Climate Change Contributed To 733,585 Deaths, 1,839 Disasters In Africa — Report

A report by the United Nations World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) has disclosed that a total of 733,585 deaths occurred in Africa between 1970 and 2021 — 51 years as a result of extreme weather, climate and water-related events.

The WMO issued the new findings at the opening of the quadrennial World Meteorological Congress on Monday, aimed at discussing measures to ensure that early warning services reach everyone on Earth by the end of 2027.

According to the report, Africa has recorded 1,839 disasters within 50 decades, accruing an economic loss of $43 billion while droughts accounted for 95 per cent of the reported deaths.

“Economic losses have soared. But improved early warnings and coordinated disaster management has slashed the human casualty toll over the past half a century. Over 90% of reported deaths worldwide occurred in developing countries.

“The USA alone incurred US$1.7 trillion, accounting for 39% of economic losses worldwide in the 51 years. But Least Developed Countries and Small Island Developing States suffered a disproportionately high cost in relation to the size of their economies,” the report said.

Speaking at the event the WMO Secretary-General, Petteri Taalas noted that the most vulnerable communities unfortunately bear the brunt of weather, climate and water-related hazards.

“Extremely severe cyclonic storm Mocha exemplifies this. It caused widespread devastation in Myanmar and Bangladesh, impacting the poorest of the poor. In the past, both Myanmar and Bangladesh suffered death tolls of tens and even hundreds of thousands of people.

“Thanks to early warnings and disaster management these catastrophic mortality rates are now thankfully history. Early warnings save lives,” Taalas added.

Recall that Nigeria witnessed hazardous flood disasters in the latter part of 2022, which disrupted many communities across the country.

Speaking on the significance of the early warning system, the UN Secretary-General, António Guterres said every person on Earth is protected by early warning systems by the end of 2027.

Guterres noted that the system has proven to be an effective climate adaptation measure that saves lives and provides at least a tenfold return on investment.

“However, only half of the countries have early warning systems in place with coverage especially low in Small Island Developing States (SIDS), Least Developed Countries (LDCs) and in Africa,” he said.

The WMO is the United Nations System’s authoritative voice on Weather, Climate and Water.