Floods, drought and rising sea levels forced 2.5 million people in Africa to flee their homes last year. The World Weather Organization (WMO) calculated this in its climate report for Africa published on Thursday. Over the past 30 years, the region has warmed by 0.3 degrees, the report says — an acceleration of 0.1 degrees in warming over the comparable period between 1961 and 1990.
This seemingly small change is already having a huge impact on the entire continent: the sea level on the African coasts is rising faster than the global average. According to the report, the few glaciers in Africa — on Mount Kilimanjaro, for example — are melting faster than in the rest of the world.
Perpetual droughts, massive floods
The effects of climate change are already being felt, especially in the long periods of drought that mainly affect people in Ethiopia, Somalia, parts of Kenya and southern Madagascar. In contrast, in South Sudan, Nigeria, Congo and Burundi there are massive floods.
Agricultural productivity fell by a third
As mentioned, rising temperatures are also partly responsible for a huge food shortage. Agricultural productivity in Africa has fallen by more than a third since 1961.
Even if we manage to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees, regions in North and South Africa would have to adapt to crop losses of up to 60 percent.
West Africa would lose about a tenth of its maize crop. 58 million people in Africa are already affected by massive food shortages. The African Mediterranean also experienced extreme heat and increased wildfires last year.
Source: Krone
I’m Wayne Wickman, a professional journalist and author for Today Times Live. My specialty is covering global news and current events, offering readers a unique perspective on the world’s most pressing issues. I’m passionate about storytelling and helping people stay informed on the goings-on of our planet.
