Climate change in Malawi
Malawi is listed as one of the five countries most affected by climate change in the 2021 Global Climate Risk Index, yet produces less than 0.01% of the world’s emissions.
Our projects that are helping Malawi
Tree Planting
We work with farmers and communities who are planting millions of trees each year, and these provide a sustainable source of timber and firewood for local people.
Our tree planting project is one of the largest and most successful in the north of Malawi providing a long-term solution to deforestation caused by the destruction of indigenous forests.
We are also working with over 1,700 Forest Conservation Committee members patrolling 340 sq.kms of forest. They educate community members on the problems of deforestation and ensure the conservation bylaws are understood.
Anyone caught illegally chopping down trees or starting fires is fined. Once an area is protected, natural regeneration occurs, thus preserving the forest for future generations.
Forest Conservation
We work with farmers and communities who are planting millions of trees each year, and these provide a sustainable source of timber and firewood for local people.
Our tree planting project is one of the largest and most successful in the north of Malawi providing a long-term solution to deforestation caused by the destruction of indigenous forests.
We are also working with over 1,700 Forest Conservation Committee members patrolling 340 sq.kms of forest. They educate community members on the problems of deforestation and ensure the conservation bylaws are understood.
Anyone caught illegally chopping down trees or starting fires is fined. Once an area is protected, natural regeneration occurs, thus preserving the forest for future generations.
Efficient Cookstoves
Our simple fuel-efficient cookstoves are a solution to climate change. They only use one third of the firewood compared to traditional cooking methods. This reduces the pressure on existing forests.
We work with 47,000 families in Malawi who each have a fuel-efficient cookstove and every week they save 94,000 bundles of firewood.
There is a benefit to you, the planet and their lives also. These are:
- Less risk of burns and smoke inhalation
- Less wood used so saves time collecting firewood
- Faster cooking as two things can be cooked at once
Fish Conservation
In recent years, overfishing has led to reduced fish stocks but our fish conservation project tackles this national problem by empowering local communities and officials to take control of the situation in their own areas. It is a sustainable approach both environmentally and financially.
We have established 310 Beach Village Committees who are protecting 85 Chambo fish breeding grounds along 450 km of shoreline.
A fishing closed season has been adopted and fishermen are using larger meshed gill nets and catching bigger fish instead of using mosquito nets and smaller meshed nets.
FAMILY PLANNING
Many of the climate change issues facing Malawi are also linked to the increasing population.
We are helping to change peoples’ views on family size, which not only directly impacts the health and well-being of families, but also contributes to better conservation of natural resources, so that the environment benefits as a result.
We are educating couples about the contraceptive choices available to them, how they work and the side effects to each one, and we are helping couples to build stronger partnerships and work together more.
We hope to extend the reach of the project to a wider area and test whether the methods we are using can be replicated and establish whether more communities are keen to adopt a change for a better future.
Support our Climate Action projects today.
How is climate change affecting Malawi?
The climate crisis is already bringing more intense rainfall, and more frequent floods and drought to the country, with temperatures predicted to rise by up to 5° Celsius before the end of the century. Per capita Malawi emits only a fiftieth of the green-house gases of people in the UK.
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Malawi declared a state of natural disaster in January 2022 because of the damage caused by tropical Storm Ana. At least 11 people have died, the country has suffered a nationwide power cut and some areas in the south of the country which was worst hit have been declared disaster zones. Many people have been left homeless and emergency camps have been set up to deal with them. Power has finally started to come back for many after days of blackouts but the damage to businesses, crops and homes will take much longer to repair.
As more than 80 percent of Malawi’s population live in rural areas, the vast majority depend on agriculture for their livelihood. The impacts of climate change threaten the production of staple foods that families rely on and are putting lives at risk. Climate change also affects other sectors such as fisheries and forestry – all of which provide food and income to rural communities throughout Malawi. Erratic rainfall poses a challenge to crop production, as do higher temperatures and droughts as well as dry spells in the rainy season, all of which are becoming more and more common.
Climate predictions are that there will be increased frequency of heavy rainfall and droughts and by 2050, temperatures will increase by 1–3 degrees. There will be a later onset / earlier cessation of the rainy season and an increase in the average monthly rainfall from Dec – Jan and a decrease from Feb – April.
These factors will:
- reduce yields of rainfed crops and increase risk of crop diseases
- affect when plants are grown and reduce soil quality
- lead to food shortages, increases in food prices and malnutrition
- reduce water supplies and water levels in rivers and lakes
- increase siltation in lakes and rivers
- encourage fish to migrate to cooler waters
- damage fish habitats
- cause widespread loss of biodiversity
- dry out wetland areas
- reduce hydroelectric production
- increase forest fires
Cyclone Idai, which hit Malawi in 2019, is one example of how climate change is affecting Malawians. The cyclone caused an estimated £220 million in damages and directly impacted over 975,000 people, killing 60, injuring 672, and leaving more than 86,000 without homes.
What is happening in Malawi is just one example of the many injustices poor people across the globe face as a result of climate change.
What was agreed at COP26?
- Recognizing the emergency – countries reaffirmed the Paris Agreement goal of limiting the increase in the global average temperature to well below 2°C above pre-industrial levels and trying to limit it to 1.5 °C.
- Accelerating action – countries stressed the urgency of action “in this critical decade,” when carbon dioxide emissions must be reduced by 45 per cent to reach net zero around mid-century. All countries were asked to present stronger national action plans next year, instead of in 2025, which was the original timeline.
- Moving away from fossil fuels – countries ultimately agreed to a provision calling for a phase-down of coal power and a phase-out of “inefficient” fossil fuel subsidies
- Climate finance – developed countries came to Glasgow falling short on their promise to deliver $100 billion a year for developing countries. At Glasgow the pledge was reaffirmed and developed countries have been asked to fully deliver on that goal urgently.
- Stepping up support for adaptation – a doubling of finance to support developing countries in adapting to the impacts of climate change and building resilience. This will significantly increase finance for protecting lives and livelihoods.
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Other deals and announcements made in Glasgow include:
- Forests – 137 countries committed to halt and reverse forest loss and land degradation by 2030
- Methane – 103 countries signed up to the Global Methane Pledge, which aims to limit methane emissions by 30 per cent by 2030, compared to 2020 levels. Methane, one of the most potent greenhouse gases, is responsible for a third of current global warming from human activities
- Cars – over 30 countries, major vehicle manufacturers and cities set out their determination for all new car and van sales to be zero-emission vehicles by 2040 globally. Road transport currently accounts for about 10% of global greenhouse gas emissions
- Coal – countries announced a partnership to support South Africa – the world’s most carbon-intensive electricity producer— with $8.5 billion over the next 3-5 years to move away from coal to a low-carbon economy
- Private finance – Private financial institutions and central banks announced moves to realign trillions of dollars towards achieving global net zero emissions
What was COP26?
You’ve probably heard about COP26 and wondered what it was all about. A ‘COP’ means ‘conference of parties’ and the parties are the governments which have signed the UN Framework Convention of Climate Change (UNFCCC). They meet once a year to discuss how to jointly address climate change the first such meeting – ‘COP1’ – took place in Berlin, Germany in 1995.
COP26 was the 26th climate change COP and was held in Glasgow in November 2021. 200 countries were asked for their plans to cut emissions by 2030. Over the course of two weeks, participants attended sessions and seminars to discuss topics related to the climate crisis, such as:
- Ways of adapting to our changing climate that protect communities, food supplies and natural habitats.
- Climate finance (how to finance solutions to the crisis and help poorer countries deal with the impacts).
- Reducing carbon emissions (who needs to reduce what, and by how much).
The most famous talks happened at COP21 which was held in Paris in 2015, when 195 countries signed an agreement to reduce emissions and aim to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees C or less. But there has been little progress towards that goal. The world is warming because of fossil fuel emissions and extreme weather events linked to climate change – including heatwaves, floods and forest fires – are intensifying. The past decade was the warmest on record and urgent action is needed.
How is climate change affecting Malawi?
Malawi is listed as one of the five countries most affected by climate change in the 2021 Global Climate Risk Index, yet produces less than 0.01% of the world’s emissions. The climate crisis is already bringing more intense rainfall, and more frequent floods and drought to the country, with temperatures predicted to rise by up to 5° Celsius before the end of the century. Per capita Malawi emits only a fiftieth of the green-house gases of people in the UK.
Malawi declared a state of natural disaster in January 2022 because of the damage caused by tropical Storm Ana. At least 11 people have died, the country has suffered a nationwide power cut and some areas in the south of the country which was worst hit have been declared disaster zones. Many people have been left homeless and emergency camps have been set up to deal with them. Power has finally started to come back for many after days of blackouts but the damage to businesses, crops and homes will take much longer to repair.
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As more than 80 percent of Malawi’s population live in rural areas, the vast majority depend on agriculture for their livelihood. The impacts of climate change threaten the production of staple foods that families rely on and are putting lives at risk. Climate change also affects other sectors such as fisheries and forestry – all of which provide food and income to rural communities throughout Malawi. Erratic rainfall poses a challenge to crop production, as do higher temperatures and droughts as well as dry spells in the rainy season, all of which are becoming more and more common.
Climate predictions are that there will be increased frequency of heavy rainfall and droughts and by 2050, temperatures will increase by 1–3 degrees. There will be a later onset / earlier cessation of the rainy season and an increase in the average monthly rainfall from Dec – Jan and a decrease from Feb – April.
These factors will:
- reduce yields of rainfed crops and increase risk of crop diseases
- affect when plants are grown and reduce soil quality
- lead to food shortages, increases in food prices and malnutrition
- reduce water supplies and water levels in rivers and lakes
- increase siltation in lakes and rivers
- encourage fish to migrate to cooler waters
- damage fish habitats
- cause widespread loss of biodiversity
- dry out wetland areas
- reduce hydroelectric production
- increase forest fires
Cyclone Idai, which hit Malawi in 2019, is one example of how climate change is affecting Malawians. The cyclone caused an estimated £220 million in damages and directly impacted over 975,000 people, killing 60, injuring 672, and leaving more than 86,000 without homes.
What is happening in Malawi is just one example of the many injustices poor people across the globe face as a result of climate change.
Our projects that are helping Malawi
Tree Planting
We work with farmers and communities who are planting millions of trees each year, and these provide a sustainable source of timber and firewood for local people.
Our tree planting project is one of the largest and most successful in the north of Malawi providing a long-term solution to deforestation caused by the destruction of indigenous forests.
We are also working with over 1,700 Forest Conservation Committee members patrolling 340 sq.kms of forest. They educate community members on the problems of deforestation and ensure the conservation bylaws are understood.
Anyone caught illegally chopping down trees or starting fires is fined. Once an area is protected, natural regeneration occurs, thus preserving the forest for future generations.
Forest Conservation
We work with farmers and communities who are planting millions of trees each year, and these provide a sustainable source of timber and firewood for local people.
Our tree planting project is one of the largest and most successful in the north of Malawi providing a long-term solution to deforestation caused by the destruction of indigenous forests.
We are also working with over 1,700 Forest Conservation Committee members patrolling 340 sq.kms of forest. They educate community members on the problems of deforestation and ensure the conservation bylaws are understood.
Anyone caught illegally chopping down trees or starting fires is fined. Once an area is protected, natural regeneration occurs, thus preserving the forest for future generations.
Efficient Cookstoves
Our simple fuel-efficient cookstoves are a solution to climate change. They only use one third of the firewood compared to traditional cooking methods. This reduces the pressure on existing forests.
We work with 47,000 families in Malawi who each have a fuel-efficient cookstove and every week they save 94,000 bundles of firewood.
There is a benefit to you, the planet and their lives also. These are:
- Less risk of burns and smoke inhalation
- Less wood used so saves time collecting firewood
- Faster cooking as two things can be cooked at once
Fish Conservation
In recent years, overfishing has led to reduced fish stocks but our fish conservation project tackles this national problem by empowering local communities and officials to take control of the situation in their own areas. It is a sustainable approach both environmentally and financially.
We have established 310 Beach Village Committees who are protecting 85 Chambo fish breeding grounds along 450 km of shoreline.
A fishing closed season has been adopted and fishermen are using larger meshed gill nets and catching bigger fish instead of using mosquito nets and smaller meshed nets.
FAMILY PLANNING
Many of the climate change issues facing Malawi are also linked to the increasing population.
We are helping to change peoples’ views on family size, which not only directly impacts the health and well-being of families, but also contributes to better conservation of natural resources, so that the environment benefits as a result.
We are educating couples about the contraceptive choices available to them, how they work and the side effects to each one, and we are helping couples to build stronger partnerships and work together more.
We hope to extend the reach of the project to a wider area and test whether the methods we are using can be replicated and establish whether more communities are keen to adopt a change for a better future.
Support our Climate Action projects today.
What was agreed at COP 26?
- Recognizing the emergency – countries reaffirmed the Paris Agreement goal of limiting the increase in the global average temperature to well below 2°C above pre-industrial levels and trying to limit it to 1.5 °C.
- Accelerating action – countries stressed the urgency of action “in this critical decade,” when carbon dioxide emissions must be reduced by 45 per cent to reach net zero around mid-century. All countries were asked to present stronger national action plans next year, instead of in 2025, which was the original timeline.
- Moving away from fossil fuels – countries ultimately agreed to a provision calling for a phase-down of coal power and a phase-out of “inefficient” fossil fuel subsidies
- Climate finance – developed countries came to Glasgow falling short on their promise to deliver $100 billion a year for developing countries. At Glasgow the pledge was reaffirmed and developed countries have been asked to fully deliver on that goal urgently.
- Stepping up support for adaptation – a doubling of finance to support developing countries in adapting to the impacts of climate change and building resilience. This will significantly increase finance for protecting lives and livelihoods.
Title
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Read more
Other deals and announcements made in Glasgow include:
- Forests – 137 countries committed to halt and reverse forest loss and land degradation by 2030
- Methane – 103 countries signed up to the Global Methane Pledge, which aims to limit methane emissions by 30 per cent by 2030, compared to 2020 levels. Methane, one of the most potent greenhouse gases, is responsible for a third of current global warming from human activities
- Cars – over 30 countries, major vehicle manufacturers and cities set out their determination for all new car and van sales to be zero-emission vehicles by 2040 globally. Road transport currently accounts for about 10% of global greenhouse gas emissions
- Coal – countries announced a partnership to support South Africa – the world’s most carbon-intensive electricity producer— with $8.5 billion over the next 3-5 years to move away from coal to a low-carbon economy
- Private finance – Private financial institutions and central banks announced moves to realign trillions of dollars towards achieving global net zero emissions
What was COP26?
You’ve probably heard about COP26 and wondered what it was all about. A ‘COP’ means ‘conference of parties’ and the parties are the governments which have signed the UN Framework Convention of Climate Change (UNFCCC). They meet once a year to discuss how to jointly address climate change the first such meeting – ‘COP1’ – took place in Berlin, Germany in 1995.
COP26 was the 26th climate change COP and was held in Glasgow in November 2021. 200 countries were asked for their plans to cut emissions by 2030. Over the course of two weeks, participants attended sessions and seminars to discuss topics related to the climate crisis, such as:
- Ways of adapting to our changing climate that protect communities, food supplies and natural habitats.
- Climate finance (how to finance solutions to the crisis and help poorer countries deal with the impacts).
- Reducing carbon emissions (who needs to reduce what, and by how much).
The most famous talks happened at COP21 which was held in Paris in 2015, when 195 countries signed an agreement to reduce emissions and aim to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees C or less. But there has been little progress towards that goal. The world is warming because of fossil fuel emissions and extreme weather events linked to climate change – including heatwaves, floods and forest fires – are intensifying. The past decade was the warmest on record and urgent action is needed.