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Severe climate change to affect 118M people in Africa by 2030, warns UN weather agency
Nearly
118 million people in Africa will be exposed to severe climate change by 2030
if appropriate measures are not taken, according to a report by the World
Meteorological Organization (WMO) released on Monday.
“By
2030, it is estimated that up to 118 million extremely poor people (living on
less than US$ 1.90 per day) will be exposed to drought, floods and extreme heat
in Africa, if adequate response measures are not put in place,” according to
the State of the Climate in Africa 2023 report.
The
report underscored the urgent need for increased investment in climate
adaptation and resilience-building initiatives to mitigate the impacts of
climate change on the continent.
African
nations are losing an average of 2–5% of their Gross Domestic Product (GDP)
annually and many are diverting up to 9% of their budgets responding to climate
extremes.
In
sub-Saharan Africa alone, the cost of adaptation is projected to reach between
$30–50 billion annually over the next decade, amounting to 2–3% of the region's
GDP.
The
report underlined that this would place immense pressure on poverty alleviation
efforts and severely hinder economic growth across the continent.
"Africa
has observed a warming trend over the past 60 years that has become more rapid
than the global average," WMO Secretary-General Celeste Saulo said in a
statement.
Celeste
added that the continent experienced deadly heat waves, heavy rains, floods,
tropical cyclones, and prolonged droughts in 2023.
The
year 2023 has been confirmed as the warmest on record and has brought
devastating climate events to various parts of Africa.
While
countries in the Horn of Africa, southern Africa, and North-West Africa battled
with prolonged, multi-year droughts, other regions suffered from extreme
precipitation leading to catastrophic flooding. These climate extremes have had
severe consequences, causing loss of life, widespread displacement, and
significant economic damage.
"This
pattern of extreme weather has continued in 2024," Saulo added.
"Parts of southern Africa have been gripped by damaging drought, and
exceptional seasonal rainfall has caused death and devastation in East African
countries, most recently in Sudan and South Sudan, exacerbating an already
desperate humanitarian crisis."
Image
Credit: © AA
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