Ahmed Murad (Cairo)
The climate changes affecting Africa have become a reason for the exacerbation of humanitarian crises in many countries of the continent, and the suffering of millions of people from the deterioration of water, food and agricultural systems. A recently issued UN report warned of the worsening crisis of water insecurity in the Sahel and Horn of Africa regions, and that about 13 countries In the east and west of the continent it is seriously suffering.
The former Assistant to the Egyptian Foreign Minister for African Affairs and member of the COMESA Committee of the Wise, Ambassador Souad Shalabi, explained that the continent has been exposed for years to severe climate fluctuations resulting in serious natural disasters, which has led to an exacerbation of humanitarian crises in many countries, and exposed millions of people to the risks of displacement. Displacement and malnutrition.
UN estimates indicate that Africa includes 17 of the 20 countries that are most vulnerable to climate threats in the world, which threatens to raise poverty levels, prompt internal and external displacement and migration, and increases the risk of conflict over resources.
In a statement to Al-Ittihad, Shalabi stressed the importance of concerted efforts by regional and international organizations to implement the recommendations and outcomes of climate conferences, the most recent of which is the COP28 conference in the UAE, in order to reduce the effects of climate change on the African continent and help societies adapt to climate change. . A member of the COMESA Committee of Elders said that Africa is in urgent need of advanced scientific programs that enable it to deal with climate change in a correct manner, and direct part of the aid to upgrade infrastructure networks and strengthen the water and food security systems, in conjunction with doubling the volume of humanitarian aid to millions of people affected by climate change. Implications of climate change.
UN reports indicated that in 2022, more than 110 million Africans were directly affected by risks related to weather, climate, and water, leading to the death of more than 5,000 people.
For his part, the Director of the United Nations Climate Change Project, Dr. Samir Tantawi, explained that the drought and floods that struck many African countries in recent years represent one of the most dangerous repercussions of climate change that the African continent is increasingly suffering from. The UN expert told the Union that the repercussions of climate change are causing severe humanitarian crises, causing severe damage to millions of people, in addition to the destruction of agricultural crops, which the African continent has clearly witnessed during the recent period.
Tantawi said that the repercussions of climate change make poor and fragile areas in Africa uninhabitable and residence, as they witness a serious lack of water and food security. Therefore, the matter requires intense regional and international action to deal with these repercussions, as was stated in the resolutions of the United Nations Climate Summit “COP.” 28”, which was held in the UAE late last year.
In addition, a study conducted by the “World Weather Tribunal” network, which includes scientists, and which was published yesterday, confirmed that the El Niño phenomenon is not responsible for the heavy rains that the East African region has witnessed in recent months. However, scientists concluded, on the other hand, that climate warming was “one of the factors” behind recording these heavy rains, but without necessarily being a decisive factor.
The rainy season, extending between March and May, was more severe than usual in East Africa, and killed more than 500 people in Kenya and Tanzania.
Researchers have previously indicated that a new wave of the El Niño phenomenon began in mid-2023, leading to large amounts of rain. Just as the El Niño phenomenon causes heavy rains in some regions of the world, it causes droughts in other regions.
At the end of 2023, researchers attributed other floods that affected East Africa at that time to the Indian Ocean dipole, which is another climate phenomenon that arises from the difference in sea surface temperatures between the western and eastern regions of the Indian Ocean.
However, “researchers did not find evidence of a relationship between the El Niño and Indian Ocean Dipole phenomena” with heavy rains this year, according to the study, which aims to identify the potential role of climate warming in extreme climate phenomena. They said, “The most likely possibility is that climate warming increased the probability of heavy rains twice and caused them to become more severe by 5%,” noting at the same time that these results are “mathematically uncertain.”
Scientists called on countries in the region to improve their infrastructure and protect their ecosystems, especially in densely populated areas.
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