ABSTRACT

In the coming decades, countries around the world will face increasingly severe challenges related to global climate change. While the details vary from country to country, the impacts will be especially grave for marginalized people, whose access to food, potable water, and safe shelter may be threatened due to fluctuations in rainfall and temperature, and to extreme weather events. Because weather extremes are the main way that climate change manifests itself, water governance is a crucial aspect of climate change resilience.

Following an overview of the ways climate change is affecting three cities in Africa, Water and Climate Change in Africa: Challenges and Community Initiatives in Durban, Maputo and Nairobi discusses the equity and climate justice implications, and then gives examples of ways in which a range of local community organizations are extending their current activities to address these challenges through innovative new programs and initiatives at the grassroots. This approach has implications for communities worldwide; it is a process of building on existing organizations’ aptitudes and strengths in the light of local knowledge of climate challenges, and creating partnerships to build equity-enhancing new methods of protecting people’s subsistence.

This book should be of interest to climate change scholars, activists and policy-makers, as well as development studies researchers and practitioners.

chapter 1|10 pages

Introduction

The importance of community-based organizations for equitable water governance in times of climate change

chapter 4|5 pages

Kilimanjaro Initiative

Working with youth in Nairobi

chapter 6|5 pages

Bringing together community and academic knowledge

The Eduardo Mondlane University Faculty of Education Environmental Education Club

chapter 9|5 pages

Climate justice

Can you educate hungry people?

chapter 14|8 pages

Conclusion

Developing community-based responses to climate change