The negative impacts of climate change are not equally distributed or experienced across the globe. In fact, developing countries are disproportionately affected by adverse weather events related to global warming, despite their negligible contribution to climate change. For example, the United Kindgom has emitted over 78 billion tons of CO2 since 1750. In comparison, Uganda has contributed around 0.00-0.01% of the global CO2 emissions to date, yet continues to suffer far worse consequences than the UK, including prolonged droughts, rainfall, and fatal landslides. According to a 2020 study published in Lancet Planetary Health, the global north is responsible for 92% of excess emissions, with 40% and 29% of emissions attributable to the United States and the European Union, respectively. These geographic blocs industrialized much earlier and at the expense of the global south, yet they place the burden of climate mitigation on their lesser developed counterparts while simultaneously—and systematically—excluding them from international climate negotiations. Sadly, due to the pervasive legacy of colonialism and exploitation, developing countries overwhelmingly lack the infrastructure and resources needed to respond to the climate crisis despite their disproportionate suffering.
Recall the desert locust infestation that plagued the Horn of Africa countries over the last 5 years. Climate experts have linked this infestation to a perfect storm of heavy rainfall, strong winds and soaked land, creating a fertile breeding ground for locusts. Specifically, experts revealed that rising temperatures are quickly warming the Indian Ocean, creating powerful cyclones. According to the Natural Climate Change Journal, these cyclones are increasing in both frequency and intensity, with 2019 being a record-setting year for the number of tropical cyclones in the Indian Ocean. As a result, the capital of Djibouti, received a record-breaking two years’ worth of rain in just four days. Due to these abnormally wet conditions, locusts are breeding at alarming rates and decimating critical vegetation and crops throughout the Horn of Africa, including in Eritrea. Such infestations also pose economic challenges as many countries in the Horn are heavily dependent on agricultural outputs.
Global warming has also led to the abnormal warming of the Red Sea, causing tens of thousands of coral reefs to die. Coral reefs provide a safe habitat and serve as a critical food source for many different marine species. If coral reefs continue to die at these rates, we will see significant biodiversity loss in the Red Sea as many marine organisms will no longer be able to survive. Additionally, according to researchers at King Abdulaziz University in Saudi Arabia, “the Red Sea sea-level was seen to rise at a rate of 3.88 mm/year from 1993–present, which was consistent with the global rate of 3.3 ± 0.5 mm/year. However, a noticeably faster rate of 6.40 mm/ year was observed in the Red Sea sea-level from 2000-present.” This revelation is particularly dire for Eritreans who live near Massawa, Assab, and other coastal towns, as rising sea-levels can lead to flooding, erosion, and saltwater infiltration, ultimately leading to displacement.
The public health challenges related to global warming also cannot be understated. Rising temperatures coupled with shifting rainfall patterns may result in increased cases of malaria and dengue fever. According to the World Bank, global warming will cause 150 million additional cases of malaria worldwide, or a 5% uptick in the number of people at risk. Similar upticks in dengue fever cases are also possible. Relatedly, prolonged drought stemming from climate change can lead to water scarcity and can impact water quality and sanitation, leading to more diarrhea-related deaths among children under the age of 15. In fact, the World Bank estimates that by 2030, there will be 48,000 more diarrhea-related deaths among children across developing nations.
Due to Eritrea’s disproportionate vulnerability as a newly independent, coastal nation, it is imperative that Eritrea’s climate strategy centers on adaptation and resilience. Additionally, vulnerability assessments in 2005 revealed that in Eritrea, water resources, forestry, agriculture, coastal and marine ecosystems, and human health have been most affected by climate change. As such, Eritrea’s climate strategy should continue to prioritize these areas first.
However, the climate funding gap continues to impede adaptation efforts throughout the developing world. The funding gap can be mitigated through increased internal finance mobilization and favorable international funding. Although a lot remains to be expected, the ecosystem restoration measures that Eritrea has implemented to date using its internal resources and limited support from international partners has yielded encouraging results and impact. In this connection, the Ministry of land, Water and Environment has underscored, in its reports, the importance of the early release of USD 26 million pledges made by GCF to assist Eritrea’s climate change adaptation programme.
At present, energy supply bottlenecks constitute one of Eritrea’s critical developmental challenges. Given the global technological breakthrough and advancement, the country has a chance to reliably solve its energy problems by developing its immense solar, wind and geothermal energy potential. Although in small scale, the country has proven the potential of developing wind and solar energy which can play a major role in the country’s energy transitioning in the future.
Furthermore, while Eritrea already engages global climate experts to facilitate knowledge-sharing, technical assistance, and data collection, it is critical that the country continues to tap the expertise of our agricultural communities who possess deep insight into the natural environment. In doing so, Eritrea can viably develop and scale up sustainable and resilient farming practices, including fortified irrigation systems and the widespread use of improved seed varieties.
Strategic international collaboration combined with local and multi-generational farming wisdom are key to Eritrea’s long-term climate adaptation and resilience. Additionally, given the wealth of natural metal and mineral resources, Eritrea is poised to financially benefit from the climate transition, and ultimately emerge as one of the climate champions in East Africa.
