Madagascar: An Economic & Environmental Approach to Climate
Located in the southwestern region of the Indian Ocean, Madagascar, a large island home to approximately 25 million people, is one of the most bio-diverse countries in the world. According to USAID, “there are more unique species of plants and animals living in Madagascar than on the entire African continent and more than eighty percent of its species can be found nowhere else on Earth.” Madagascar, a member of the “Vulnerable Twenty” (V20), a group gathering twenty nations that may see their future development severely impacted by climate change, is also one of the world’s most impoverished countries, where ninety percent of the poor survive predominantly on subsistence agriculture. According to the World Bank, in 2012, approximately seventy percent of the people in Madagascar were living in poverty. While Madagascar may be the world’s primary producer of vanilla beans, climate change is threatening the future of that economy and, in turn, is threatening the livelihoods of those who rely on vanilla production to support their families. To complicate matters, Madagascar is particularly vulnerable to the impacts of climate change and more and more regional – and global – attention must be drawn to ensure adaptation and mitigation efforts are rapidly taking place and supported.
Mangroves: An Example of a Dangerous Feedback Loop
Climate change acts as a sort of feedback loop. As more CO2 and climate-impacting emissions are released into the Earth’s atmosphere, the hotter the atmosphere gets. As the atmosphere warms, certain species will be able to adapt, however others – most in fact – will not. Including humans. In Madagascar, this dynamic can be seen in the mangrove forests, which act as a critical barrier protecting Madagascar from sea level rise and erosion as well as provide essential habitat for fish and animals. Alison Clausen, World Wildlife Fund’s former Climate Change Program Officer in Madagascar notes that mangroves suffer from a “double exposure” to climate change. Meaning, as drought, storms and ocean acidification impact food production and supply throughout the region, local communities turn to increased mangrove production for basic survival and firewood, which, in turn, feeds the cycle of diminished habitat, food supply, and increased CO2 emissions.
In an effort to address this regional concern, international foundations like the MacArthur Foundation are focused on mitigation, but also on adaptation solutions that can be integrated throughout the country. In this case, leveraging traditional knowledge as well as using targeted education and outreach efforts are important tools as many locals don’t necessarily notice or understand the immediate threat that mangrove destruction poses. By introducing solutions that value the mangroves alive rather than burned and by presenting alternatives such as efficient stoves and lanterns, communities are able to shift to behaviors that maintain a relative quality of life while addressing the broader impacts climate change has on their land and wellbeing.
Adapting to Climate Impacts via Partnerships
Climate change inversely impacts poorer populations and Madagascar is no exception. Madagascar in particular is exposed to extreme weather events that are only predicted to intensify in coming years. For example, the country is predicted to be hit by stronger cyclones with twice the current intensity of today’s storms in addition to the southern portion of the country receiving less and less rain. In short, the poorest communities and countries of the world will suffer the most. This is especially true of Madagascar, which is not economically diverse and relies heavily on localized farming as a basic way to subsist. Even though Madagascar has tried to shift from a heavily agricultural-based economy to one that blends off-farm employment activities, demand for the latter remains weak and access to wide-scale training is extremely limited.
Furthermore, transportation and connectivity play a major role in the fight against climate change, as those living in poverty are more isolated and therefore less likely to have access to resources to survive a devastating storm or drought. These same people are also less likely to be educated or understand ways to cope with a changing environment in a proactive manner that protects their crop and their family. It’s therefore imperative that international agencies and government bodies work collaboratively to ensure that those struggling the most have access to alternatives, both financial and production-based, that ensure lives are not lost to climate shifts and impacts.
In response to such a large-scale detrimental outlook, the Government of Madagascar and the World Bank have united to take action. Since 2013, the two agencies have partnered to adapt irrigation infrastructure to climate change focusing on intensifying cyclones thereby ensuring that infrastructure is flood resistant while providing guidance on evacuation measures and soil quality. Given the severity of the situation at hand, this partnership also established a set of laws to ensure these new norms are compulsory.
Conclusion
Madagascar suffers from a combination of location, extreme poverty, reliance on a predominantly agrarian society and a lack of connectivity and education, especially for rural farmers. These geographic and cultural impediments make it that much harder to adapt to climate change and mitigate future climate related risks. Addressing climate solutions in Madagascar is therefore a multi-layered challenge that will involve a multilayer approach from both on-the-ground local and international governing bodies as well as foundations and NGOs that can provide watchdog assistance, technological knowledge and funding opportunities to ensure the island can adjust as comprehensively and as successfully as possible.
