Climate experts call for early action, not disaster response

ARUSHA: TANZANIA and other countries in Africa and the Asia-Pacific have been urged to strengthen climate preparedness systems and shift from relying mainly on responding to disasters after they occur to taking early action that enables communities to withstand climate-related impacts.

The call was made by the Executive Director of Shahidi wa Maji which is a Non-Governmental Organisation, Abel Dugange, and the Economic Affairs Officer for Economic Climate Investment at the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA), Collins Otoo, in an exclusive interview with the Daily News during a four-day Climate Adaptation and Resilience (CLARE) programme forum called CLARExchange, that ends in Arusha today.

Mr Dugange said climate change was already affecting communities and key sectors, making it necessary to establish systems that allow people to prepare in advance rather than wait for disasters before acting.

He said one of the key lessons from CLARE was the need to translate research findings into practical measures that could be incorporated into government plans and programmes.

“The major task for us in Tanzania is to take the good practices we see from other countries, assess whether they fit our environment and use them,” he said.

Mr Dugange said research conducted under the programme had also found that some citizens did not attach sufficient importance to weather information, partly because previous forecasts were perceived to have differed from subsequent events.

He said the Tanzania Meteorological Authority (TMA) had the responsibility of providing scientific forecasts, while relevant local government officers should translate the information into practical advice for farmers, livestock keepers and other communities.

“A farmer does not need only to know that there will be heavy rains or an increase in temperature. The farmer needs to know how he or she can continue farming even if there is too much rain, too little rain or temperatures increase,” he said.

Mr Dugange, who is among stakeholders supporting the Vice-President’s Office in developing the National Climate Change Response Strategy, said the strategy should address both knowledge and behaviour.

“Many people have knowledge, but changing behaviour is something else. Changing people’s perceptions should be part of climate adaptation efforts,” he said.

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He said CLARE research had identified a tendency within some local government systems to emphasise response rather than preparedness.

“Preparedness means establishing strong systems and infrastructure before a disaster occurs, rather than waiting for an emergency and then organising recovery efforts,” he said.

He warned that some climate-related impacts, particularly loss of life, could not be reversed once they occurred, stressing the need for stronger preparedness in water, agriculture, livestock and other vulnerable sectors.

For his part, Mr Otoo said CLARE seeks to strengthen climate resilience across Africa and the Asia-Pacific by linking scientific research with government policy, local knowledge and practical community solutions.

The CLARE programme covers partnerships across 52 countries, with 35 projects implemented under seven thematic areas addressing challenges including water security, flooding, drought, cyclones and erosion.

He said many policymakers and government authorities were involved from the beginning of projects to promote co-ownership and ensure research findings informed decisions.

“Researchers try to engage from the beginning of the programme with the respective ministries, municipalities and government authorities that are involved,” he said.

CLARE has so far reached approximately 21,000 people in skills strengthening activities and was strengthening data systems to support evidence-based policymaking.

Mr Otoo said engagement with farmers and communities, alongside technologies such as drones, was helping improve data collection, early warning systems and understanding of climate risks.

He said the ultimate objective was to strengthen preparedness so communities could receive early warnings, take appropriate action and reduce loss of life and damage when disasters occur.

Mr. Dugange said that the CLARE Programme, which invited more than 100 of its global south researchers to attend the CLARExchange event in Arusha, is mostly (about 90%) funded by UK Aid through the Foreign Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO), and co-funded by Canada’s International Development Research Centre.

He said that CLARExchange was co-hosted by Shahidi wa Maji NGO, in collaboration with the Nelson Mandela African Institution of Science and Technology (NM-AIST).

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