The Sahel: Ground Zero for Climate Change

        Imagine if you and tens of millions around you were at a steadily growing risk of starvation while being threatened or recruited by terrorist organizations. Because of climate change, this is a reality for the nearly 100 million people living in the Sahel region of Africa, a horizontal strip of countries across the continent (Muggah). According to Ibrahim Thiaw, UN Special Adviser on the Sahel, this region is extremely susceptible to the harmful effects of climate change (UN).
        While this is an issue specific to the semi-arid land of the Sahel, it is, in fact, a foreshadowing of what is to come in other vulnerable places around the world, and at some point, the entire world. According to Hindou Oumarou Ibrahim, a Mbororo woman, “We are talking about the climate impact now in my country, in my people, but tomorrow it's going to be worse in developed countries. If you don't want to take action for those people that you don't know, take the action for yourself and then you can save us also” (Why taking action…). If no changes are made to the world’s carbon emissions, the future of the people living in Africa looks dark, as environmental, social, and political conditions currently threaten those in the Sahel (Sahel).
        Climate change has created a harsh chain of effects on the environment and land in the Sahel, resulting in droughts, soil erosion, and desertification (Sahel). With these environmental challenges come challenges in the social sphere of Africa, such as the uprooted lifestyle of nomadic pastoralists. For instance, the Mbororo in Chad, have moved around from place to place with their cattle to make a living for centuries, but now cannot because changes in climate and land have forced them to travel at sporadic times for longer distances (Why taking action…). With this change in lifestyle, herders, farmers, and fishermen are all finding themselves in competition with each other for resources and land, and they are just part of the 33 million people in the Sahel that are considered food insecure (Muggah). According to the Mbororo woman, Hindou, “‘In Chad, a man has the responsibility to feed his family… If he can not do that, he finds himself without any dignity. He can not even consider himself a man. It's easy for terrorist groups like Boko Haram to recruit people because they have what this man needs, they have food and money’” (Why taking action…). This demonstrates that this issue is also centered around politics and allowing for an increase in terrorist violence.
        The future of the Sahel region only looks bleaker as projections surrounding the climate, people, and politics of the area are all negative. Precipitation is projected to decrease by 20%, leading to reductions in water supplies (Shepard), and temperatures are projected to increase by 1.5 times the current temperatures in the region, which can commonly reach an average maximum in the 90’s (UN). Furthermore, projections on the number of food insecure individuals in Niger estimate that the number will increase by 55%, resulting in over one and a half million people hungry in Niger alone (Muggah). Between terrorist violence and growing conflicts between herders and farmers, increased political issues can be expected in the Sahel.
        Fortunately, there are efforts being made to reduce the effects of climate change. For example, a number of restorative measures have been taken in the town of Dori in Burkina Faso to resolve environmental, social, and political challenges, which are being used as examples for other cities and countries in the Sahel. For example, funds have been distributed among various groups of people for economic support, and programs are in place to decrease border tensions and violence within the region (UN). In terms of preventative solutions, the Paris Agreement was sanctioned in 2015 with the intention of getting countries to reduce their carbon emissions so that climate change can be limited to a two-degree increase (Shepard). Ultimately, climate change is negatively impacting the environment, society, politics, and future of the Sahel region, and these issues will spread to the rest of the world unless we change our world’s current lifestyle.

Works Cited:
"Erratic Weather Threatens Livelihood Of Rice Farmers In Madagascar." Weekend Edition Sunday, 6 Aug. 2017. Opposing Viewpoints in Context, Accessed 13 Mar. 2019.
Muggah, Robert, et al. “The Sahel Is Engulfed by Violence. Climate Change, Food Insecurity and Extremists Are Largely to Blame.” World Economic Forum, Accessed 21 Mar. 2019.
"Sahel." Environmental Encyclopedia, edited by Deirdre S. Blanchfield, Gale, 2011. Global Issues in Context, Accessed 14 Mar. 2019.
Shepard, Dan. "Global Warming: Severe Consequences for Africa." Interpress Service, 4 Jan. 2019. Global Issues in Context, Accessed 12 Mar. 2019.
“UN: Sahel Region One of the Most Vulnerable to Climate Change.” UN: Sahel Region One of the Most Vulnerable to Climate Change - Red Cross Red Crescent Climate Centre, Accessed 21 Mar. 2019.
"Why taking action on climate change will be of benefit to all." breakingNEWS.ie [All Ireland], 9 Nov. 2018. Global Issues in Context, Accessed 14 Mar. 2019.