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NEWS: Coastal wetlands are unable to adapt to the rate of sea-level rise and are constrained by infrastructure

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Wetlands, precious ecosystems that shield coastlines, safeguard drinking water from saltwater contamination, and nourish diverse wildlife, face a dire threat from the accelerating pace of sea-level rise, driven by global warming. Wetlands have historically adapted to rising sea levels by expanding upward and inland. However, predictions indicate that the waterline will soon shift far too rapidly for wetlands to keep pace. Consequently, future decades may witness the tragic loss of these vital wetland ecosystems. Wetlands along coastlines have historically played valuable roles for people and wildlife, but are now facing the threat of sea-level rise. As temperatures rise, sea levels are rising at an accelerating rate, and wetlands are unable to keep pace by building upward and migrating inland. This is due to human-induced climate change and the burning of fossil fuels, which has warmed the oceans and melted glaciers. Sea levels are now rising at about 10 millimeters per year, and are
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NEWS: Billions worth of green infrastructure projects in the works for Africa

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With a growing number of African leaders taking steps to drive Africa’s clean energy transition, the African Investment Forum (AIF) has announced plans to showcase the $50 billion worth of bankable projects in the works.


The multi-stakeholder, multi-disciplinary platform announced its plans to hold virtual boardroom sessions, discussing the 45 advance deals in the pipeline. Some of these included an investment to develop over 220km of electric transmission lines under a long term public-private partnership agreement (PPA). The investment also outlines a project with a ten-year goal to roll out broadband infrastructure to over 800,000 residential and small business customers. The projects promise not only to progress Africa’s clean energy standards but to provide employment and social development opportunities across Africa.

In a previous meeting with the eight founding partners of the AIF, African Development Bank (AfDB) President Akinwumi A. Adesina stressed the importance of the members playing a role in the Alliance for Green Infrastructure (AGI) initiative.

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The partners of the AGI initiative, namely: the AfDB, the African Union Commission, AUDA NEPAD and Africa 50, will raise up to $500 million in capital towards early-stage development and project preparation to yield bankable greener infrastructure projects at scale and speed. The development of these projects is expected to create a total of 3.8 billion jobs across Africa, of which one million will be attributed to African women and women entrepreneurs. Adesina also stressed the importance of prioritizing Africa’s healthcare security and health sovereignty. “Going forward, we need to work more closely together to accelerate the pace of investments in infrastructure,” said Adesina.


Source: ESI - Africa

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