Africa’s Climate Crisis Highlights Urgent Need for Artificial Intelligence (AI)-Based Solutions
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Africa’s Climate Crisis Highlights Urgent Need for Artificial Intelligence (AI)-Based Solutions
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By Ann Obae, Principal Programmes Officer, Climate Change at the Water Sector Trust Fund
September 25, 2023
Africa is one of the most susceptible regions in the world to climate change. This is due to its high dependence on climate-sensitive sectors like agriculture and limited access to resources and technology for coping with adverse climate change effects. Amidst the array of solutions available to tackle the devastating effects of climate change in Africa, Artificial Intelligence (AI) has emerged as a potential game changer for incorporating tools like predictive analytics and machine learning in the fields of agriculture, water, weather modeling, and wildlife conservation to combat the effects of climate change.
The threat of climate change in Africa
The inaugural Africa Climate Summit (ACS), convened in Nairobi from September 4th to 6th, underscored the continent's intent to take ownership of its climate change agenda and reshape it to center on African contexts and interests. According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), Africa stands out as one of the world's most vulnerable continents exposed to human-induced climate change, even though it contributes only marginally to global greenhouse gas emissions compared to continents like Europe, Asia, and North America, at less than 10%.
Some notable consequences of climate change in Africa include water insecurity, biodiversity loss and ecosystem disruption, reduced food production, and coastal degradation. West African countries have been hardest hit with coastal erosion which is estimated at 56% in Benin, Senegal, Ivory Coast, and Togo. Every day, over 250 million Africans experience hunger, and this problem may worsen due to rising temperatures, which could reduce crop yields in the region. Projections for 2100 also indicate that Africa could lose at least half of its bird and mammal species due to climate change and the productivity of the region’s lakes could also decline by 20-30% within the same timeframe.
Artificial Intelligence (AI) as a remedial tool
Africa is increasingly taking charge of its climate change action through the development of localised approaches that address the unique environmental challenges and socioeconomic needs of the region. Within the context of addressing climate change impacts specific to Africa, AI is one of the more distinctive interventions.
Africa-led and focused AI applications relevant to climate change are not entirely new, especially in the field of biodiversity conservation, but they are far from evolving into a firmly established strategy for combating climate change. Ranging from autonomous drones in South Africa for wildlife conservation to AI camera traps in Gabon for detecting poachers, AI interventions are nascent in Africa’s repertoire of climate change action but promising nonetheless. In South Africa, for instance, the protection of endangered species is more efficient with the use of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) that have increased the accuracy and speed of detecting and reprimanding poachers. The AI cameras in Gabon are also quick in capturing and analyzing data that would otherwise take months to handle manually. However, there are still limitations in AI applications for monitoring habitats, like tracing water loss in African natural resources that are home to diverse wildlife.
Beyond wildlife conservation, there have been notable advancements in AI applicability in predicting weather patterns and events. Researchers in Kigali, Rwanda launched a groundbreaking weather prediction system that employs AI and machine learning in July 2023. This first-of-its-kind AI-based model will not only assess previous weather patterns but also predict future weather events more efficiently and accurately compared to conventional approaches. While not yet fully functional, the new tool will use machine-learning models to forecast sunlight, rainfall, windspeed, and temperature allowing many African countries to better prepare for adverse weather events. Similar AI tools in weather prediction will equip governments with better long-term solutions, effectively reducing climate-related disaster risks in the continent.
Climate change also significantly affects agriculture in the continent, especially because agriculture largely depends on water availability that is susceptible to climate risks. Droughts, saltwater instrusion, floods and water pollution are all climate related factors that have reduced crop yield exacerbating the food insecurity problem in Africa. The use of AI systems in water management plans can alleviate Africa’s extreme water problems through evidence-based resource planning and developing curated National Adaptation Plans (NAPs). Further, the integration of predictive analytics, facilitated by machine learning, is poised to enhance the overall productivity of Africa's agricultural industry pushing the continent towards achieving food security. For instance, AI could be integrated into geospatial technologies and remote sensing to generate predictive analytics that can help both large-scale and small-scale farmers improve the quality and quantity of farming output as well as track and navigate adverse weather situations that could hamper crop yields.
The evolving use of AI in Africa's efforts to address climate change in wildlife conservation, weather modeling, and agriculture suggests a promising path for enhancing future mitigation and adaptation strategies. This integration of AI technologies is helping African countries better understand and manage their ecosystems, enabling more precise climate predictions and enhancing sustainable farming practices. By harnessing the power of AI, Africa is poised to make significant strides in mitigating the impacts of climate change, preserving its rich biodiversity, and ensuring food security for its growing population.
Ann Obae is the Principal Programmes Officer, Climate Change at the Water Sector Trust Fund (WSTF).