This site was last updated on Friday 16th September 2011
The Gambia Climate Forum is now online at http://gambiaclimateforum.phoenixprojectgambia.org
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CLIMATE CHANGE. GLOBAL WARMING. THE GREENHOUSE EFFECT.
Climate change and global warming - what are they? Do you know how the greenhouse effect and climate change are going to affect the lives of you and your family? Do you know what carbon is and how it is changing our world? Do you understand the implications of deforestation, desertification, rising
sea level, aquifer depletion, increased salinity, mangrove failure, rising
temperatures, environmental pollution & coastal erosion? Do you know the considerable,
and life saving benefits of reforestation and community forests, soil building,
sustainable farming & sustainable development, water conservation, mangrove
protection, wildlife conservation, eco tourism & fair trade? What do you know about disaster management? Do you know the cause of global warming? And what is
climate justice? What is environmental protection? What does climate change
mean for the future? Do we have a future?
You are Well Come to 
The Phoenix Project Gambia Climate Change Information and Resource Centre
The greenhouse effect. Climate change. Global warming.
All of these are common phrases these days but what exactly do they mean? And more specifically, and very, very importantly, what does it all mean to the Gambia? Should we, the people of Gambia, pay little heed, after all, our climate has always been extreme and life has never been easy, or should we all be seriously concerned and give it our immediate attention?
There is a virtual global consensus that agrees, without any doubt, that global warming is the biggest threat to our existence that humanity has ever had to face and even those who still deny that climate change is ‘man made’ still recognise that the global climate is changing, and changing very fast, and that global warming, and its devastating consequences, is most definitely a fact.
The world, ‘our world’, is standing at the edge of precipice……and we are all facing an unknown and unpredictable future….. global temperatures are soaring, sea levels are rising, deserts are spreading and fresh water is becoming increasingly scarce….humanity has never lived in an environment such as the one we are in now and yet, those of us living in the poorest countries of the world, those of us without a supportive infrastructure, those of us who have the least resources, those of us who live our lives steeped in absolute poverty, those of us who have not caused the problem in the first place….. we are the ones that are going to have to bear the brunt of the devastating and murderous consequences of global warming and somehow, someway, we are going to have to find ways to adapt to an increasingly hostile, and deadly, environment.
If we do not find a way to adapt then we will not survive.
Climate Justice?
Climate Justice?
It is unfortunate, no, it is a crime, (or at least it should be) that even though we, the people of the underdeveloped world, have not caused the global problem of climate change we are receiving very little aid, and no compensation, to combat the problem and we are virtually being abandoned by the more affluent nations. The failure, again, of the world summit on climate change, in Cancun, Mexico in December 2010, the 16th Convention of the Parties (COP16), the 16th annual world summit to discuss how to prevent, or at the very least mitigate the consequences, has virtually sealed our fate. The global temperature will now rise by 2 degrees C by 2050 compared with pre-industrial levels. That may not be so bad for those in the temperate regions of the world but for us here in the Gambia, West Africa, a 2 degree global average rise means a local rise here of anywhere between 3.5C to a devastating 10C by mid century. How on earth are we going to cope? And neither will it stop there……no global agreement has yet been reached to adequately cut emissions and to stop deforestation so the temperature will continue to rise even further with conservative predictions of 4 degrees C by 2100….
Food prices are already scandalously high here in Africa and are set to rise far higher as scarcity dominates the world market. Most of us spend a lot of time now being hungry so how, and what, are we going to eat, when prices rise and as our agricultural land increasingly becomes desert – or under water? Fresh water has always been a precious commodity in the sub Sahara region but changes in rain patterns and precipitation intensity, coupled with massive deforestation for the export market, means that our aquifers are not refilling as they used to. Most of the rain now just runs off straight back to the rivers and the ocean, threatening lives and livelihoods with dangerous flash floods. Couple that with the rise in sea level which is bringing massive loss of land mass and already causing salt intrusion into our fresh water……How are we going to irrigate and what are we going to drink?
We now have to demand justice from those who are the major contributors to the coming climate catastrophe and who are still increasing the greenhouse effect on a daily level; we must push for climate justice to ensure our survival. But we will not get that justice by merely asking for it. We have to show that we are not sitting idly by while our world disintegrates beyond recognition, we have to show that we are willing to work towards successful adaptation, we have to come up with innovative ideas and revamp traditional methods and we have to build links with our peers and counterparts both at home and abroad so they can help to provide us with the much needed specialist help and equipment that we so desperately need, and need very quickly.
Therefore the aim of this site is manifold;
- For the site to act as a catalyst to build strong links and networks between individuals, community groups, agencies, CSOs, academia and government on a national and international basis in order that we, whether individual, CSO or government can obtain the specialist equipment, services and human resources that we need to survive.
- To provide an easy to use and readily accessible platform with a substantial amount of relevant information and up to date research on the many and diverse issues relating to climate change and global warming, from both home and abroad, to better enable everyone to act efficiently and effectively in setting up projects and programmes that will make a positive impact and increase the chances of successful adaptation. This will also help to ensure that we all avoid unnecessary duplication of pilot or unsuccessful projects while at the same time increasing the incidences of replication of successful projects and thereby minimising the waste of limited, and hard to come by, funding opportunities.
- To build a fully interactive, and active, on line and on the ground community at a national and international level, with everyone working towards one common goal; to ensure that the Gambia, one of the worlds smallest and poorest countries, does not have to face this climate challenge alone, and that, by garnering both national and international support, we can ensure that the people of the Gambia have the necessary information and the necessary equipment to meet the life threatening challenges that have been thrust upon us and so ensure that the Gambia adapts successfully – and in time.
- To provide a means for those living in the more rural areas, those at greatest risk, in the Gambia to build and maintain a supportive network and to have access to up to date relevant information without the need to travel unduly.
- To provide a means for individuals, groups, agencies, CSOs and government to publish their findings, to air their views and ideas, to submit articles, to find volunteers or specialist workers and equipment, to offer time or help, to advertise their events or programmes, to announce funding opportunities, and for everyone to be able to find others with similar ideas so that efficient & effective links can be forged to ensure our success and survival.
To provide, or assist in providing, free help, support, advice and technical assistance for the design and implementation of programmes and projects throughout the Gambia with the aim of building sustainable environmetal and social resilience to climate change and global warming.
The world is set to reach 2C warmer by 2050. 4C warmer could be within 90 years. The map below is a projection of the world at that 4C mark........ What are we going to do to stop it coming true?
Map and projections courtesy of New Scientist Magazine
In this unpredictable environment one thing is absolutely sure; it will take all of us working together to ensure successful adaptation and survival, for none of us, absolutely none of us, can combat this climate challenge on our own. Its time to work together……..
……..and time is most definitely of the essence…… for the greenhouse effect is already making itself felt and climate change and global warming are no longer standing at our door; they are coming in and they are coming in force. In the Gambia, as in all the sub Sahara countries rain patterns are changing rapidly causing a substantial threat to food security for those already living in absolute poverty. Fresh water is becoming increasingly scarce and water salinity is becoming a major problem. Desertification is threatening once fertile areas and rising temperatures are causing an increasing incidence of bush and forest fires. Sea and river levels are noticeably rising on almost a daily level putting desperately needed tourism in jeopardy, endangering the mangrove systems and local fishing industry and threatening the lives and livelihoods of hundreds of thousands of people who already live on the edge………
…..if we do not start to work together it can only get worse…………
We would like to thank the government of the Gambia, and in particular ,The President of the Gambia, His Excellency Sheikh Professor Alhaji Dr. Yahya AJJ Jammeh for the forsight and wisdom in developing astute national policies and strategies to aid the Gambia, its people and its environment, to mitigate and adapt to climate change and global warming.
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