" [1]The Commission of the African Union, in preparation for the COP 17 in Durban, South Africa, solicits articles for publication to be exhibited in the African Pavilion in the African Union Policy Journal: ECOLOGUE. Papers are particularly solicited from researchers, scholars, teachers, but anyone with relevant experience and credentials in the topic area is invited to submit their work.
The articles should be between 15 – 20 pages maximum in English or French. Successful papers will be remunerated at a flat rate of US $ 500.00 and submitted before 31 August 2011.
Background
The 17th Conference of the Parties (COP17) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and the 7th Session of the Meeting of the Parties (CMP7) to the Kyoto Protocol (KP) will take place in Durban, South Africa, between 28 November and 09 December 2011. The COP17-CMP7 constitutes a very important milestone for climate change negotiations, as it is nearly 20 years since the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED), also known as the “Earth Summit” was held in, Rio de Janeiro, from 3rd to 14th June 1992, in which climate change negotiations were kick started with the UNFCCC being opened for signing by UN member states.
The COP17-CMP7 comes to Africa at a time when there is much awareness across the continent about the impact of climate change on Africa, supported by an expanding body of research and adaptation and mitigation practices on the ground. The conference therefore offers a real opportunity to showcase some of the continent’s important initiatives and activities, bring in knowledge about climate change and development from wide-ranging actors, and ensure that Africa’s development and climate change concerns are at the forefront of the discussions during the COP17-CMP7.
In essence, Africa needs to seize this moment and capitalize on the opportunities from the Durban climate talks, and to mark this occasion, Africa will have its first ever dedicated discussion and exhibition area at a Conference of the Parties venue called the “Africa Pavilion” as decided by the Africa Union Assembly.
African Union Commission seizes this opportunity to launch ECOLOGUE a new policy journal dedicated to climate change issues.
Scope of the thematic issue
Authors are invited to address climate change issues and their implications on Africa, including an analysis of sectoral climate change impacts (in agriculture, energy, transport, etc.). The thematic areas are identified below for ease of reference. Authors are encouraged to bring in new perspectives, reflect on regional experiences and best practices, and propose potential solutions, options, and the way forward in addressing the challenges of climate change on natural resources (forestry, fisheries, water, agriculture, pasture lands). The aim is to clearly frame the issues in a way that would assist Member States and policymakers to generate worthwhile programs and activities in their bid to confront the menace of climate change.
The themes below have been identified to guide the scope of the articles. These themes are only indicative. Authors are also encouraged to developed their own questions and describe innovative approaches on climate change.
1. UNDERSTANDING CLIMATE CHANGE
2. ADAPTATION INITIATIVES TO CLIMATE CHANGE IN AFRICA
3. AFRICAN COUNTRIES AND THE CARBON MARKET
4. CLIMATE-RELATED INSECURITY AND CONFLICTS IN AFRICA
5. CLIMATE CHANGE, FOOD SECURITY, AND AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTIVITY IN AFRICA
6. THE IMPACT OF CLIMATE CHANGE IN AFRICA REGIONAL ECONOMICS COMMUNITIES
7. FINANCING CLIMATE CHANGE IN AFRICA
8. ENERGY AND CLIMATE CHANGE IN AFRICA
9. CLIMATE CHANGE AND ECONOMIC POLICY IN AFRICA
10. RELEVANCE AND SURVIVAL: ADAPTATION AND MITIGATION TECHNOLOGIES FOR AFRICA
11. REDD+ PERSPECTIVES: AN ANALYTICAL APPROACH
12. CLIMATE CHANGE AND ENVIRONMENTAL SECURITY
13. EARTH OBSERVATION DATA AND CLIMATE CHANGE PLANNING
14. CLIMATE CHANGE, EXTREME WEATHER PATTERNS, AND DISASTERS IN AFRICA
15. CLIMATE CHANGE AND AGRICULTURAL INNOVATIONS IN AFRICA
16. CLIMATE CHANGE AND DEVELOPMENTAL PROSPECTS IN AFRICA
17. DESERTIFICATION AND CLIMATE CHANGE
18. CLEAN DEVELOPMENT MECHANISM PROJECTS CHALLENGE IN AFRICA
19. THE SCIENCE OF CLIMATE CHANGE AND AFRICA’s COMMOM POSITION
20. SECTORAL CHALLENGES POSED BY CLIMATE CHANGE
21. CLIMATE CHANGE AND LAND TENURE IN AFRICA
Author guidelines
All articles should be submitted in English or French, and will be published in their original language. Manuscripts previously published in a workshop, symposium, or conference can be submitted for consideration provided that the authors inform the editor at the time of submission.
A manuscript must include an abstract that summarizes the most important issues. (Maximum 1000 characters with spaces). Authors are encouraged to provide three or four keywords that best define their articles.
The maximum length of the submitted articles is 20 pages with spaces excluding endnotes and references. All manuscripts should contain an introduction and a conclusion.
The preferred formats are Microsoft Word (.doc, .rtf) and the text should be single-spaced and use a Times New Roman 12-point font. It is encouraged to use italics rather than underlining (except with URL addresses).
All figures and tables should be cited in the text and numbered consecutively with Arabic numerals. They should be placed within the text at the appropriate points, rather than at the end. A title explaining any abbreviation used should be provided for each figure and table.
References
Authors should provide their full name, affiliation, organisation as well as electronic mail address. All references should be cited parenthetically in the text by author and year, e.g. (FAO, 2007). An alphabetical bibliography at the end of the article is to be provided. Full bibliographical details should be given so that readers can easily find the sources they want to consult. The list of references should only include works that are cited in the text and that have been published or accepted for publication.
Example of reference for books: the author(s). year of publication. full title of book. editor/publisher, place of publication. number of pages of the book. (FAO. 2007. Good governance in land tenure and administration. FAO Land Tenure Studies No.9, Rome. 57p.)
Example of reference for articles: the author(s). year of publication. full title of article. full title of journal, volume and issue number of journal. page numbers of the article.
(FAO. 2007. Sample Article. Land Reform, Land Settlement and Co-operatives, no. 1, p. 21-30.)
Submission of articles
Should you be interested in contributing an article to the thematic issue, please send it before 31 August 2011 to:
- OgandagaG@africa-union.org [2] / ogandiaye@hotmail.com [3]
- M. H. Khalil Timamy TimamyK@africa-union.org [4] or/and mhktimamy@yahoo.co.uk [5]
