Climate change is an emergent catastrophe that spans the entire world. From fiery fires consuming millions of hectares of land in Australia to ever-intensifying storms hitting North America’s East Coast, climate anomalies come in different shapes – and massive consequences, both ecological and economic. Hurricane Helene alone cost the US over $250 billion in economic damage!
Africa is especially vulnerable to the disastrous aftereffects of climate change. Not only is Africa just more susceptible to rising temperatures due to its geography, but many of its countries also suffer greatly due to a lack of economic safety nets. Let’s shed some light on how the most affected African countries navigate this crisis.
Why is Africa So Impacted?
Multiple factors make Africa’s position dire in the face of climate change. The climate itself works against it; developing countries struggle to match the losses, and political issues ravage the continent. Together, these factors pose a unique challenge for the entire continent.
- Disproportionate impact due to geography. Africa heats up at a faster rate than other regions, hitting a temperature increase rate of +0.4C per decade. Other regions, such as the Americas and Asia, see only around +0.2C increases at the same timeframe.
- The high cost of climate change solutions. Many developing countries in Africa are unable to cope with the additional costs of climate change relief. For example, Chad’s position is ranked most concerning, with widespread famine and staggering poverty statistics.
- Political issues. Political instability in countries like Somalia, Syria, Chad, and the Democratic Republic of Congo exacerbates the problem even further. Political struggles and uprisings do not give any breathing room for climate change relief.
All these issues combined make Africa the most vulnerable continent on Earth. The continent’s rising population faces many unfortunate consequences of climate change: water, shelter, and access to necessities are massive problems for many of its people.
Vectors of Economic Impact On Africa
The ecological damage caused by climate change and its impact on Africa’s wildlife is massive, but we’ll focus on the region’s economy in this section. The changing climate can be described as a multi-directional attack on the economies of African states. Its sweeping consequences are most painful in the following aspects of Africa’s economy:
Agriculture and Food Security
The most basic of necessities are under attack in Africa. Countries like Somalia, South Sudan, and Ethiopia struggle with intensifying droughts on top of political instability. The island of Madagascar wrestles with what has been dubbed the “world’s first climate-change-induced famine.”
Climate change isn’t just droughts: in some regions, like Mozambique, they manifest in flooding and cyclones, causing massive damage to agriculture and infrastructure. The warming ocean also poses a danger as many African rural communities rely on fisheries. Climate change contributes to rapidly depleting fish stocks.
Job Security And Worker Conditions
The previous point ties directly into Africa’s labor market problems. Over 60 percent of sub-Saharan Africa’s population are farmers; any damage to the land, livestock, and agriculture in general means loss of livelihood for millions. Cities in developing countries are not safe from the impact, either. Urban centers become overcrowded due to waves of ecological refugees. Unemployment, unsanitary and hazardous working conditions are commonplace in developing cities.
Resource Scarcity and Conflict
Degradation of land and loss of drinking water can cause the most extreme of issues: resource wars. For instance, the conflict around Lake Chad was partly caused by the fact that this lake has shrunk by over 90% since the 1960s! The heightened tensions around this precious resource gave rise to extremist notions. While not all conflicts result in all-out wars, resource pressure heightens the social issues all around, resulting in social unrest, ethnic tensions, and other “threat multipliers.”
These problems combine and compound one another, leaving those at risk scrambling for solutions. Africans impacted by climate change’s economic aftershocks often turn to risky activities, like gambling, to make a living in the absence of other options.
At the same time, the increased internet reach has given rise to online betting. Many young Africans turn to gambling as a quick way to make money. But, online gambling has introduced a whole slew of new issues itself: the need for regulation of online casino providers and mental health concerns.
Climate Change Mitigation and Economic Resurgence
Thankfully, it’s not all doom and gloom for the continent. African leaders are taking steps to face the challenges, though their nature is so great that massive and continuous effort is needed. International organizations, NGOs, and private companies also chip in and invest in the continent’s climate future. Most of these solutions are aimed at helping the impacted populations; some have been decided to address the issues head-on. These key initiatives include:
- African Union’s Climate Change and Resilient Development Strategy. This pan-African international strategy was created to address the continent’s issues in unison. Climate change, political instability, and economic downturns are in the crosshairs of the African Union.
- Africa Adaptation Initiative. This initiative was created to improve the stability of the continent’s agriculture sector. With AAI, African leaders opened the dialogue on disaster risk reduction and water resource management – among other goals – in 2015.
- The Great Green Wall Initiative. This initiative is one of the largest-scale projects in human history. Members of the Green Wall seek to restore over a billion hectares of land in just a decade and stop the looming desertification process.
African leaders and allies came together for many more projects like these, including ARC, AFR100, ACCF, and others. While it’s too early to draw any conclusions about their effectiveness yet, we are hopeful Africa and its partners will pull through.
Summing Up Africa And Climate Change
Africa is in a unique position in the face of climate change. The climate phenomena not only disproportionately affect the continent, but they also are compounded by issues like political discord in the region. As a result, Africans are disproportionately affected by the economic damage caused by climate change.
The damage is threefold: it affects the land and resources, the labour market and causes a climate refugee crisis. African leaders had to come up with impressive solutions to the growing problem, creating some of the biggest collaborations in human history. Africa has immense potential and is known for its resilience – which inspires some hope in these initiatives’ futures.