Africa’s climate change situation most likely to worsen: UN report

Africa’s climate change situation most likely to worsen: UN report

Global warming impact and climate change has been a hot topic for globally influential government as well as non-government bodies, urging for drastic steps against the excruciating possibilities of human-led devastations.

Africa has long been at the epicenter of climate change impact, however now, the United Nations report suggest that the continent’s climate crisis situation may worsen in the coming decades.

Despite having practically negligible contributions to the planet’s greenhouse gas emissions, Africa has suffered some of the most brutal impacts of climate change across the globe, right from famine to flooding.

According to a new UN report, implications of human-caused global warming will only grow more impactful across continent’s coral reefs and its highest peaks.

Based on predictions made by the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change this week, the coming decades will fade away Africa’s beauty starting with Saharan flooding, depreciation of Africa’s rich biodiversity due to rising temperatures.

In addition to this, African glaciers on the continent’s most iconic mountains are expected to disappear over the coming decades.

Considering the already existing challenges of Africa, which include extreme poverty and food insecurity, the panel stressed upon the additional impact of future climate change on the lives and livelihoods of farmers and fishermen.

Unfortunately, the UN report indicates that Africa’s food production will be weakened by scorching temperatures and heat causing water scarcity and shorter sowing seasons predicting a drop in the yields of sorghum, olives, tea, coffee, and livestock production.

Altogether, from 1961 till today, African region has reported a 34% reduction in agricultural productivity as a result of climate change.

Beyond climate change, the continent has suffered from hunger led by economic crisis and conflicts, surging up the undernourished population of sub-Saharan Africa by 45% in last 9 to 10 years.

In 2020, nearly 98 million people fell victim of acute food insecurity and required humanitarian assistance in Africa.

Source Credit: https://www.indiatoday.in/environment/story/un-africa-already-suffering-from-warming-will-see-worse-1920035-2022-03-03