Sunday, 16 March 2025
Home Analysis Climate change worsened rains in flood-hit African regions, scientists say
AnalysisBiodiversityEmissionsEnvironmentIndigenousPoliticsResiliencyWeather

Climate change worsened rains in flood-hit African regions, scientists say

44
FILE PHOTO: Residents walk in a flooded area during rescue operations in Maiduguri, northern Borno state, Nigeria September 12, 2024. REUTERS/Ahmed Kingimi/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: Residents walk in a flooded area during rescue operations in Maiduguri, northern Borno state, Nigeria September 12, 2024. REUTERS/Ahmed Kingimi/File Photo

Devastating rains that triggered deadly floods in Cameroon, Chad, Niger, Nigeria and Sudan in recent months were worsened by human-caused climate change, a team of international scientists said on Wednesday.

Global warming made the seasonal downpours this year about 5-20 per cent more intense across the Niger and Lake Chad basins, said World Weather Attribution (WWA), a group of scientists studying the link between climate change and extreme weather.

It also said such intense rainfall could occur annually if warming continues.

“Spells of heavy summer rainfall have become the new normal in Sudan, Nigeria, Niger, Cameroon and Chad,” said Izidine Pinto, Researcher at the Royal Netherlands Meteorological Institute, in a WWA statement.

This year’s floods killed around 1,500 people and displaced over one million more in West and Central Africa, according to the U.N. aid agency OCHA. The rainfall also overwhelmed dams in Nigeria and Sudan.

If global warming reaches 2 degrees Celsius (3.6 degrees Fahrenheit), which could happen as early as the 2050s, such downpours are expected to occur nearly every year in the affected regions, WWA said, calling for more investment in early warning systems and dam upgrades.

“Africa has contributed a tiny amount of carbon emissions globally, but is being hit the hardest by extreme weather,” said Joyce Kimutai, researcher at the Centre for Environmental Policy at Imperial College in London.

She said the onus was on this year’s COP29 climate talks in November to ensure rich nations contribute “meaningful finance” to help.

(Reporting by Alessandra Prentice; editing by Barbara Lewis)

Related Articles

Climate FinanceElectricityOffshore WindPoliticsWind

Denmark disappointed after offshore wind tender draws no bids

Danish Energy Agency says it will consult with market participants to understand...

AnalysisBiofuelsCarbon ManagementElectricityGeothermalHydrogenOpinion

How will artificial intelligence transform energy innovation?

Commentary from the International Energy Agency: Artificial intelligence is an innovation that...

FILE PHOTO: People walk past an installation depicting barrel of oil with the logo of Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) during the COP29 United Nations climate change conference in Baku, Azerbaijan November 19, 2024. REUTERS/Maxim Shemetov/File Photo
BusinessOilPoliticsTrade

OPEC+ likely to stick to oil output hike plan, sources say

By Maha El Dahan, Ahmad Ghaddar and Olesya Astakhova LONDON (Reuters) -OPEC+...

Login into your Account

Please login to like, dislike or bookmark this article.