Climate change in South Sudan

South Sudan is one of the five most vulnerable countries to climate change in the world.[1] The country is facing the impacts of climate change, including droughts and flooding, which have indirect and interlinked implications for peace and security.[2] Mean annual temperatures across South Sudan have increased by more than 0.4°C every decade in the past 30 years and are projected to increase between 1°C and 1.5°C by 2060, creating a warmer and drier climate. In the northeast, rainfall has decreased by 15–20%, but other regions experienced more frequent and severe floods.[2][3][4]

This bar chart is a visual representation of the change in temperature in the past 100+ years. Each stripe represents the temperature averaged over a year. The average temperature in 1971–2000 is set as the boundary between blue and red colors, and the color scale varies from ±2.6 standard deviations of the annual average temperatures between the years mentioned in the file name.

Greenhouse gas emissions

edit

South Sudan's greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in 2020 saw a significant 13.97% increase compared to 2019, reaching a total of 56,051.36. The previous year, in 2019, South Sudan's GHG emissions experienced a notable decline of 12.8% with a recorded value of 49,180.53. Furthermore, in 2018, South Sudan observed a 9.86% increase in GHG emissions, totaling 56,397.92.[5][6]

Fossil Carbon Dioxide (CO2) emissions of South Sudan[7]
Year Fossil CO2

Emissions (tons)

CO2 emisions

change

CO2 emissions

per capita

Population Pop.

change

Share of World's

CO2 emissions

2016 4,038,496 4.18% 0.36 11,066,105 -1.15 % 0.01%
2015 3,876,470 1.64% 0.35 11,194,299 -0.17 % 0.01%
2014 3,813,985 -0.80% 0.34 11,213,284 0.97 % 0.01%
2013 3,844,685 0.57% 0.35 11,106,031 3.78 % 0.01%
2012 3,822,860 -1.34% 0.36 10,701,604 4.48 % 0.01%
2011 3,874,719 3.64% 0.38 10,243,050 5.44 % 0.01%
2010 3,738,752 4.97% 0.38 9,714,419 5.26 % 0.01%
2009 3,561,629 3.78% 0.39 9,229,227 4.59 % 0.01%
2008 3,431,982 5.79% 0.39 8,823,888 4.82 % 0.01%
2007 3,244,099 9.22% 0.39 8,417,823 4.84 % 0.01%
2006 2,970,325 23.66% 0.37 8,029,517 4.79 % 0.01%
2005 2,401,945 12.70% 0.31 7,662,654 4.72 % 0.01%
2004 2,131,293 13.06% 0.29 7,317,118 4.64 % 0.01%
2003 1,885,091 0.48% 0.27 6,992,367 4.58 % 0.01%
2002 1,876,124 23.57% 0.28 6,686,100 4.56 % 0.01%
2001 1,518,322 9.17% 0.24 6,394,431 4.58 % 0.00%
2000 1,390,806 12.42% 0.23 6,114,440 4.52 % 0.00%
1999 1,237,140 9.93% 0.21 5,850,145 2.64 % 0.00%
1998 1,125,420 -9.75% 0.20 5,699,436 1.97 % 0.00%
1997 1,246,940 21.48% 0.22 5,589,410 2.84 % 0.00%
1996 1,026,415 -2.38% 0.19 5,434,894 2.51 % 0.00%
1995 1,051,435 -6.45% 0.20 5,302,042 3.10 % 0.00%
1994 1,123,892 47.99% 0.22 5,142,863 2.48 % 0.00%
1993 759,436 -29.08% 0.15 5,018,172 1.23 % 0.00%
1992 1,070,796 -5.53% 0.22 4,956,969 1.84 % 0.00%
1991 1,133,422 -10.67% 0.23 4,867,185 2.45 % 0.00%
1990 1,268,762 33.46% 0.27 4,750,817 0.94 % 0.00%
1989 950,689 -9.61% 0.20 4,706,626 -2.25 % 0.00%
1988 1,051,718 44.01% 0.22 4,814,879 -1.61 % 0.00%
1987 730,295 -22.88% 0.15 4,893,809 1.54 % 0.00%
1986 946,903 -1.90% 0.20 4,819,667 2.39 % 0.00%
1985 965,262 18.15% 0.21 4,706,975 2.26 % 0.00%
1984 816,975 -10.36% 0.18 4,603,039 2.23 % 0.00%
1983 911,408 1.86% 0.20 4,502,541 2.37 % 0.00%
1982 894,726 3.29% 0.20 4,398,297 2.43 % 0.00%
1981 866,207 -2.84% 0.20 4,293,866 2.43 % 0.00%
1980 891,541 17.11% 0.21 4,192,012 2.42 % 0.00%
1979 761,295 2.42% 0.19 4,092,792 2.42 % 0.00%
1978 743,309 -8.89% 0.19 3,995,911 2.43 % 0.00%
1977 815,795 5.48% 0.21 3,901,044 2.43 % 0.00%
1976 773,425 -3.13% 0.20 3,808,615 2.43 % 0.00%
1975 798,421 -22.82% 0.21 3,718,279 2.44 % 0.00%
1974 1,034,427 -5.93% 0.28 3,629,608 2.46 % 0.00%
1973 1,099,586 30.63% 0.31 3,542,465 2.24 % 0.00%
1972 841,771 7.39% 0.24 3,464,715 2.00 % 0.00%
1971 783,844 0.36% 0.23 3,396,808 1.63 % 0.00%

Agriculture and livestock

edit

Climate change is having a significant impact on agriculture and livestock in South Sudan. Droughts have killed livestock and disrupted crop cycles, leading to food insecurity. To address this issue, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) is distributing early maturing and drought-resistant seed varieties, as well as supporting the introduction of irrigation systems.[8] The losses of livestock attributed to climate change, coupled with existing rivalries, heighten the probability of cattle theft, which can result in retaliatory actions, communal conflicts, population displacement, exacerbation of inter-communal animosity, and the emergence of armed factions.[9][10][11]

References

edit
  1. ^ "South Sudan Adapts to Climate Change By Restoring Its Ecosystems". Global Adaptation Network (GAN). 2023-08-17. Retrieved 2023-12-15.
  2. ^ a b Siddig, Khalid; Stepanyan, Davit; Wiebelt, Manfred; Grethe, Harald; Zhu, Tingju (2020-03-01). "Climate change and agriculture in the Sudan: Impact pathways beyond changes in mean rainfall and temperature". Ecological Economics. 169: 106566. doi:10.1016/j.ecolecon.2019.106566. hdl:10568/101350. ISSN 0921-8009. S2CID 146321871.
  3. ^ Elagib, Nadir Ahmed; Mansell, Martin G. (2000-04-01). "Climate impacts of environmental degradation in Sudan". GeoJournal. 50 (4): 311–327. doi:10.1023/A:1011071917001. ISSN 1572-9893. S2CID 153835620.
  4. ^ "Climate Change Profile: South Sudan - South Sudan | ReliefWeb". reliefweb.int. 2019-02-13. Retrieved 2023-11-08.
  5. ^ "South Sudan Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Emissions 1990-2023". www.macrotrends.net. Retrieved 2023-11-20.
  6. ^ "Greenhouse Gas Emissions Factsheet: South Sudan". www.climatelinks.org. 2016-11-30. Retrieved 2023-11-20.
  7. ^ "South Sudan CO2 Emissions - Worldometer". www.worldometers.info. Retrieved 2023-11-20.
  8. ^ "A Climate Crisis in Africa: The Case of South Sudan". The Cairo Review of Global Affairs. 2021-11-17. Retrieved 2023-11-08.
  9. ^ "Event: Climate Change, Food Insecurity and Conflict in South Sudan | SIPRI". www.sipri.org. 2023-08-29. Retrieved 2023-11-20.
  10. ^ "Agriculture and Food Security | South Sudan". U.S. Agency for International Development. 2023-04-14. Retrieved 2023-11-20.
  11. ^ NUPI. "Climate, Peace and Security Fact Sheet: South Sudan". NUPI. Retrieved 2023-11-20.