التغيرات المناخية وتداعياتها البيئية والصحية على القارة الإفريقية

Abstract EN

Climate change is the biggest threat to global health in the twenty-first century, as climate change will increase the severity of weather-related disasters, especially in the developing world, and the evidence concludes that the increasing impact of human activities has played a major role in increasing net warming (warmth) since 1750 AD.

Recent climatic studies have confirmed that the increase in surface temperature during the period (18502005-AD) amounted to 0.76 degrees.

Moreover, the linear trend of warming in the last 50 years was recorded at 0.13 degrees per decade.

It has the lowest greenhouse gas emissions; however, it will witness the most severe consequences of climate change.

The study came in four main axes.

The first axis dealt with climatic changes in the African continent: features and evidence.

During the second half of the last century, the average annual temperature in Africa increased by about half a degree Celsius in some geographical areas of the continent.

In the countries of the Nile Basin, it increased (from 0.2 to 0.3 degrees Celsius in 10 years), and in other countries such as Rwanda it increased (from 0.7 to 0.9 degrees Celsius in 50 years), and recent climatic fluctuations in Africa indicated a noticeable decrease in the amount of precipitation; This leads to a noticeable decrease in the average discharge of some surface water sources by between 40 % and 60 % since the early seventies of the last century.

This has resulted in a significant decrease in the surface area of most of the natural wetlands in the region, as manifested in Lake Chad.

The second axis dealt with the environmental repercussions of climate change, as the possible repercussions of climate change on the ecosystem of Africa were numerous, both on ecosystems and biodiversity, the water security of the continent, and the areas affected by desertification, agricultural production, and food security.

While the third axis completed the negative repercussions from the health perspective, as it discussed population displacement in some African cities at risk, such as Alexandria (Egypt), Lagos (Nigeria), Banjul (Gambia), Mombasa (Kenya), Abidjan (Ivory Coast), and Bamenda (Cameroon).

This is in addition to dealing with the return of diseases and also the emergence of other diseases, as climate change or environmental change has caused an imbalance between diseases and humans.

Therefore, vector-borne diseases have become the most prominent problem in tropical countries, and the study concluded in its fourth axis by addressing protection and adaptation measures, in terms of maintaining health infrastructure and developing early warning systems and devising programs to combat infectious diseases.