Multiple cars are seen buried in rubble at the Khokhoba informal settlement where residents of the settlement were seen digging for bodies after heavy rainfall resulted in flooding which left more than 400 people dead. File Picture: Theo Jeptha/ African News Agency (ANA)
Durban — The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) indicated that the state of the climate in Africa highlighted water stress and hazards and said although climate action in Africa was gaining momentum more was needed.
In a report, State of the Climate in Africa 2021, the WMO said that water stress and hazards like withering heat, droughts and devastating floods are hitting African communities, economies and ecosystems hard.
The WMO report revealed that rainfall patterns are disrupted, glaciers are disappearing and key lakes are shrinking. Rising water demand combined with limited and unpredictable supplies threatens to aggravate conflict and displacement.
The WMO is the UN’s authoritative voice on weather, climate and water.
The State of the Climate in Africa 2021 report provides authoritative scientific information on temperature trends and other climate indicators. It shows how extreme weather and climate change are undermining human health and safety, food and water security and socio-economic development.
“Africa only accounts for about 2% to 3% of global greenhouse gas emissions but suffers disproportionately from the results,” the WMO said.
“The report has a special focus on water. High water stress is estimated to affect about 250 million people in Africa and is expected to displace up to 700 million people by 2030. Four out of five African countries are unlikely to have sustainably managed water resources by 2030.”
The report mentions South Africa’s experience of flooding as a high-impact event in 2021.
It said that in southern Africa, much of which had been experiencing long-term drought, rainfall during the 2020/2021 rainy season was above average in some regions, including northern South Africa and Zimbabwe, with some flooding reported, but which was near or below the average further north.
The report said that in January, tropical cyclone Eloise contributed to flooding in southern Africa, with damage and casualties reported in Mozambique, South Africa, Zimbabwe, Eswatini and Madagascar, while in the South Pacific, Ana and Niran caused flooding and power outages in Fiji and New Caledonia, respectively.
WMO secretary-general Professor Petteri Taalas said: “The worsening crisis and looming famine in the drought-stricken Horn of Africa shows how climate change can exacerbate water shocks, threatening the lives of hundreds of thousands of people and destabilising communities, countries and entire regions.
“Africa’s climate has warmed more than the global average since pre-industrial times (1850-1900). In parallel, the sea level rise along African coastlines is faster than the global mean, contributing to increases in the frequency and severity of coastal flooding and erosion, and salinity in low-lying cities. Changes in continental water bodies have major impacts on the agriculture sector, ecosystems, biodiversity.”
The AU Commission’s commissioner for Agriculture, Rural Development, Blue Economy and Sustainable Environment, HE Josefa Leonel Correia Sacko, said: “Temperature increase, heat waves, extensive floods, tropical cyclones, prolonged droughts, and sea level rise resulting in loss of lives, property damage, and population displacement, undermine Africa’s ability to achieve its commitments to meet the targets of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the African Union Agenda 2063: The Africa We Want, which outlines Africa’s path for attaining inclusive and sustainable economic growth and development.”
The WMO said that currently, only 40% of the African population has access to early warning systems to protect them against extreme weather and climate change impacts. Africa is therefore a top priority in the campaign spearheaded by the WMO, at the request of UN secretary-general António Guterres, to ensure universal access to early warnings in the next five years.
However, climate action is gaining momentum. More than 40 African countries have revised their national climate plans (Nationally Determined Contributions) to make them more ambitious and add greater commitments to climate adaptation and mitigation.
Although Africa contributes only 2-3% of global greenhouse gas emissions, more than 83% of national climate plans include greenhouse gas reduction targets, with focus areas including energy, agriculture, waste, land use and forestry.
The State of the Climate in Africa report makes a number of recommendations, including strengthening early warning systems, increasing transboundary co-operation, data exchange and knowledge sharing. The need for more investment in adaptation is crucial, as is a concerted drive towards more integrated water resource management.
The WMO report, the third in a series, is a joint initiative between the WMO and the AU Commission and includes input from a wide range of UN organisations, National Meteorological and Hydrological Services, development partners and climate experts. The report and an accompanying digital story map are being launched at a Ministerial Meeting on Integrated Early Warning and Early Action System initiative in Maputo, Mozambique.
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