A number of years ago, when I was a good deal less risk-averse and also rather more bendy, I took a microlite flight over Victoria Falls.
That's me on the back!
A recent news article brought back good memories of this exciting adventure, while at the same time offering an idea for a new 'hook' for lessons about climate change. It was part of a series examining the ways the planet is changing against a backdrop of a warming world, and described the effects of global warming on one of the world's most recognisable landmarks, causing it to dry up.
Before and after photos Reuters
Victoria Falls is one of the natural wonders of the world, formed as the Zambezi River plunges into a chasm known as the First Gorge, forming the border between Zambia and Zimbabwe. It spans 1.7 km at its widest point, and with a height of more than 100m, it generates mists that can be seen from more than a dozen miles away, which is why locals refer to Africa's greatest waterfall as "Mosi-oa-Tunya" or "the smoke that thunders".
However, in 2019, Victoria Falls was silenced. In a drought described as the worst in a century, the flow of the Zambezi was reduced to a relative trickle and the Falls ran dry. Extreme swings in rainfall brought on by climate change threaten its future. Victoria Falls is getting drier and hotter. While the region still sees roughly the same annual rainfall, those rains are compressed into a smaller period of time. Temperatures are rising – average daily high temperatures in October have warmed by nearly 4 degrees Celsius from 1976 to 2017.
This extreme weather threatens not only the majesty of the Falls, but the health of the local ecosystems. The mists of Victoria Falls sustain a rain forest- like ecosystem adjacent to the falls and on the opposite cliff that faces them like a dried-up mirror image, thick with mahogany, fig, palm, and other species of vegetation. National Parks of both Zambia and Zimbabwe exist on either side of the Zambezi. The gorges and cliffs below the falls in these parks are prime territory for raptors, including falcons and black eagles.
Image: Getty Images
The local economy has also been seriously affected. As one of the region's biggest attractions for tourists, Victoria Falls is a valuable source of income for the local population, and as news of the low waters spread, traders noticed a visible drop in tourist numbers.
As well as hitting local economies, the drought has also affected electricity supplies, which are dependent on hydroelectric generation. More widely across the region, agencies reported an increase in the need for food aid, as crops failed in the drought.
Zambia's President, Edgar Lungu - speaking at the time - called it "a stark reminder of what climate change is doing to our environment". Observers of weather patterns in the Zambezi Basin believe the changing climate is resulting in a delay to the monsoon season, concentrating the rains into bigger, more intense events. This makes the storage of the water in the region more difficult, and makes the impact of the extended dry season more damaging to people and the environment.
The events at Victoria Falls reflect the problems being faced by Africa as a continent under serious threat from climate change. The United Nations State of the Climate in Africa in 2019 report painted a worrying picture of a continent that could see its population double over the coming century, hitting the most vulnerable people the hardest. Africa is set to be the continent hardest hit by climate change, but with the lowest capacity to adapt to these changes. We will be hearing more in future years of the issues of food insecurity, population displacement, water supplies, drought and floods.
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