Climate action crucial to safeguard Africa's UN development goals: Zambian official

LUSAKA, Sept. 2 (Xinhua) -- The negative effects brought by climate change may derail Africa's progress toward achieving the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals unless urgent measures are taken, a senior Zambian government official said on Monday.

Minister of Green Economy and Environment Mike Mposha said that extreme weather events in Africa were intensifying and impacting the continent's socio-economic development, a situation that requires urgent attention to protect the continent from the devastating effects of climate change.

"Africa is uniquely vulnerable to climate change, with its high dependence on rain-fed agriculture and limited adaptive capacity. Rising temperatures, sea-level rise and erratic rainfall are already causing widespread harm to human health, ecosystems and livelihoods," he said in remarks commenting on the release of the State of Climate in Africa 2023 report released by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), according to a statement.

According to him, the report provides valuable insights that could inform policy decisions and guide future actions to protect Africa from the devastating effects of climate change.

Mposha, who is also the first vice president of the African Ministerial Conference on Meteorology, said the report serves as a stark reminder of the urgent need for climate action in Africa as well as the assessment of the continent's climate situation.

He noted that rising temperatures, severe heatwaves, accelerating sea-level rise and erratic rainfall are all contributing to a worsening climate crisis, affecting agricultural productivity, food security and overall well-being.

He said the African Ministerial Conference on Meteorology is playing a pivotal role in addressing Africa's climate challenges through its integrated African strategy which focuses on enhancing climate services, strengthening partnerships and building capacity to support climate adaptation and resilience.

He said by implementing the strategy, Africa could improve its ability to deliver early warning systems and mitigate the impacts of climate change.

The minister further said it is important to continue advocating for increased investments in climate adaptation and resilience ahead of the 29th session of the Conference of the Parties (COP29) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change.

According to the report, Africa bears an increasingly heavy burden from climate change and disproportionately high costs for essential climate adaptation, with temperature increases on the continent slightly above global average while extreme floods have caused severe losses and damages.

In a statement posted on the WMO website, African countries are losing between 2 and 5 percent of gross domestic product and many are diverting up to 9 percent of their budgets responding to climate extremes.