1 Presented by: Mr. Bernard Edward Gomez Principal Meteorologist Department of Water Resources Tel: /

2 Contents National response to climate change National Communication under UNFCCC Key Climate Change Challenges Conclusions/Recommendations

3 National response to climate change n United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change opened for signature on 4 June 1992 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil during the “Earth Summit”. - The Gambia ratified FCC in June 1994 & Kyoto Protocol to UNFCCC in June 2001 n Thus, Gambia has accepted the responsibility to work with the international community to “stabilize greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere at a level that would prevent dangerous anthropogenic interference with the climate system”.

4..….. Institutional Setup n Department of State for Forestry & the Environment is Policy Focal Point n FCC implemented through the National Climate Committee (NCC), created in Nov n DWR: Technical Focal Point; Chairs the Committee n NEA: Secretary to the Committee n Current Membership (5 Govt. technical institutions; 4 Govt. policy institutions; 5 Parastatals; 11 NGOs; 7 LGAs; 3 Private institutions; 4 Centres of excellence; 1 CBO; 2 Private consultants; UNDP).

5 Functions of NCC n Enhance awareness on climate change and related social, economic and environmental issues; n To meet periodic reporting obligations under UNFCCC; n Implement climate change projects; n Undertake assignments as requested; and n Conduct research on climate variability and climate change.

6 Major Achievements of NCC n National Inventory of Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Sinks ; GOTG/UNEP/ GEF n Study of Vulnerability of Economic Sectors of The Gambia to Climate Change ; GOTG/USA n Study on Capacity Development for the Clean Development Mechanism ; GOTG/UNEP/RISO n First National Communication to the UNFCCC ; GOTG/UNDP/GEF n The Gambia National Adaptation Plan of Action on Climate Change – 2007; GOTG/UNEP/GEF n Establishment of Designated National Authority for CDM

7 National Communication to UNFCCC n Convention requirement under Art.4, para 1 Reporting frequency for Gambia: voluntary, depending on availability of funding from GEF n Main Issues reported in National Communication F Inventory of greenhouse gas emissions & sinks F Assessment of vulnerability and adaptation to climate change (very important for the Gambia) F Mitigation of greenhouse gases: (contribution to convention objectives / opportunity for development) F Research & Systematic Observations: (fundamental requirement in view of high dynamism of climate system) Sectors ownership of the product??

8 Why is climate change important to Gambia n Major socio-economic & environmental sectors are sensitive to climate resources, e.g., F Agriculture: rainfall, temperature, humidity, etc. F Freshwater resources: rainfall, evaporation, temperature, etc. F Forestry: rainfall, temperature, humidity, etc. F Fisheries: rainfall, wind, etc. F Infrastructure: rainfall, wind, temperature, sea level rise, etc. F Health: rainfall, wind, temperature, etc. F Energy: rainfall, wind, temperature, etc. n Low-lying nature of country exposes it to sea level rise

9 Climate change hazards in The Gambia n Torrential rainfall n Storms (wind, dust, sand, thunder) n Drought n Cold spells n Intra-seasonal drought n Heat waves n Unseasonal rains n Sea level rise Is your sector fully protected from all of these?? What actions have you taken to minimize damage?

10 Impacts of climate change on the Millennium Development Goals Changes in mean climate, variability, extreme events & sea level rise Impacts on the MDGS (MDGs 1 & 2) Increased temperature & precipitation changes reduce agricultural & natural resources. 1. Eradicate extreme poverty & hunger Food security jeopardised; more intense disasters threaten livelihoods. 2. Achieve universal primary education More vulnerable livelihoods mean more children engaged in employment; infrastructure damage from disasters.

11 Impacts of climate change on the MDGs……….. Changes in mean climate, variability, extreme events & sea level rise Impacts on MDGS 3 & 4 Change in precipitation, run-off & variability leads to greater water stress. 3. Promote gender equality & empower women Women.………, more adversely impacted by disasters. 4. Reduce child mortality Children more vulnerable to malaria and other diseases, which are spread more widely by climate change.

12 Impacts of climate change on the MDGs……….. Changes in mean climate, variability, extreme events & sea level rise Impacts on MDGS 5 & 6 Increased incidence or intensity of climate- related disasters leads to damage to assets and infrastructure. 5. Improve Maternal Health Pregnant women particularly susceptible to malaria. 6. Combat HIV/AIDS, malaria & other diseases Increased prevalence of mosquito- borne diseases.

13 Impacts of climate change on the MDGs……….. Changes in mean climate, variability, extreme events & sea level rise Impacts on MDGS 7 & 8 Temperature, water and vegetation changes contribute to increased prevalence of disease. 7. Ensure environ. sustainability Climate change indication of unsustainable practices. Move towards more energy-efficient models of consumption 8. Promote global partnerships Wider forums must acknowledge the role of climate change in impacting MDGs.

14 Climate change is indeed a major threat to national wellbeing compromising past achievements and seriously undermining ongoing/future development targets/efforts Urgent need to strengthen climate monitoring & prediction at national level to enhance hazard detection/prediction for increased resilience to climate shocks

15 Climate-sensitive sectors to generate data at optimum geographical scale & time step to enhance credible assessments of vulnerability & adaptation to climate change. Sectors to internalise/ incorporate climate change concerns/issues in their plans & devote resources to build resilience. Strengthen efforts for the Gambia’s participation in the Clean Development Mechanism.

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