East Africa prepares to adapt to climate change. Three studies - on Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda - provide information on policies, institutions and actors addressing adaptation issues and identify governance challenges in climate change adaptation in the region.
The large-scale violence that erupted in Kenya after the controversial 27th December 2007 general elections was no single major explosion. Different parts of the country were affected in very different ways. While many parts of Kenya were burning, the Coast Province remained relatively calm, despite the longstanding history of socio-political tension and even violent conflict in this part of the country.
The destruction of tropical forests contributes 15-20% to the greenhouse gas emissions generated by human activity. Initiatives to reduce deforestation and forest degradation (REDD) are widely considered vital to mitigate climate change. However, they carry considerable risks, if not designed properly.
Tanzania’s mining sector has grown rapidly in recent years. This study provides background information on the industry, its impacts, and the legal and political environment of its operation. It argues for a joint effort of all stakeholders to overcome typical challenges of the extractive resource industry in Africa, in order to make Tanzania the “best performer in her class”.
A maize shortage has led to an unprecedented price hike in Kenya; government has declared the food insecurity a national disaster. Many Kenyans attribute food price inflation to mismanagement and corruption. But to what extent does it result from actual scarcity? Do food crop producers - many of them small farmers - profit from high food prices?
"Africa speaks up on Climate Change" is an appeal to political actors worldwide to care about the threat climate change poses to Africa. Already, droughts, floods, desertification and other effects of climate change are threatening both nature and livelihoods. The appeal addresses the African public as well: Only the people can apply the necessary pressure to make the necessary changes.
