Africa to experience extreme weather conditions

Extreme weather conditions predicted for Africa

Unless urgent action is taken to reverse the situation, Africa is expected to experience extreme weather conditions, like floods, droughts, heatwaves and cyclones, due to global warming in the coming decades, according to a report by Greenpeace Africa, an environmental lobby group headquartered in South Africa.

This is despite the fact that African countries are responsible for an extremely small proportion of greenhouse gas emissions driving global heating, apart from South Africa and Nigeria, which are major emitters on the continent.

Dubbed, "Weathering the Storm", the report said average temperatures in the continent are projected to increase at a rate faster than the global average.

The continent's mean annual temperature is projected to exceed 2C or to fall within the range of 3C to 6C by the end of the 21st century if high emissions continue, translating to two to four times beyond the rise permitted in the Paris Agreement.

The rising temperature is likely to lead to deaths, displacement, climate-related conflicts, irregular rainfall, drinking water shortages, obstruction of agricultural production, and accelerated extinction of endemic African species.

Under a global warming scenario of 1.5C, the cities of Lagos in Nigeria and, the economic capital of Côte d'Ivoire, would experience heat stress for the first time.

Luanda in Angola and Kinshasa in the Democratic Republic of Congo would also become heat stressed under a warming scenario of 2.7C and 4C, respectively. Sudan's capital, Khartoum, is already experiencing heat stress.

Heat stress includes a series of conditions where the body is under stress from overheating. Heat stress can result in heat exhaustion, heat stroke, heat rashes and heat cramps.

"Science shows there is very little that is natural in the disasters striking our continent. A human-made crisis requires a human-made solution. Africa is the cradle of humanity and it shall be the cradle of climate action for our future," Melita Steele, the program director at Greenpeace Africa, said in a statement.

"Health, safety, peace and justice will not be achieved only through prayers and bags of rice and maize in the aftermath of a disaster. Only the one who preserves has no misfortune and African leaders must declare a climate emergency to preserve our collective future."

The study calls on African countries to face the growing crisis by acknowledging and declaring a climate emergency and taking urgent action where they can build resilience and proactively choose socioeconomic pathways that are not based on a reliance on fossil fuels.

Another recommendation in the report is a shared vision and ambition for ocean protection and conservation by African countries. This is because the Indian Ocean Dipole, El Nino-Southern Oscillation and the Inter-Tropical Convergence Zone that depend on ocean temperature differences and changes in ocean currents and upwelling, are important drivers of African weather.

The study said embracing ecological farming and building on traditional farming methods will be essential for climate crisis adaptation.

Additionally, local food production will help to increase food security over aid dependency among communities that are exposed to the impacts of extreme weather events.

The report also calls on governments across Africa to prioritize universal access to electricity through renewable energy investments and avoid the trap of dirty development based on fossil fuels.

Renewable energy investments have huge potential to save water and to drive inclusive economic growth and job creation.

Noting that South Africa is a major emitter of greenhouse gases in Africa and the 13th biggest emitter globally due to its almost complete reliance on coal, the report said it's crucial that the country's government prioritizes a transition from fossil fuels to renewable energy.

"There needs to be better incorporation of indigenous knowledge in scientific evidence on extreme weather events in Africa. African countries need to be more involved in leading the development of new databases and models rather than being dependent on countries outside Africa," Ndoni Mcunu, co-author of the report and the founder of Black Women in Science, said.