Despite contributing the least to global greenhouse gas emissions, the African continent remains highly vulnerable to the impacts of climate change. At COP29, developed countries, the world’s largest emitters of greenhouse gases, made a new commitment by signing an agreement to ramp up climate action.
However, these countries’ promises fall short of the needs outlined by the African nations. The situation has been further exacerbated by El Niño, which has intensified the effects of climate change. For instance, tropical cyclones have become more frequent and severe.
In January, Hurricane Belal struck Mauritius, leaving thousands without power. Later in March, Cyclone Gamane ravaged Madagascar, affecting over 5,000 homes and forcing 20,737 people to flee. In May, Hurricane Hidaya devastated coastal regions of Kenya and Tanzania, underscoring the vulnerability of East Africa to these increasingly violent storms. Cyclones are often preceded by heavy rains, leading to flooding and landslides. In 2024, Kenya and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) saw devastating downpours.
In DRC, where conflict is already rampant in the east, torrents of rain destroyed roads and homes. Meanwhile, in the Sahel, the rainy season from July to September was marked by heavy flooding, especially in Sudan, Nigeria, Niger, Chad, and Cameroon. 2024 has also been a significant year in terms of global temperature trends. According to the Copernicus Climate Change Service, this year is the first to exceed the 1.5°C warming threshold.
Their latest report, published on December 9, reveals an average temperature anomaly of +0.14°C compared to the same period in 2023. In Zambia, the rainy season—typically running from October to March—ended prematurely in January, a direct result of extreme heat. This prolonged drought is impacting not only food security but also energy production across Southern Africa. In South Sudan, temperatures reached a sweltering 45°C, prompting the government to close schools for the first time due to the heat wave.
These extreme weather changes are having a dire impact on agriculture, on which 70% of Southern Africa’s population depend for their livelihoods. The region has faced severe droughts, pushing millions into hunger. Last October, Lesotho, Malawi, Namibia, Zambia, and Zimbabwe declared their hunger crises as national disasters.
According to the World Food Programme (WFP), about 21 million children in Southern Africa are currently malnourished due to failed crops. On a larger scale, African countries lose an estimated 2 to 5% of their GDP annually due to extreme weather events.
At COP29 last November, developed nations agreed to a new climate finance target: $300 billion annually by 2035. However, this target is far below the $1.3 trillion that developing nations, including those in Africa, estimate is needed for climate change adaptation.