Comoros

Comoros

This page is part of the Small Island Developing States Project
Capital	Moroni
Population	752,400
Land Area	2,171 sq km
GDP (US$)	$0.74 B
GDP Per Capita	$985
CO2 Emissions	0.1 megatons
CO2 Per Capita	0.1 tons
NAPA†	November 2006
Natl. Comm. to the UNFCCC	April 2003
† = National Adaptation Program of Action Megaton = 1 million tons (1 billion kg / 2.205 billion lb)

The Union of the Comoros, a small island developing state (SIDS), is a chain of islands located off of Southern Africa that sits at the northern mouth of the Mozambique Channel, about two-thirds of the way between northern Madagascar and northern Mozambique.¹ Though the islands offer a moderate tropical climate and picturesque beauty, the nation has experienced extreme political instability that has greatly impeded social and economic development. The islands are also very sensitive to various impacts of climate change and climate variability, including threatened fresh water supplies, weakened food security, and challenges to public health.

Background

The Comoros is a former French colony consisting of three islands: Anjouan, Mohéli, and the largest island, Grande Comore. A fourth island, Mayotte, is claimed by the Comoros but administered by France. The capital city, Moroni, is located on Grande Comore. The islands have a total land area of 2,171 square km (838 sq miles): Grande Comore with an area of 1,025 sq km (396 sq miles), Anjouan 424 sq km (164 sq miles), and Mohéli 211 sq km (81 sq miles).²

The Comoros has experienced political instability and civil strife following over 20 coups or attempted coups and numerous secession attempts, which have occurred almost immediately since the nation achieved independence from France in 1975. Today the nation is at peace following a recent truce among the islands. In 1997 a violent conflict led to the islands of Anjouan and Mohéli declaring independence from Comoros, and two years later Colonel Azali Assoumani seized power in a bloodless coup. The island of Anjouan staged the most recent secession attempt in 1999, after which Comoran and African Union soldiers seized the island and restored power to the confederacy. In 2000 the islands negotiated the nation's current power-sharing agreement, in which each island has its own government and the federal presidency rotates among the three islands. However, the Comoros still experiences internal political disputes and struggles to improve education and health services, diversify exports, and reduce the high population growth rate.³

Today the islands' inhabitants are of mixed ethnicity including descendants of Arab traders, Malay immigrants and African peoples, and both the Islamic religion and Western (particularly French) culture influence a diverse and complex society.⁴ The estimated population as of July 2009 is 752,438.⁵

View The Union of the Comoros in a larger map

Several adaptation efforts have been implemented on the Comoros.

The Comoros is one of the poorest nations in the world, and economic growth is continually encumbered by a rapidly growing population, poor access to education, and scarcity of natural resources. The estimated gross domestic product (GDP) as of 2008 is $741.4 million, or $985 per capita, which includes remittances from over 150,000 Comorans living abroad, and economic growth averaged only about 1% in the 2006-2008 period. Agriculture, including fishing, hunting, and forestry, contributes 40% to GDP and employs 80% of the labor force.⁶ The country largely depends on imports for food security including the major staple, rice, which accounts for the primary import.

The climate is marine-tropical with two prevailing seasons: a hot and humid period from November to April and a cooler, drier season from May through October, with annual temperatures averaging from 23° C (73.4°F) to 28° C (82.4°F). Cyclones occur during the hot and humid period and can cause extensive damage, especially along the coasts. Annual precipitation is relatively high at 2,000 millimeters (78.7 inches), but despite this, water is scarce in many parts of the Comoros. While the island of Mohéli possesses streams and other natural water sources, Grande Comore and Anjouan have almost no natural running water and their thin soils and mountainous landscapes retain water poorly.⁷

Grande Comore is home to one of the one of the largest active volcanoes in the world, Mount Karthala, which has erupted roughly every 11 years over the past two centuries but rarely caused a major disaster. The last major eruption came in April 2005 and prompted thousands to flee the island, but there were no deaths as a result.⁸

Impacts and threats

Data shows that significant climatic changes and increased climatic variability have occurred over the past several decades on the Comoran islands, changes that affect both the basic way of life on the islands and every sector of the economy, including impacts on agriculture, fishing, availability of water resources, and human health.

A storm approaches the island of Grande Comore.

Source: Flickr. Author: Caitlin Ferguson-Mir. Permission: Creative Commons Attribution License.

Climatic changes on the Comoros have had a profound effect on food security. Changes in rainfall patterns and high average temperatures have resulted in early tree flowering, delayed fruit maturation, and shifts in the geographic areas of some plant and animal species that impact agricultural production.⁹ Food security is further threatened by tremendous losses within subsistence fishing, as fish has traditionally contributed ~40% of the protein in the average Comoran diet. Fishing has most notably been hurt by coral bleaching and coral mortality, which destroys the habits of fish and also contributes to coastal erosion, thereby accelerating the diminution of coastal fishing. In 1997, a rise in the temperature of sea water from 1 to 1.5°C in relation to normal temperature resulted in the whitening and the death of almost 60% of corals on all the islands, and between 1998 and 2005, the whitening rate continued at about 10%.¹⁰ This has resulted in a chronic deficit of fish in the market, which particularly affects the poorest residents.¹¹

Climatic change takes an additional toll on the meat industry. Prolonged drought leads to drying grasses and reduction of pasture for farm animals, at the same time that farmers redirect scarce water resources to other uses. For the animals this leads to undernourishment and sensitivity to parasites and epidemics such as “theleriosis,” a disease that wiped out 20% of the bovine population on Grande Comore and decreased herds from 55,000 heads in 2002 to 45,000 in 2003.¹²

Climate variability also threatens an already vulnerable freshwater supply, negatively impacting the amount and quality of water resources available through precipitation variations including storm surges and, more commonly, long droughts. Deforestation, which impedes the ground's ability to retain water, has additionally forced more and more inhabitants to depend solely on rainwater.¹³ High temperatures also increase "real evapotranspiration," which inhibits the ability of groundwater to replenish itself. In Grande Comore, rises in sea level also increase the salinity of ground water. In the 1980s, the digging of 44 reconnaissance wells on the coastal area of the island revealed that only 24 wells presented a salinity level acceptable for water potability. In Anjouan and Mohéli, which are mainly supplied by river waters, lowered precipitation has at times dried up the entire water supply chain.¹⁴

Temperature increases have resulted in new public health threats on the islands, including an increase in the incidence of malaria, diarrheic diseases and acute respiratory infections. In addition, ozone depletion has led to the increased intensity of ultraviolet rays and, consequently, to the increase of the prevalence of eye diseases and skin cancers. New diseases transmitted by mosquitoes, such as alpha virus (Chikungunya) have also appeared in the country as average temperatures have risen.¹⁵

Mitigation and adaptation strategies

Strictly speaking the Comoros does not have a formal climate change policy, and adaptation measures are hampered by insufficient observation resources - observation needs include training and capacity building in meteorology and climatology, database development, and the strengthening of existing observation systems. However, a strategy for the diversification of energy sources and several adaptation actions have already been undertaken or are under development.

Mitigation

There is very limited potential for Comoros to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions, as the country is one of the smallest emitters in the world in terms of both total and per capita emissions. The country annually emits roughly 0.1 million tons of CO2 equivalent, or 0.1 tons per person. This per capita rate is 17% the global average and less than 1% the U.S. average.¹⁶ In addition, only about 46% of the population has access to electricity.¹⁷

At the same time the Comoros is highly dependent on oil for the energy it does produce, consuming 700 barrels per day as of September 2006,¹⁸ and there is currently very little installed renewable energy capacity. Oil dependence is a particularly grave problem because the Comoros has little foreign exchange and thus faces economic difficulties with the rise and fall of oil prices.

However, there is an abundance of renewable energy resources available for exploitation. Since most areas of the nation are sunny for most of the year, solar energy is a particularly promising alternative energy form.

With assistance from the UNDP/World Bank Energy Sector Management Assistance Programme (ESMAP), the Comoros government ran a recent program that fostered a local market for solar equipment.¹⁹ The program identified an international group of solar companies that were granted a three-year grace period during which they could freely import equipment and could export earnings free of taxes. The Comoros government pledged to grant these firms contracts for all public projects dealing with solar energy during the period, and also initiated a public awareness campaign to promote the off-grid use of solar power.²⁰

There is also potential to harness the enormous amount of volcanic energy contained in Mount Karthala, located on the island of Grande Comore. Examining this potential is backed by Opia Mensah Kumah, country director for the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).²¹

Adaptation

Several adaptation efforts have been implemented on the Comoros. These include strategies listed under the National Adaptation Programme of Action (NAPA) of 2006, which delineated possible adaptation strategies to undertake as climatic variation increases. Other efforts that have been undertaken include:²²

The support project to the agricultural strategy (1991-1997), which undertook adaptation research that considered agricultural intensification, erosion prevention, restoring the fertility of cultivated soils, and agro-forestry and market gardening.
An agriculture services pilot project (2000-2003) that helped develop the islands' irrigation infrastructure, including the construction of water tanks, to increase drought resistance.
A project aimed at increasing food security helped to develop corn and sweet potato agriculture through the introduction of new, drought-resistant varieties.
The National Project on the Fight Against Malaria (PNLP), while run by the Global Fund, is supported by the government by the tax-exemption of bed nets, insecticides, and malaria medication.
The government has established the country's first protected marine park, with an area of 404 sq km.
Supported by the Fund to Support Community Development, levies have been built to help protect villages and roads.

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Initiatives and Sponsors
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Related Topics
Ocean Acidification

Footnotes

1. CIA World Factbook - Africa, Comoros. Retrieved on: 18 June 2009.

2. U.S. Department of State. Background Note: Comoros. Retrieved on: 6 July 2009

3. CIA World Factbook - Africa, Comoros. Retrieved on: 18 June 2009.

4. BBC News Country Profile: Comoros. Retrieved on: 18 June 2009.

5. CIA World Factbook - Africa, Comoros. Retrieved on: 7 July 2009.

6. CIA World Factbook - Africa, Comoros. Retrieved on: 18 June 2009.

7. Mongabay, Comoros - Physical Environment. Retrieved on: 23 June 2009.

8. New York Times, Reuters News Agency: Volcano Stirs on Main Comoros Island, 14 January 2007. Retrieved on: 23 June 2009.

9. Union of the Comoros - Ministry of Rural Development, Fisheries, Handicraft and Environment. National Action Programme of Adaptation to climate change (NAPA), pg 22. Retrieved on: 23 June 2009.

10. Union of the Comoros - Ministry of Rural Development, Fisheries, Handicraft and Environment. National Action Programme of Adaptation to climate change (NAPA), pg 26. Retrieved on: 23 June 2009.

11. Union of the Comoros - Ministry of Rural Development, Fisheries, Handicraft and Environment. National Action Programme of Adaptation to climate change (NAPA), pg 27. Retrieved on: 23 June 2009.

12. Union of the Comoros - Ministry of Rural Development, Fisheries, Handicraft and Environment. National Action Programme of Adaptation to climate change (NAPA), pg 26. Retrieved on: 23 June 2009.

13. Subregional Report, East Africa Forestry Outlook of the African Development Bank. European Commission. Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. pg. 12.

14. Union of the Comoros - Ministry of Rural Development, Fisheries, Handicraft and Environment. National Action Programme of Adaptation to climate change (NAPA), pg 27. Retrieved on: 23 June 2009.

15. Union of the Comoros - Ministry of Rural Development, Fisheries, Handicraft and Environment. National Action Programme of Adaptation to climate change (NAPA), pg 27. Retrieved on: 23 June 2009.

16. WRI. CAIT tool. (Free registration required.) Retrieved on: 23 June 2009.

17. Geothermal Energy Association. Weekly update: December 10, 2008, page 8. Retrieved on: 13 July 2009.

18. Developing Renewables, Country energy information: Comoros, page 3. Retrieved on: 23 June 2009.

19. Market for renewable energy expected to boom in Africa, 2 September 2001. Afrol. Retrieved on: 13 July 2009.

20. Market for renewable energy expected to boom in Africa, 2 September 2001. Afrol. Retrieved on: 13 July 2009.

21. Comoros Sees Future in 'Volcano Economy' (AFP) – Nov 19, 2008. Retrieved on: 17 July 2009.

22. Union of the Comoros - Ministry of Rural Development, Fisheries, Handicraft and Environment. National Action Programme of Adaptation to climate change (NAPA), pg 42-4. Retrieved on: 7 July 2009.

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