The African Continent Faces an Existential Struggle with Climate Change

Climate change in Africa has become a matter demanding urgent action to safeguard development across the continent, which has faced severe challenges due to its effects in recent years.

Africa’s Agenda 2063 acknowledges that climate change is the principal challenge obstructing development across the continent. Although African nations account for no more than 3.5% of global carbon emissions, major industrialised countries are responsible for the overwhelming share of greenhouse gas emissions that drive climate change, according to various reports.

A report issued by the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) in September 2024 stated that Africa bears a heavy and growing burden from climate change, incurring disproportionately high costs merely to achieve basic climate adaptation.

African countries lose, on average, between 2% and 5% of their GDP and allocate as much as 9% of their budgets to address extreme weather events, according to the organisation.

The State of the Climate in Africa 2023 report, also released by the WMO, estimated that the cost of adapting to climate change in sub-Saharan Africa would range between $30 billion and $50 billion annually over the next decade — equivalent to 2–3% of the region’s GDP.

It further projected that unless adequate response measures are taken, as many as 118 million people living in extreme poverty (on less than $1.90 per day) will be exposed to droughts, floods, and extreme heat in Africa by 2030.

Severe Losses

Extreme weather events such as floods have caused heavy human losses across numerous African countries, affecting nearly 300,000 people in ten nations. The countries most severely impacted include Niger, Benin, Ghana, and Nigeria. For instance, floods struck Libya following the Mediterranean tropical cyclone “Storm Daniel” in September 2023, claiming the lives of at least 4,700 people, while 8,000 remain missing.

According to Dr Heba Mohamed Imam, an international expert and Egyptian environmental consultant, climate change represents “a major challenge in Africa. Despite the continent’s contribution of less than 4% to global greenhouse gas emissions, it faces severe fluctuations that directly affect food security, water resources, and livelihoods.”

More than 60% of Africa’s population, she explained, depends on agriculture as the main source of income and food. Irrigation infrastructure and environmental protection systems have suffered increasing damage due to rising temperatures, shifting rainfall patterns, and recurring extreme weather events.

She added that floods caused by climate change in Africa have washed away crops and agricultural infrastructure, while other countries suffer from water scarcity affecting planting seasons. She continued: “Moreover, the frequency of extreme weather events such as cyclones and severe heat waves has increased, causing widespread destruction in both coastal and inland areas.”

Studies have shown that these changes are not merely natural phenomena but reflect the accumulated impact of global emissions that disrupt the hydrological cycle and weather systems across the continent.

Dr. Imam further emphasised that the effects of climate change in Africa extend beyond agriculture and water, giving rise to a new crisis of internal displacement and cross-border migration. As lands gradually dry out or suffer repeated flooding, farmers lose their livelihoods, forcing thousands to move to cities or neighbouring countries.

An Existential Threat

Global warming has reserved its gravest consequences for one of the most long-suffering regions of the planet — the African continent, according to Fadi Jameel.

He noted that Africa comprises 54 countries and over one billion people, with a turbulent history. Arid conditions and high temperatures have long caused droughts and famines, claiming tens of millions of lives over past decades. Against this backdrop, civil wars and cross-border conflicts have further exposed already besieged populations to a multitude of risks.

Currently, the Horn of Africa — encompassing Ethiopia, Kenya, and Somalia — is enduring the worst drought in 40 years. Five consecutive years without adequate rainfall have left 50 million people devastated, 20 million of whom face famine. Notably, more than 20% of Africans are classified as undernourished.

Projects to Strengthen Climate Action

Amid this crisis, international and continental calls have intensified for initiatives to help Africa adapt to the escalating threat of climate change — a danger that now poses an existential threat.

In response, the United Arab Emirates pledged $4.5 billion to support clean energy projects across Africa, as announced by Sultan Al Jaber, President-Designate of the UN Climate Change Conference (COP28), during the Africa Climate Summit held in Nairobi in September 2023.

According to Al Jaber, the funding will come from Masdar, Abu Dhabi Fund for Development (ADFD), Etihad Credit Insurance (ECI), and AMEA Power, a Dubai-based renewable energy company, along with Africa50, an investment platform established by African governments and the African Development Bank, which also joined the initiative.

This followed an announcement by the UAE Carbon Alliance expressing its intent to purchase $450 million in African carbon credits by 2030 from the African Carbon Markets Initiative (ACMI), unveiled at the same summit.

According to the Emirates News Agency (WAM), Abu Dhabi has already invested over $12 billion in development and renewable energy projects across Africa through public and private partnerships. The UAE continues to mobilise international efforts to advance the goals of the Paris Agreement, maintain the possibility of limiting global temperature rise to 1.5°C, and promote an inclusive, responsible energy transition — preserving lives, improving livelihoods, and advancing climate finance mechanisms.

The UAE places great importance on strengthening its relations with Africa and supports all initiatives that foster development, stability, and peace across the continent, according to repeated statements by the Abu Dhabi government.

Meanwhile, UAE diplomacy has succeeded in establishing solid cooperation with 37 out of 54 African nations, spanning every region of the continent.

* Bayethe Msimang is an independent writer, commentator and political analyst.

** The views expressed do not necessarily reflect the views of IOL or Independent Media.