As the Connect4Climate team prepares to head to Durban to present the winners of our Connect4Climate photo/video competition, here is a great resource on climate change, Africa and the COP17 meetings. The Guardian's John Vidal embarked on a journey from Cairo to Durban, stopping in some of Africa's most vulnerable regions including South Sudan, Ethiopia, Uganda, and South Africa.
Much as we do here, Vidal hones in on the climate change realities of now, not in the future. Events are happening right in from of our eyes and as the world sits down to discuss it's future, it is important that these events are front and center in the minds of the 195 parties and over 17000 delegates partaking in the negotiations. Climate change is happening now, not at some future date we all negotiating to avoid. Lives are being affected as we speak. As Vidal writes:
Climate change is happening "without a doubt", he says, but disentangling its impacts from everything else happening in Egypt is nigh on impossible. Not only is north Africa steadily sinking – or subducting – into the Mediterranean, he says, but also the great Nile water is barely getting to the coast in places because so much is taken off by farmers or evaporating before it reaches the sea. In addition, storms and sea surges are worsening and world record-scale temperatures are being recorded.
This is not our future, it our present. We've added Vidal's blog series to our climate change resources section.
Make sure to follow our blog as we'll be live-blogging from Durban starting Tuesday. Also follow our Twitter stream and Facebook wall for live updates on our events and all the activities happening in Durban.
