Dozens of Zimbabwe elephants die as climate change, El Niño hit Hwange park - TimesLIVE
Dozens of Zimbabwe elephants die as climate change, El Niño hit Hwange park
Dozens of elephants have died of thirst in Zimbabwe's Hwange National Park, and conservationists fear losing more as a drought caused by climate change and the El Niño weather pattern dries up watering holes.
The seasonal El Niño, which causes hotter, drier weather throughout the year, has been worsened by climate breakdown, scientists said, a cause of concern at the COP28 discussions on climate action in Dubai.
Hwange has no major river running through it, and animals now rely on solar-powered boreholes, Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Authorities (Zimparks) official said.
“We are relying on artificial water because our surface water has declined. Since elephants are water dependent, we are recording more deaths,” Zimparks principal ecologist at Hwange National Park, Daphine Madhlamoto, told Reuters.
The elephant population in Hwange is 45,000, and a fully grown elephant requires 200l of water daily. But with water sources dwindling, the solar-powered pumps at the 104 boreholes and wells have not been able to draw enough water.
Related Knowledge Center: Climate economics
Climate change is now a driver of the world’s economy. The impact is profound:
- Catastrophic weather events — hurricanes, floods, droughts, high temperatures — are more frequent and more extreme. The cost can be measured in both the initial damage caused and the longer-term impact on the economy.
- Vulnerable communities are increasing climate-related investments, hardening infrastructure and taking other protective measures.
- Investment in carbon capture and storage technologies is increasingly rapidly.
- Governments are making investments and crafting regulations to reduce emissions of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases.
On top of all of this is the cost of uncertainty. As the Fourth National Climate Assessment, released in 2018 by the U.S. Global Change Research Program, says, “The assumption that current and future climate conditions will resemble the recent past is no longer valid.”