Climate crisis in Africa: Extreme weather threatens lives and crops!

Climate crisis in Africa: Extreme weather threatens lives and crops!

The last decade has been Africa's hottest on record, the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) noted in its State of the Climate in Africa 2024 report. The report urgently warns of the far-reaching consequences of the climate crisis, which is increasing extreme weather, hunger, insecurity and displacement. Of particular concern, 2024 is ranked as one of the warmest years, due to high sea surface temperatures and marine heatwaves. These developments represent a massive challenge for agriculture, food security, water supply, and the health and education of the population.

Africa experienced extreme weather events in 2024, such as heavy rains, floods, tropical cyclones, droughts and heat waves. The report highlights the challenges facing agriculture and the environment and provides concrete examples. In southern Africa, countries such as Malawi, Zambia and Zimbabwe have suffered devastating drought conditions, while grain harvests there are 16% below the five-year average. Low water levels in Lake Kariba also led to power outages and economic disruption.

Extreme weather events and their consequences

In East Africa, heavy rains from March to May caused severe flooding in Kenya, Tanzania and Burundi. These natural disasters resulted in hundreds of deaths and impacted over 700,000 people. In West and Central Africa, more than four million people suffered from floods, which also claimed several hundred lives and forced hundreds of thousands to flee their homes. North Africa recorded its third consecutive below-average grain harvest, with production in Morocco falling an alarming 42% below the five-year average.

The WMO urgently calls for more investment in infrastructure, data sharing and integrative services to strengthen early warning systems and promote climate resilience. In this context, a continental space agency based in Cairo was created, aimed at unifying national space programs. This is intended to enable better collection and exchange of climate data, which is of great importance given the current crisis situation.

Connection between climate change and food security

Climate change not only influences weather patterns, but also has serious impacts on food security in the region. According to the FAO, food access, availability and quality are severely affected by climate change, further exacerbating already fragile living conditions in many African countries. The UN Food and Agriculture Organization also highlights that the combination of climate risks and economic challenges is leading to a worsening food crisis.

Another complicating factor is the increasing risks of zoonoses due to climate change, which can cause infectious diseases to spread further. This represents a major public health problem and increases the vulnerability of children and other vulnerable groups. UNICEF and other organizations warn that the necessary climate and health policies are often not child-friendly, further complicating the situation for younger generations in the region.

Given these challenges, African countries need not only technological innovations, such as the use of artificial intelligence and advanced weather models, but also a comprehensive strategy to combat the climate crisis. The WMO report is the fifth in a series based on collaboration between various meteorological services and international institutions and brings to the heart of the urgency of the situation.