admin African nations are losing up to 5% of their GDP each year as they bear a heavier burden from climate change than the rest of the world, a new report stated on Monday, following one of the continent’s hottest years on record.
The World Meteorological Organization reported that many African nations are allocating up to 9% of their budgets to climate adaptation policies.
“Over the past 60 years, Africa has observed a warming trend that has become more rapid than the global average,” said WMO Secretary-General Celeste Saulo, warning that it is affecting everything from food security to public health to peace.
Africa is responsible for less than 10% of global greenhouse gas emissions, yet it is the most vulnerable region to extreme weather events, including droughts, floods, and heatwaves, according to the WMO.
The new report focuses on 2023, one of Africa’s three hottest years on record. It urged African governments to invest in early warning systems and meteorological services. Without adequate measures, up to 118 million Africans could be exposed to droughts, floods, and extreme heat by 2030, the report warned.
In sub-Saharan Africa, the costs of adapting to extreme weather could reach £30-50 billion per year over the next decade, the report estimated.
The impacts of climate change have been severe. Between September and October 2023, approximately 300,000 people across West Africa were affected by floods. Zambia faced the worst drought in 40 years, impacting nearly 6 million people.
The pattern of extreme weather events in Africa has continued into 2024, experts noted.
In the Sahel region south of the Sahara, flooding has affected over 716,000 people this year, according to the United Nations. In Mali, authorities declared a national disaster last week due to floods that have impacted 47,000 people since the start of the rainy season.
West Africa also experienced an unprecedented heatwave earlier this year, resulting in a surge in deaths.
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