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The State of the Climate in Africa 2021\u00a0<\/em>reveals that rainfall patterns are disrupted, glaciers are disappearing and key lakes are shrinking.<\/p>\n And rising water demand, combined with limited and unpredictable supplies, threatens to aggravate conflict and displacement.<\/p>\n \u201cThe 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 destabiliizing communities, countries and entire regions,\u201d\u00a0said\u00a0WMO Secretary-General Petteri Taalas.\u00a0<\/p>\n The report shows how extreme weather and climate change are undermining human health and safety, food and water security, and socio-economic development.<\/p>\n While Africa accounts for only about two to three per cent of global greenhouse gas emissions, it suffers disproportionately from it.\u00a0<\/p>\n With a special focus on water,\u00a0The State of the Climate<\/em>\u00a0reveals that high water stress is estimated to affect about 250 million people on the continent and displace up to 700 million individuals by 2030.<\/p>\n Four out of five African countries are unlikely to have sustainably managed water resources by 2030.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cAfrica\u2019s climate has warmed more than the global average since pre-industrial time,\u201d warned Mr. Taalas, noting that the sea level rise along African coastlines is faster than the global mean.<\/p>\n He observed that that this is contributing to increases in the frequency and severity of coastal flooding and erosion, and salinity in low-lying cities.<\/p>\n \u201cChanges in continental water bodies have major impacts on the agriculture sector, ecosystems, biodiversity,\u201d said the WMO chief.<\/p>\n Currently only 40 per cent of the African population has access to early warning systems against extreme weather and climate change impacts.<\/p>\n At the request of Secretary-General Ant\u00f3nio Guterres, WMO is spearheading a campaign to ensure universal access to early warnings in the next five years.\u00a0<\/p>\n Meanwhile, climate action is gaining momentum.<\/p>\n More than 40 African States have revised their national climate plans to make them more ambitious and add greater commitments to climate adaptation and mitigation.<\/p>\n The State of the Climate<\/em>\u00a0report makes a number of recommendations, including to strengthen early warning systems, increase transboundary cooperation, data exchange and knowledge sharing.<\/p>\n It underscores that the need for more investment in adaptation is crucial, as is a concerted drive towards more integrated water resource management.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n The report was launched with an accompanying\u00a0digital story map\u00a0at a Ministerial Meeting on Integrated Early Warning and Early Action System initiative in Maputo, Mozambique.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\nTemperature trends<\/h2>\n
Making changes<\/h2>\n