24/7 Space News
CLIMATE SCIENCE
Climate urgency takes back seat in Senegal election
Climate urgency takes back seat in Senegal election
By Adrien MAROTTE
Kafountine, Senegal (AFP) Mar 21, 2024

Surrounded by lush mangrove forests, Julien Arfang Diatta shows the flooded road leading to his village on Senegal's tiny island of Kailo.

Encroaching water levels caused by climate change drive fears that Kailo and surrounding islands in southern Senegal could disappear in a matter of years.

Yet the 18 candidates running for president on Sunday have largely ignored the country's pressing environmental situation.

During the rainy season from July to November, "the sea gets bigger and bigger and you can't get through," Diatta said.

"And we can no longer farm the rice fields because of the salt water."

Diatta's family has lived on the surrounding Kafountine islands for centuries, but they now fear being forced from their homes.

"The water is advancing and threatening the village. The trees are dying. If this continues, we'll have no choice but to leave, but where will we go?" said Louise Diatta, in her 40s, who wants her children to grow up on her native island.

Like many countries along the West African coast, Senegal is on the front lines of climate change.

Coastal erosion linked to rising sea levels, drought, desertification and flooding have affected large swathes of the population, with some communities in the north already displaced.

Most presidential candidates made some mention of the environment in their manifestos, a marked change from previous years.

But concrete measures to tackle global warming and reduce greenhouse gas emissions were relegated far behind issues such as justice, employment and the renegotiation of hydrocarbon contracts.

Recently discovered reserves of oil and gas have raised hopes of future industrialisation, with production due to begin this year.

- 'Urgent action' -

Senegal's coastline is receding by an average of between one and 1.3 metres a year, according to official figures from 2020.

At this rate, around 6,000 square kilometres (2,300 square miles) of low-lying areas would be flooded by 2100, with a sea level rise of one metre.

But the mayor of the southern town of Kafountine, David Diatta, said the phenomenon in his locality was happening much faster than these projections.

Rising waters are already making startling inroads in the town, which is home to around 40,000 people.

Even at the height of the dry season, the road linking the centre with the quays to reach the Kafountine islands is submerged.

Formerly buried electricity cables and pipes supplying drinking water are now exposed to the rising waves.

A half-collapsed petrol station and a former tourist site have also fallen prey to the advancing sea.

And the dock where hundreds of fishermen, fishmongers and vendors work has begun its descent into the water.

"The situation is very worrying and requires urgent action," the mayor told AFP.

- High stakes -

"If the fishing dock disappears, thousands of jobs will be lost. If the tourist infrastructure disappears, hundreds and thousands of jobs will disappear," Diatta added.

This is a worrying prospect at a local level, in a country where unemployment already stands at 20 percent.

In the historic northern city of Saint-Louis, the government aided by foreign partners in 2019 began constructing a 3.6-kilometre seawall to combat rising water levels.

But further south in Kafountine, Diatta said that local authorities did not have the means to cope, with the thousands of sandbags placed along the coastline offering little protection from the ocean.

"We need real political will on the part of the central government. We're going to take our concerns to whoever is elected president to find solutions," Diatta said.

He decried the government's slow response to the situation and the lack of interest shown by the majority of presidential candidates.

Aissatou Diouf, head of advocacy at the NGO Enda Energie, said that most hopefuls in the race only mentioned environmental issues in an "abstract" way.

"We need to go beyond 'we have to protect the environment,'" she said.

"How can we do this? With what technology? What kind of investment? What kind of financing? What kind of vision?" she said, listing the pressing issues.

"How will the programme fit in with Senegal's international commitments to help limit global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius?"

Economic and development projects should also include an environmental dimension, Diouf added, given the urgency of the situation and the "enormous" stakes for the Senegalese people.

Related Links
Climate Science News - Modeling, Mitigation Adaptation

Subscribe Free To Our Daily Newsletters
Tweet

RELATED CONTENT
The following news reports may link to other Space Media Network websites.
CLIMATE SCIENCE
'Weather forecasts' by kids warning about climate to hit TVs globally
United Nations (AFP) Mar 21, 2024
Television viewers across the globe will get a special weather report Thursday as children take to the small screen to deliver special forecasts about their future - threatened by the climate crisis. From CNN to France 2, and in languages ranging from Spanish to Arabic to Hindi, the children are part of an effort conceived by the UN Development Program (UNDP), the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) and The Weather Channel. "I'm Kaylee with a very special weather report. From down there, to ... read more

CLIMATE SCIENCE
Imagining sustainability through the eyes of future generations

Pioneering Gemini, Apollo astronaut Thomas Stafford dies at 93

From Beyond Beyond, Voyager 1's unexpected message sparks hope and intrigue

Study brings scientists a step closer to successfully growing plants in space

CLIMATE SCIENCE
RocketStar unveils fusion-enhanced electric thruster for spacecraft

N. Korea's Kim oversees hypersonic missile engine test: state media

North Korea tests engine for new hypersonic missile

CASC Welcomes Chen Mingbo as New Chairman in Strategic Leadership Refresh

CLIMATE SCIENCE
NASA and JAXA advance Martian Moons study with instrument handoff

It's go for drilling at Mineral King: Sols 4125-4126:

Surprising insights about debris flows on Mars

Life on Mars, together

CLIMATE SCIENCE
Shenzhou 17 astronauts complete China's first in-space repair job

Tiangong Space Station's Solar Wings Restored After Spacewalk Repair by Shenzhou XVII Team

BIT advances microbiological research on Chinese Space Station

Chang'e 6 and new rockets highlight China's packed 2024 space agenda

CLIMATE SCIENCE
Airbus Prepares EUTELSAT 36D Satellite for Launch with Innovative BelugaST Transport

A New Dawn in Satellite Technology: MDA Space Unveils AURORA

Aerospace Corp., Space Foundation partner to boost inclusivity in space industry

LizzieSat signals success for Sidus Space in post-launch phase

CLIMATE SCIENCE
NASA industry team advances Lidar technology for Earth and Lunar missions

UC San Diego Scientists Unveil Plant-Based Polymers that Biodegrade Microplastics in Months

Frost-resistant concrete technology from Drexel could make salt and shovels obsolete

Using nature's recipe for 3D-printed wood

CLIMATE SCIENCE
Unveiling hydrogen's role in life's early energy mechanisms

Loathed by scientists, loved by nature: sulfur and the origin of life

Webb finds ethanol, other icy ingredients for making planets

Interstellar signal linked to aliens was actually just a truck

CLIMATE SCIENCE
Unlocking the Secrets of Eternal Ice in the Kuiper Belt

NASA Armstrong Updates 1960s Concept to Study Giant Planets

NASA's Europa Jupiter Mission will be packed with humanity's messages

UCF scientists use James Webb Space Telescope to uncover clues about Neptune's evolution

Subscribe Free To Our Daily Newsletters




The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2024 - Space Media Network. All websites are published in Australia and are solely subject to Australian law and governed by Fair Use principals for news reporting and research purposes. AFP, UPI and IANS news wire stories are copyright Agence France-Presse, United Press International and Indo-Asia News Service. ESA news reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. All articles labeled "by Staff Writers" include reports supplied to Space Media Network by industry news wires, PR agencies, corporate press officers and the like. Such articles are individually curated and edited by Space Media Network staff on the basis of the report's information value to our industry and professional readership. Advertising does not imply endorsement, agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space Media Network on any Web page published or hosted by Space Media Network. General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) Statement Our advertisers use various cookies and the like to deliver the best ad banner available at one time. All network advertising suppliers have GDPR policies (Legitimate Interest) that conform with EU regulations for data collection. By using our websites you consent to cookie based advertising. If you do not agree with this then you must stop using the websites from May 25, 2018. Privacy Statement. Additional information can be found here at About Us.