Although the African continent is likely to be hit hardest by climate change, its monitoring facilities are the least prepared to track the shifts, says a report issued this week by the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. Some 1165 stations in the Global Climate Observing System span more than 50 nations worldwide to provide coordinated climate data. But roughly 21 of the 84 surface posts in eastern and southern Africa, which collect temperature and precipitation data, are damaged. Also, two of the upper-air stations in the region, which record wind and temperature data, are silent. That leaves data gaps and a weakened "ability to predict the global climate system," the report laments.
David Goodrich, director of the worldwide sensor network, says he's "optimistic" that he'll get the roughly $60 million in commitments he'll need to fix things during this month's United Nations Climate Change Conference in Nairobi, Kenya.
