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As the world urgently grapples with the intensifying impacts of climate change, its effects are felt acutely within our communities, often in deeply personal and profound ways. The climate crisis is not just a distant threat; it’s already here, altering the rhythms of our seasons, the fertility of our soils, and the security of our food systems.
From the unpredictable weather patterns that disrupt our harvests to the rising temperatures that strain our health, the stakes couldn’t be higher for those who rely on the land for sustenance and tradition.
The intensifying impacts of climate change are acutely felt within our communities, particularly by Black farmers and urban growers. Historically marginalized and disadvantaged, these global communities face unique challenges as they adapt to a changing environment.
Amplifying Voices of Black Environmentalists
Black environmentalists have been at the forefront of the environmental justice movement, advocating for the rights of communities disproportionately affected by climate change.
In Africa, Black farmers are particularly vulnerable, with reduced yields and threatened livelihoods. Parts of the continent such as sub-Saharan Africa, which are heavily reliant on agriculture, are acutely threatened by climate change, jeopardizing food security.
Despite facing challenges such as limited funding and systemic barriers, Black environmentalists continue to play a crucial role in addressing the impacts of climate change.
Dr. Gregory Jenkins is a professor in the Department of Meteorology and Atmospheric Science at Penn State and director of the Alliance for Education, Sciences, Engineering, and Development in Africa (AESEDA) in the Office of Global Programs.
AESEDA is a collaborative platform empowering Africa’s development through education, science, engineering, and innovation. AESEDA aims to address challenges, promote equity, and provide innovative solutions by fostering partnerships between African institutions, Penn State, and international partners.
Through its initiatives, AESEDA seeks to expand opportunities, capabilities, and sustainable growth in Africa, particularly benefiting underserved populations. Dr. Jenkins explains more in my interview with him.
Heat waves, droughts, and unpredictable weather patterns are stressing crops and forcing farmers to adapt their practices. In some cases, farmers may consider transitioning to alternative livelihoods.” Dr. Gregory Jenkins
Stephanie Teasley: How did you get into your field?
Dr. Gregory Jenkins: I was always interested in the weather. But in my junior year, I attended
Lincoln University, an HBCU, and I learned about the ongoing drought in West Africa. That’s what drew me in.
ST: How much time do you spend in Africa?
Dr. Jenkins: I’ve been deeply connected to the African continent for most of my academic career, driven by a sense of purpose that has guided me since my undergraduate days. Every year, I immerse myself in its diverse landscapes and communities, whether leading a workshop on weather and climate extremes in Angola or engaging with researchers from Mozambique and Madagascar.
Despite the geographical distances, the concerns remain strikingly similar: How do we equip communities to face the escalating challenges of climate change? How do we safeguard their livelihoods and build resilience in a system where we have limited control over the root causes?
It often feels like a waiting game, hoping for the major players, particularly the G20 nations, to take decisive action on carbon emissions. Meanwhile, on the ground, we strive to empower local communities with the knowledge and tools to adapt and thrive amidst a changing climate.
It’s a complex and multifaceted challenge, but the passion and resilience of the people I encounter in Africa continue to inspire me and fuel my commitment to this vital work.
ST: How do you see the relationships between climate change and food sovereignty, especially for Black and Indigenous communities?
Dr. Jenkins: Climate change is very intrusive in the sense that it’s increasing in intensity over time. So, the issue around sovereignty is multiple from the climate perspective. It weakens the sovereignty because there’s so much more uncertainty around yields when they grow, and when floods and drought spells are coming.
We definitely know that the growing season is increasing. We normally don’t see freezes that often in April. But, at least in the northeast and perhaps across most of the U.S., the first frost is pushing back late into the year.
So, the growing season is longer for the farmers, but the extremes have also increased. The warmer temperatures increase the evaporation of the soil, so you need more water, which adds another economic component for farmers. But I think the uncertainty around their growth is increasing over time.
ST: How does that uncertainty affect economics since the world relies on these Black and Indigenous communities?
Dr. Jenkins: Economics is critical because, in many cases, it is due to historical racism. Black farmers have struggled to get the loans and the things that they need to make their farms go. And when you have an uncertain climate, you don’t know about your seed.
You might have to create a plant, a different kind of crop. So, all sorts of things are happening. The big ones are when your food is grown, and then you have some extreme event that leads to a complete loss, like flooding. Or there were very long periods of dry spells. That puts the farmers’ livelihoods in jeopardy.
ST: Are there any examples from Africa or the US where cultural practices have successfully mitigated the effects of climate extremes?
Dr. Jenkins: This is the tough part because there is traditional knowledge in places like Senegal, alongside conventional planning times based on what villagers say. We have seasonal forecasts, but villagers also have their own ways of predicting how the season will go.
In West Africa, when you plant is crucial, as it’s tied to the start of the wet season, typically lasting from May to September. With only one growing season, if crops fail, it’s devastating. What inspired me to get into graduate school was the droughts of the seventies and eighties, which drove millions into cities as the farming system collapsed due to sparse rainfall.
Without government subsidies, there’s no resilience, forcing people to leave their farms. The farming system in West Africa has never fully recovered from this.
However, farmers are incredibly resourceful, always seeking innovative solutions within their constraints. While not everyone can afford advanced irrigation systems, many are exploring water conservation strategies.
Greenhouse technology, for instance, offers a way to grow crops with less water, especially during the rainy season. Additionally, the advent of innovative agriculture technologies, like soil sensors, is helping farmers optimize water usage based on real-time data. Despite these efforts, climate change poses a significant threat to agriculture.
Extreme weather events like droughts and excessive rainfall can overwhelm even the most resilient farming practices. Access to adequate water is essential for crop survival and finding the right balance between too little and too much water is a constant challenge.
ST: Is this affecting all of West Africa?
Dr. Jenkins: Rainfall patterns in West, Central, Southern, and Eastern Africa have experienced significant variability over the past three decades, likely due to climate change. This uncertainty about rainfall timing, amounts, and duration has created a sense of insecurity among farmers and communities.
El Niño and La Niña events can further exacerbate these challenges, leading to droughts or excessive flooding in certain regions. The combination of climate change and extreme weather events is contributing to food insecurity in Africa.
Similar trends are evident in the United States, although to a lesser extent due to data availability. Heat waves, droughts, and unpredictable weather patterns are stressing crops and forcing farmers to adapt their practices. In some cases, farmers may consider transitioning to alternative livelihoods.
ST: This ties into my next question: How do you balance the need for global climate solutions with the need to address local and regional climate challenges?
Dr. Jenkins: In my opinion, everything happens locally. Climate change manifests locally and regionally, affecting farmers directly in their communities. While global action is essential, local and regional initiatives are crucial for providing immediate support to farmers. State-level policies and programs can play a vital role in helping farmers adapt to changing conditions by providing resources, information, and assistance.
Farmers often collaborate to address shared challenges, recognizing that their success is interconnected. This cooperative approach, prevalent in Africa and the United States, is essential for building resilience in the face of climate change.
Given the uncertainties surrounding climate change and the slow pace of global action, local and regional efforts are more likely to yield tangible results for farmers. The action is minuscule compared to the scale of the problem.
ST: Would you say that’s because of capitalism?
Dr. Jenkins: It’s definitely involved. There’s a lot of influence from the fossil fuel industries to keep their profits flowing without concern for the present or the future. People talk, but their actions are disappointing.
ST: What about the urban sustainability movement and lifestyle? Are those good steps, or do we need to take bigger ones?
Dr. Jenkins: Urban farming and gardening are good steps for multiple reasons. They keep young people engaged and connected to the land. We learn about food in school, but food security is tied to the actual food, and everyone can participate in that, even if it’s just growing tomatoes on a balcony.
It’s possible to get involved and understand what it takes to grow food and to see the effects of things like drought. It also addresses the issue of nutrition. Many places don’t have enough fresh food, affecting our health.
Urban farming promotes good health, but we must teach young people how to cook vegetables. Many people say they don’t like certain vegetables, but it’s often because they don’t know how to cook them. Passing down food knowledge and recipes is important.
It’s interesting to note that, as descendants of enslaved people, we didn’t have control of our food systems during slavery. But now we do. We can garden and choose what we want to grow, even year-round. Observing the farmers in West Africa and their profound connection to the land and the sky is truly instructive and evokes a sense of a deeper connection.
ST: As the director of AESEDA, what education practices would you implement in the US for the younger generations?
Dr. Jenkins: We need informal programs to engage young people when they’re not in school. This means involving them in hands-on activities like urban gardening, designing sensors, or 3D printing.
These opportunities are especially crucial in Black and Brown communities, where a lack of choices can lead to adverse outcomes. We need incubators where young people can experiment and grow their ideas without fear of failure. Schools often take a rigid approach to learning, which only works for some.
Whether through nonprofits or community groups, informal programs can provide a more flexible and supportive environment. These programs can also address more significant issues like health. By connecting food and traditional remedies to health concerns, we can create a self-sustaining ecosystem that benefits everyone. But now, many people are too exhausted from their 9-to-5 jobs to focus on these initiatives.
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ST: You mentioned flooding in Africa recently, even though there have been prolonged dry periods. How are these extreme weather events becoming more common, and what can communities do to prepare and respond?
Dr. Jenkins: Flooding is rapidly becoming a major concern. The warmer atmosphere from greenhouse gases causes more ocean evaporation and increases the air’s capacity to hold water vapor, leading to more intense thunderstorms and hurricanes.
We need to communicate flood threats effectively, as flash flood warnings can be too late for people driving or in their homes. Predicting floods, especially flash floods, remains challenging. We can anticipate rain, but accurately predicting the intensity of a flooding event is difficult.
Flooding is intensifying globally, whether in California, Connecticut, or Africa. The lack of adequate weather instruments in many regions further complicates predictions. Even in the US, with advanced technology, predicting flooding within a two-hour window remains unreliable.
This reality necessitates increased vigilance to avoid disasters that are unfolding at an alarming rate. While we know billion-dollar flood events are growing in the US, the global picture remains unclear, though equally concerning.
ST: You’ve researched dust storms in tropical cyclones that affected West Africa. Can you draw any parallels between those challenges and the challenges faced by farmers in the US?
Dr. Jenkins: The main parallels are the challenges of dry spells and flooding. Farmers in both regions face unpredictable weather patterns, where a good period can suddenly become a 3-4 week dry spell.
Predicting these dry spells would be crucial for farmers, so research in sub-seasonal forecasting is focusing on this. Dry spells can severely impact crop yields, regardless of location. Crops struggle to survive without sufficient water, leading to economic losses for farmers.
In the U.S., floods caused by hurricanes in the South and East can also devastate crops. While farmers in the U.S. can get insurance against crop losses, there’s often no insurance available for flooding, which can be financially devastating.
Flooding can lead to displacement in West Africa and other parts of Africa, making it impossible for farmers to continue their operations. These extreme events have long-lasting consequences that are often overlooked.
In both regions, farmers face the constant challenge of adapting to unpredictable weather patterns and their devastating impact on their livelihoods.
ST: How has your perspective on these issues evolved over the years? Can you share any literature, activist groups, or Black environmentalists for others who want to help combat climate change?
Dr. Jenkins: Well, I stopped using the words climate change and started talking about climate justice. Climate justice is fundamentally connected to environmental and social justice, especially for Black and brown communities who disproportionately suffer from the impacts of the fossil fuel industry, including fracking, petrochemicals, and plastics.
These industries not only accelerate climate change but also directly harm the health of these communities. Landfills and pollution are often located near these neighborhoods, increasing their environmental burden and making them even more vulnerable.
But climate justice goes beyond just environmental issues—it’s about addressing systemic inequalities like redlining, underfunded schools, and the prison industrial complex. These injustices compound the effects of climate change, making it crucial that we fight on all fronts.
Engaging our youth in STEM and renewable energy fields is essential, as they are the next generation of leaders in this struggle. My mentor, Dr. Warren Washington, the second Black American to earn a Ph.D. in atmospheric sciences, instilled in me the importance of focusing on justice and bringing others into the fold.
Climate change isn’t just a scientific issue—it’s a deeply human one. Events like Hurricane Katrina, where over 100,000 Black people were displaced, are stark reminders of how climate disasters are intertwined with social injustices. Katrina was pivotal, showing us that the climate justice movement must address the full spectrum of inequalities our communities face to truly make progress.
