Africa’s climate crisis intensifies

The World Meteorological Organization’s State of Africa’s Climate 2024 report shows that average temperatures in Africa are 0.86°C above the long-term average, with the fastest warming (+1.28°C) in North Africa. The oceanic heatwave affected a record area of 30 million square kilometers, leading to the worst drought in two decades in Southern Africa, with cereal yields falling by 16-50 percent. Over 4 million people were affected by flooding in Nigeria and the Niger, while Morocco experienced a food crisis after six consecutive years of drought. African countries are moving forward with digitized early warning systems, but there is a huge funding gap for adaptation.