The SASSCAL-funded project: “Tipping Points Explained by Climate Change” (TIPPECC) is currently engaging with SASSCAL member countries and their media to showcase the activities that have been implemented since the project’s inception. The TIPPECC Project, running from 2022 to 2026 under the SASSCAL 2.0 Research Programme, aims to identify critical tipping points in the southern African climate and land-use system.
It focuses on SASSCAL’s priority areas, namely climate change, food security, water security, sustainable forests & woodlands and biodiversity conservation.
The project also assesses the timing and location of potential transgressions of tipping point thresholds in southern Africa and formulate adaptation options through a co-production process with stakeholders.
On 22-23 May 2024, TIPPECC held a consultative engagement with the SASSCAL team in Namibia to showcase the advancement of its activities. The event also served as a platform to brief the Namibian media on the latest alarming climate change occurrences in the country and southern Africa.
TIPPECC members include scientists, researchers, and climatologists from Botswana, Namibia, South Africa, Zambia and Germany.
Officiating at the event, Dr. Jane Olwoch, SASSCAL Executive Director, expressed excitement about the progress of TIPPECC’s work, particularly the SASSCAL Climate Service Gateway, which is currently at an advanced stage of development.
Amongst others, the Climate Services Gateway is a state-of-the-art platform providing easy access to projections of regional climate change and climate impact indicators related to water security, food security, and biodiversity conservation. Addtionally, it will serve as a vital source of climate change and adaptive land management information, enabling stakeholders to respond to regional climate challenges. The Gateway will also enable stakeholders to access information from the SASSCAL portal to generate climate projections, identify climate tipping points, and determine vulnerability indices. This information can be used to conceptualise and frame various response options, among other uses.
Regarding recent alarming climate change news, Dr. Olwoch highlighted findings from a recently published report by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO, 2024). The report indicates that 2023 was the warmest recorded year, with a global average surface temperature 1.45 degrees Celsius above the pre-industrial baseline. Furthermore, she highlighted that the WMO stated that this period marked the warmest ten-year span ever recorded. Dr. Olwoch was quick to add that despite the concerning trends, there is still hope. She pointed out the transition to renewable energy, such as Green Hydrogen, as a viable solution.
The Executive Director also highlighted that SASSCAL has successfully tackled climate change challenges through its various programmes, some of which are outlined below.
For example, under a bilateral agreement between the Namibian Government and the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF), signed in 2021 through a Joint Communiqué of Intent, SASSCAL, as the implementing agency, is currently implementing two pilot projects, namely the Daures Green Hydrogen Pilot Project and the Cleanergy Green Hydrogen Refueling Station and 95 students are currently enrolled in the Youth For Green Hydrogen Scholarship Programme in Namibia.
The GMESand Africa WeMAST project, funded by the African Union Commission and the European Union, is now in its second phase, focusing on Earth Observation Applications for wetlands monitoring. The SASSCAL Graduate Studies Programme currently has 13 Ph.D. students from Angola, Botswana, Namibia, South Africa, and Zambia studying Integrated Water Resource Management at the Namibia University of Science and Technology. These students began their studies at the end of 2021 and are anticipated to graduate next year.
Dr. Olwoch attributed SASSCAL’s ability to respond to climate change and secure funding to her team of scientists and institutional network.
The H2ATLAS-AFRICA project found that many sub-Saharan African countries can produce green hydrogen at remarkably low costs globally, as low as 2.5 Euros per kilogram. Dr. Olwoch also noted that SASSCAL has invested significant funds to support these initiatives, with funding from the BMBF, SASSCAL member states, and GMES and Africa.
During the engagement, Professor Francois Engelbrecht, a renowned climate change expert and TIPPECC main Principal Investigator, highlighted a concerning development. He stated that the period from February 2023 to January 2024 marked the first time global temperatures exceeded the critical 1.5 °C threshold. This threshold is significant as the Paris Agreement on Climate Change aims to limit global warming to ‘well below 2 °C, preferably below 1.5 °C’, recognising the increased risks associated with exceeding this limit.
Professor Engelbrecht emphasised that surpassing 1.5 °C of global warming could lead to more frequent and severe extreme weather events, potentially resulting in irreversible changes. He referred to this as reaching global and regional tipping points, indicating limited options for adaptation.
The member-state engagements are happening at a time when the region is experiencing its worst drought in a decade and its current impact from the El Niño situation since 2023. In response to the crisis, SADC Heads of State declared a state of disaster and emergency on 20 May 2024. Subsequently, they launched a global appeal for humanitarian assistance totaling $5.5 billion. This appeal was prompted by the devastating impacts of the El Niño weather situation, which caused unprecedented droughts and floods across the region, presenting substantial challenges to communities and economies alike.
Meanwhile, the SASSCAL research programme, which encompasses SASSCAL 2.0, addresses regional research needs and priorities within the context of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, the Paris Agreement, the AU 2063 Vision, and SADC plans.
Dr. Budzanani Tacheba, SASSCAL’s Director of Science, Technology, and Capacity Development, expressed satisfaction with the level of progress on SASSCAL 2.0. The Programme is operated through 13 projects and 54 subprojects, with a total funding of EUR 7.5 million.
Here is how the thirteen, SASSCAL 2.0 research projects are carried out:
ELNAC: Developing successful conservation models in and outside protected areas in Botswana, Namibia, South Africa, and Zambia.
ANTELOPE: Investigating the physiology and behavioural flexibility of four African antelope species in Botswana, Namibia and South Africa.
TIPPECC: Creating a Climate Service Gateway and quantifying climate change impacts in Botswana, Namibia, South Africa, and Zambia.
ANGSOIL: Conducting sustainable soil fertility management in Angola, Botswana, Namibia, South Africa, and Zambia.
Climate Smart Crops: Enhancing food security through technology transfer of value-added products from climate-smart crops in Botswana and Namibia.
FoSRECs: Improving food security by integrating climate-resilient crops in maize-based farming systems among small-scale farmers in Zambia and Namibia.
FRAMe: Promoting farmer resilience and melon crop diversity in Namibia, South Africa and Zambia.
Properties Plants: Assessing the nutritional and medicinal properties of selected plants in Angola and South Africa.
RIBS: Enhancing rangeland through bush control and sustainable intensification to combat climate change and improve livelihoods in Botswana, Namibia and South Africa.
SUSTAIN: Ensuring sustainable food security and woodland utilization for drought-prone communal areas in Angola, Botswana, Namibia and South Africa.
Beekeeping: Supporting capacity building in beekeeping and honey production for climate change mitigation in Angola and Zambia.
WIRE: Managing water storage in the Angolan-Namibian Iishana system and adapting to climate change in Angola and Namibia.
VRPE: Developing innovative solutions for projects that require the acquisition, processing and dissemination of data in order to capitalize and to develop as many African startups as possible in Angola, Botswana, Namibia, Zambia and South Africa.
