Climate Change, Civic Engagement, and Development in Africa

Moynihan Institute’s Challenges to Citizenship Series

Climate Change, Civic Engagement, and Development in Africa

According to the African Development Bank, episodic climatic shifts seriously threaten to undermine much of the development and progress made so far including poverty reduction and the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals (ADB, Addis Ababa, 2013). Besides, frequent episodes of drought in the Sahel and rain-induced flooding in Eastern and Southern Africa attests to extreme challenges that climate change poses for millions of Africa. Both urban and rural populations continue to experience these challenges. The WHO has revealed that climate change affects fundamental human requirements, notably drinking water, clean air, food, and shelter.

Join our panel of 4 experts in a webinar conference on Friday, April 22 for a discussion on these critical issues as part of the Moynihan Institute’s Challenges to Citizenship Series. The webinar is hosted by the Maxwell African Scholars Union and co-sponsored by the Department of Geography and the Environment; Department of Political Science; Department of Anthropology; International Relations Undergraduate Program; Environment, Sustainability and Policy Bachelor’s Program; and Department of African American Studies. It is funded by the Maxwell School’s Moynihan Institute of Global Affairs.

Panelists:

Jlateh Vincent Jappah
Dr. Jlateh Vincent Jappah is a post-doctoral fellow and PhD candidate in Health Policy (Health Economics) at Stanford School of Medicine and Stanford Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies, at Stanford University. His research interests intersect between methods that enhance access to the social determinants of health and the provision of appropriate and timely healthcare services, with the aim of reducing avoidable morbidity and mortality and improving overall health and well-being, especially for underserved and vulnerable populations.

Nhial Tiitmamer
Nhial Tiitmamer is Director of the Environment and Natural Resources Program at The Sudd Institute and an Adjunct Assistant Professor at the University of Juba where he teaches Environmental Economics, Natural Resources Economics and Environmental Sociology. His research focuses on extractive industries governance, environmental protection, climate change, and sustainable energy.

Kadi Warner
Dr Katherine (Kadi) Warner is a climate change and natural resource management specialist with over 35 years of experience in sustainable development, community-based resource management, policy and regulatory frameworks, rights and benefits, and with significant experience on climate change adaptation and mitigation. She is a Senior Researcher at the Tropical Forests and People Research Centre of the University of the Sunshine Coast in Australia. She previously served was the Regional Senior Expert on Climate Change and Environment at the World Resources Institute, seconded to the Netherlands Ministry of Foreign Affairs but based in Uganda. As a member of the Ministry’s Climate Team,  she coordinated the integration of climate change into the development programs of the Netherlands embassies in Sub-Saharan Africa. While in that position, Dr. Warner contributed to climate-related policy, position papers and reports, including the Netherlands climate finance report to the OECD and Parliament. Her current research focuses on rights, gender and benefit sharing in a voluntary forest-carbon initiative in the Philippines. She has also worked with governments, international agencies and organizations, and NGOs in Sub-Saharan Africa, Asia, and the Pacific. She has resided and worked in several countries around the world, including 11 African countries.

Susan S. Ekoh
Susan Ekoh is a research analyst with the Environmental and Climate Justice Programme at UNRISD, where her primary research focus is on Resilience in Africa. Susan holds a doctorate in Environmental Policy from the State University of New York. Her research interests include climate change adaptation, climate migration within and from cities, environmental justice, climate justice, and sustainable development.

Moderator:

Martin S. Shanguhyia
Martin S. Shanguhyia is an Associate Professor of History and O’Hanley Faculty Scholar in Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs at Syracuse University. He is also the Director of Maxwell African Scholars Union (MASU) in the Moynihan Institute of Global Affairs of the Maxwell School.