Increasing climate variability and change coupled with steady population growth is threatening water resources and livelihoods of communities living in the Wami-Ruvu and Rufiji basins in Tanzania. These basins are host to three large urban centers, namely Dar es Salaam, Dodoma and Morogoro, with a combined total of more than 7 million people. Increased demand for ecosystem services from the available surface water resources and a decreasing supply of clean and safe water are exacerbating the vulnerability of communities in these basins. Several studies have analyzed climate projects in the two basins but little attention has been paid to identify locations that have vulnerable communities in a spatially-explicit form. To address this gap, we worked with stakeholders from national and local government agencies, basin water boards and the Water Resources Integration Development Initiative (WARIDI) project funded by USAID to map the vulnerability of communities to climate variability and change in the two basins. A generalized methodology for mapping social vulnerability to climate change was used to integrate biophysical and socioeconomic indicators of exposure, sensitivity and adaptive capacity and produced climate vulnerability index maps. Our analysis identified vulnerability “hotspots” where communities are at a greater risk from climate stressors. The results from this study were used to identify priority sites and adaptation measures for the implementation of resilience building interventions and to train local government agencies and communities on climate change adaptation measures in the two basins.
In 2018, UNESCO reported just under 30% of all science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) positions are filled by women. Despite increasing global demand for higher paying, highly technical STEM careers women continue to face substantial barriers to STEM. There are many obstacles women may face throughout their journey to a STEM career, including lack of resources and role models, and discrimination. Studies show a near equivalent interest of boys and girls in STEM fields in early childhood; however, this ratio declines sharply through time due to various pressures girls and boys face. This compounds into considerably fewer women participating in STEAM careers. An increase in women in STEAM fields would not only increase economic activity, but would also provide a diverse perspective to develop and produce unique and innovative technology solutions. While solutions to these issues require substantial time and interventions, the Women in Science or "WiSci" STEAM camp, inclusive of the arts, was organized to try to address some of these issues. WiSci, organized by the United States Department of State and implemented by World Learning and the United Nations Foundation Girl Up program, supports young women on their journey to STEAM careers. Since 2015, Google, Intel, and others have delivered a hands-on, STEAM focused curriculum around the world. These events bring together high school girls from around the world, to expose them to STEM concepts and role models. The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) participated at the camp in Malawi in 2017 and in Namibia in 2018 through the SERVIR program. SERVIR, meaning to serve in French and Spanish, is a joint NASA and USAID program that seeks to use state of the art science and technology to solve Earth's greatest challenges. This paper will provide an overview of the camps, the curriculum development, the materials NASA presented, the limitations, and the lessons learned from these important events. The NASA SERVIR team introduced hands-on Earth science applications to participants, with the objective of exposing and inspiring the girls to explore NASA Earth satellite data. The impact of the WiSci Namibia camp was assessed through the use of pre-, post-, and 6 months post-camp surveys. The results of those surveys indicated growth in confidence in the core components of the SERVIR curriculum: understanding computer skills, coding, and geospatial mapping. The surveys also indicated a high interest from all participants to choose a STEM career. The importance of exposure to the STEM workforce at a critical juncture in these young women's lives may play an important role in their career choices.
Long-term climate resilience and poverty eradication in Kenya are expected to be affected by continued global warming. Using observed climate data and projections from a regionally downscaled global climate model, and environmental and socioeconomic data, we mapped hotspots of climate change vulnerability to support the prioritization of resilience-building interventions. Significant decreasing trends in rainfall were found in most of the eastern and coastal areas of the country. High rainfall variability was observed in most arid and semi-arid regions. A higher increase in mean annual temperatures was observed in the cooler highlands of central and western regions and lower in the arid and semi-arid regions. The decreasing trends in rainfall coupled with high variability and increases in mean temperatures were projected to continue. Similarly, hotspots of high vulnerability were mostly located in arid and semi-arid regions. The vulnerability was mainly driven by climate stresses that were observed in these areas including high temperatures, high rainfall variability, decreasing rainfall, and where access to clean water, good housing, health services, and market services was poor. Additionally, these areas had high poverty rates and occupied about 68% of the country with an estimated population of eight million people in 2016. Projections show that “high” vulnerability could increase by 45% and 47% under RCP 4.5 and 8.5 respectively, roping in an additional 5–9 million people by 2050. The vulnerability maps developed here can be used to establish drought impact models that take into account existing adaptation measures, and the expected intensification of vulnerability with climate change. In addition, they can also be used to drive adaptation funding models that are tied to outcomes that result in significant and scalable benefits.
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