Volume 11, Issue 2, April - June
2022
CONTENT
Chair's Foreword
SAES Conference Meeting Report:
Climate Change in Africa - Geosciences & Sustainable Development 15th May
2022
Earth Science Events
References and selected reading
Chair's Foreword*
In
this issue we report on the 1st international conference meeting of the Society
on 15th May 2022: Climate Change in Africa - Geosciences and Sustainable
Development; featuring a talk and slide presentation by Dr Enas Ahmed, lecturer
in Palaeontology and Stratigraphy at University of Matrouh, Egypt, exploring
how geoparks and geotourism can assist in achieving the SDG's (UN formulated
sustainable development goals) and the goals of 2050, 2063 and COP 27. Following
the talk, a brief overview was given by Dr Chukwunyere Kamalu of the current
climate crisis from Africa's perspective with a summary of the indigenous
climate research initiative CR4D (Climate Research for Development) and the
outcomes from COP 26 [1]. Attendees were invited to participate in a plenary
session discussion.
Climate
Change in Africa - Geosciences and Sustainable Development
Society of African Earth
Scientists International Conference Meeting 15th May 2022
Dr
Enas opened her talk by laying out the challenges currently facing the
continent which all have been exacerbated by climate change and how the UN
designated sustainable development goals provide a guide towards development
and meeting the agendas of 2050, 2063 and also COP 27 which will take place in
Egypt, this November 2022.
 |
| Geological time scale |
It was indicated from Dr Enas' presentation that geoscientists take a
long term view of the phenomenon of climate change, considering climate change
over the geological cenozoic era [shown in the illustrated time scale
above]. This geological study of the earth’s climate beyond the modern
era of available recorded data is called palaeo-climatology. According to Dr
Enas the presence of both modern and fossilised mud cracks discovered in
geological investigations are among many indicators that have given
scientists a clue to the Earth's
 |
|
Fossilised mud cracks |
repeated
cycles of climate (indicating repeated cycles of wetting, drying). In
line with the earth's long history of change and in cases accompanying geo- and
extra-terrestial hazards (including the catastrophes of intense Ice Age,
depletion of global oxygen, meteor strikes, etc) there have been 5 mass
extinctions [2] and we are currently living in or headed towards a 6th, which
is our present crisis with loss in biodiversity through the extinction of many
species due to climate change and human induced decline. In this regard,
apparent allusion was made to industrial agriculture contributing to this loss
of biodiversity through its methods.
We need to mitigate climate change and Dr Enas suggested various ways of
achieving this in Africa including:-
-
Promoting wildlife sanctuaries; creating biosphere reserves that protect
large areas of natural habitat for wildlife. Some of the conservation
areas created were noted as sometimes clashing with business interests involved
in exploiting these protected areas for oil exploration as in the case of the
Okavango region of Namibia.
-
Creating wetlands, which hold carbon of decomposing plants before it is
released into the atmosphere.
-
Addressing geohazards such as the increased incidence of volcanic activity,
earthquakes and mudslides.
-
Green tourism or sustainable tourism. This is a means to support our
earth, land and people if properly managed, according to Dr Enas. It can also
raise awareness of geoheritage, which Dr Enas saw as crucial. We are now
in the geological holocene era where human activity has a marked impact
on the planet's evolution and palaeo-climatology indicates that humans are
pushing the Earth to its limits and potentially towards the 6th mass extinction
event in the Earth's history. Differentiation of climate over the most recent
time frame suggests there has been a markedly steep increase in the the rate of
warming of the planet since about 1950 (as the graph of global temperature
increase illustrates).
In respect of raising the awareness of geoheritage, Dr Enas
spoke about a sense of "heritage cycling" that involves educating
people (especially the young) about their environment, encouraging people
to appreciate the beauty of their national geological heritage and thereby
interesting them in protecting it.
Geoparks can form an effective vehicle for this solution. During the
plenary session, some questioned the need to rely on UNESCO for the designation
of global geopark status. Could the African Union not give geopark status to
sites in Africa of its own choosing?
Dr Enas gave the UNESCO definition of a geopark and outlined the steps to
be taken to gain UNESCO global geopark status. The concept of the geopark
promotes the triumvirate of geotourism, education and conservation. It involves
a formal application process, following a time schedule. There must be an
assurance that local people (including traditional local chiefs) were fully
involved in decision making and in the process of establishing the geopark area.
Ideally sustainably
developed geoparks can help alleviate geohazards, create conservation areas
that will promote socio-economic development and support the indigenous people
that live there particularly in a rural setting. The geopark belongs to the community.
Its status as a UNESCO world heritage site, if obtained is not automatic but
requires maintenance to a standard and reapplication to renew. No doubt the
geopark together with geotourism will create job opportunities, with an
infrastructure that includes all the amenities for tourism. It should also
include a boost to the local economy which includes promotion of local food and
culture, festivals, etc.
Dr Enas raised the
possibility of so called "trans-national geoparks", where two
countries sharing a border share the costs and responsibilities for a geopark
located in shared territory. This has interesting implications for peace,
security and trans-national cooperation between African countries.
This summarises what some might see as a grand vision that Dr Enas laid
out in the talk. Furthermore, she closed by noting women are likely to be the
main recipients of benefit from moves towards achieving the SDGs to ameliorate
climate warming in this way. Dr Enas closed by thanking all in attendance and
inviting attendees to the next climate conference (COP 27) to be held in Egypt
at the end of the year.
The plenary session raised concerns about who controls the process of
designating geoparks and conservation areas in Africa, with the respect of land
rights for indigenous peoples being key, citing the ongoing cases of the
displacement of Maasai communities in Ngorongoro's newly designated UNESCO
Geopark and conservation area and the Okavango region where oil is being
prospected [3] with negative impact on local rural life and ecology. The
ensuing discussions were best encapsulated by a question raised by Dr
Nezaphi-Delle Odeleye around the fact that existing international designations
which should protect designated areas were being ignored by governments and
multi-national entities. Why should further efforts be given to designation of
new geoparks if this does not change? Another contributor, Lebo, from the floor
noted that: "We have to do things differently!"
From the general viewpoint, it was - as people remarked - an important,
enlightening and insightful event thanks to Dr Enas' excellent presentation and
the inspiring level of participation.
We
are left however with disquieting patterns in sub-Saharan Africa, of
conservation areas being used to facilitate exploitative business
activities under the auspices of UN affiliated bodies. This is a great
disappointment because geoheritage sites and geotourism do represent
opportunity for transformational economic impact on African development from the
significant disposable income of diasporan Africans worldwide, who might appear
to be a ready-made and natural market for such tourism. However, this
does not appear to match with the capitalist tourism model envisaged by those
at the helm seeking to exploit the African environment and wildlife through
prospecting for lucrative minerals and oil and game hunting safaris for wealthy
foreign tourists.
If UNESCO designated geoparks, conservation areas and world heritage
sites are considered only to be a "front" for exploitation of African
resources, environment and wildlife through collusion with business
interests under the disingenuous guise of maintaining "conservation
areas" (as the trend of examples in sub-Saharan Africa is suggesting),
there will be little public support for the establishment of new UNESCO sites;
only the support of governments that abuse their own citizens' rights. The UN
SDGs are potentially a great guide and assistance to sustainable African
development, but this should happen without designating UNESCO sites that
facilitate business activities which harm rather than support local
indigenous communities.
Earth Science Events
August 9-10, 2022
International Conference on
Tectonic Geomorphology and Paleoseismology
VISION:
https://waset.org/tectonic-geomorphology-and-paleoseismology-conference-in-august-2022-in-lagos
VENUE: Lagos, Nigeria
November 1, 2022
International Conference on
Agricultural Engineering,
VISION:
VENUE: Cape Town, South Africa
November 4, 2022
International Conference on
Earth Science and Climate Change,
VISION:
VENUE: Cape Town, South Africa
November 7-18, 2022
United Nations Climate Change
Conference, 2022 (UNFCCC - COP27)
VISION:
http://unfcc.int/calendar/events-list
VENUE: Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt
December 13, 2022
International Conference
on Agriculture, Biotechnology, Biological
and Biosystems Engineering
VISION:
VENUE: Cairo, Egypt
References
[1]
See SAES Newsletter #41 for this report which was previously documented;
rather than the report being repeated here.
[2]
National Geographic Encyclopaedia, Scientific Studies: The five
mass extinctions in chronological order arising from:
1)
Intense Ice Age - 445 million years ago, 2) Drastic drop in oxygen levels -
270-260 million years ago, 3) asteroid impacts, intense volcanic activity - 252
million years ago, 4) In debate: volcanic activity and asteroids - 200 million
years ago, 5) asteroid impact- 66 million years ago, 6) Homosapiens - human
induced climate change, pollution, etc.
[3]
Links shared in the plenary
session:-www.rewild.org/reshare/save-the-okavango;
www.iucncongress2020/motion/136;
www.unesco.org/archive/2021/whc21-44com-7B-en.pdf; www.bankingonclimatechaos.org
*Board of the Society of African
Earth Scientists: Dr Enas Ahmed (Egypt), Osmin Callis (Secretary -
Guyana/Nigeria), Mathada Humphrey (South Africa), Ndivhuwo Cecilia Mukosi
(South Africa), Damola Nadi (Nigeria), Dr Chukwunyere Kamalu (Chair - Nigeria).
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