climate change and climate refugees in Africa for the Thompson Reuters Foundation - Dr. Ebimboere Seiyefa
Lecturer, Baze University, Abuja, Nigeria, examining links between climate change and organized criminal groups - Dr. Oluwole Ojewole
ENACT Coordinator for Central Africa Organized Crime Observatory, assessing priorities for protecting the Congo Basin
Moderator
- Dr. Joseph Siegle
Director of Research, Africa Center for Strategic Studies
Additional Resources
- Viviane Clement, Kanta Kumari Rigaud Alex de Sherbinin, Bryan Jones, et al., “Groundswell Part 2: Acting on Internal Climate Migration,” World Bank, 2021.
- Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), “Climate Change 2021: The Physical Science Basis. Contribution of Working Group I to the Sixth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change,” UN, 2021.
- Francois Engelbrecht, Jimmy Adegoke, Mary-Jane Bopape, Mogesh Naidoo, et al., “Projections of rapidly rising surface temperatures over Africa under low mitigation,” Environmental Research Letters 10, no. 8 (2015).
- Leif Brottem, “The Growing Complexity of Farmer-Herder Conflict in West and Central Africa,” Africa Security Brief No. 39, Africa Center for Strategic Studies, July 2021.
- Oluwole Ojewole, “Nigeria and Cameroon must confront timber trafficking together,” Institute for Security Studies, July 15, 2021.