For Africans, the Climate Debate Around the Role of Livestock Misses the Mark

Traders take cattle to market in winter rain along the road to Woliso, Ethiopia. Credit: Apollo HabtamuBy Huyam Salih and Appolinaire DjikengNAIROBI, Kenya, Dec 8 2023 (IPS) Africa is contending with a climate crisis it did not create without sufficient recognition for the unique rights and needs of the world’s youngest and fastest-growing population. Not only is the continent least responsible for reducing greenhouse gas emissions, having historically produced just a tiny fraction, but it is also disproportionately impacted by the consequences of emissions generated elsewhere. And when climate disasters such as cyclones in Mozambique and Malawi, or droughts in the Horn of Africa strike, the subsequent humanitarian response diverts vital funds that could have otherwise supported public health, education and food security. Such extreme events take an enormous toll on Africa’s primary industries, including crop and animal agriculture, with the livestock sector alone losing $2 billion from the ongoing drought. It would therefore be preposterous to hold any of these sectors directly to account for curbing climate change – let alone one that provides food and livelihoods for hundreds of millions amidst growing climate risks. Yet this is precisely the scenario that unfolds when the global climate debate around the role of livestock results in calls for blanket reductions of herd numbers and wholesale dietary shifts away from meat. Broad campaigns for a transition away from...
Source: IPS Inter Press Service - Health - Category: International Medicine & Public Health Authors: Tags: Africa Climate Action Climate Change Combating Desertification and Drought COP28 Education Environment Food Security and Nutrition Headlines Health TerraViva United Nations IPS UN Bureau Source Type: news