UN body warns at least 1.3 billion Africans 'extremely vulnerable' due to climate change

Changing rainfall patterns, rising temperatures, and accelerating extreme weather conditions threaten over 100 million "extremely poor" Africans, the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) of the United Nations said in a report released on Tuesday. At least 1.3 billion Africans are living in "extremely vulnerable" conditions as the continent warms up faster than the global average, the report stated. Extreme weather conditions in Africa have also contributed to mounting food insecurity, poverty and displacement, compounded with the socio-economic and health crisis triggered by the COVID-19 pandemic, the report adds. 

Notably, the State of Climate Report 2020 comes just ahead of the UN's COP 26 Climate Summit and highlights the "disproportionate vulnerability" in Africa resulting from climate change trends and large-scale displacements.

"By 2030, it is estimated that up to 118 million extremely poor people (i.e. living on less than $1.90/day) will be exposed to drought, floods and extreme heat in Africa if adequate response measures are not put in place," Josefa Leonel Correia Sacko, Commissioner for Rural Economy and Agriculture in the African Union Commission said in a statement. Surprisingly, the results were observed despite the continent's 54 countries being responsible for less than 4% of greenhouse gas emissions worldwide.

Rapidly melting glaciers an imminent threat to African population

The rapidly changing climate situation in Africa will further include a rise in sea level and the melting of the continent’s iconic glaciers in less than two decades. "The rapid shrinking of the last remaining glaciers in eastern Africa, which are expected to melt entirely in the near future, signals the threat of imminent and irreversible change to the Earth system, " WMO Secretary-General Prof. Petteri Taalas said. On the sidelines of the worsening physical conditions, this could push the already critical GDP of the country to a lowest of 3% by 2050, largely affecting the poor.

As per the report, in 2020 African landmass and water surface heated up more rapidly than the world average. This led to a considerable rise in sea level along the tropical coast, the South Atlantic and the Indian Ocean. Among the scarring changes, the report highlighted the potential "deglaciation" of Mount Kilimanjaro, Mount Kenya and the Ugandan Rwenzori Mountains.

(Image: Unsplash)