Africa is already being heavily affected by climate change. Between 1991 and 2023, the African continent warmed at a rate of 0.3°C per decade, a rate slightly faster than the global average. This has brought more frequent and severe weather extremes.
The cost of adapting to these changes and events is also immense. This was emphasised in a recent report by the World Meteorological Organization. The UN agency found that, on average, African countries were losing 2%-5% of their GDP – a measure of economic output – annually and many were diverting up to 9% of their budgets in response to climate extremes.
The report estimates that the cost of adaptation in sub-Saharan Africa ranges from US$30 billion to US$50 billion annually over the next decade.
