Africa needs up to $200 and $350 billion a year to fight climate change: UNEP


Lazarus Sauti

A United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) report, issued on the sidelines of UN climate talks in Warsaw that are working towards sealing a global deal by 2015 to reach the 2 C target, said Africa will need between $200 and $350 billion a year by 2070 to shore up its defences against climate change.

The report also said the $200-billion figure is a best-case scenario, based on meeting the goal of limiting average global warming to 2.0 degrees Celsius.

It states that the higher figure of $350 billion assumes warming of 3.5 – 4.0 Celsius, which will cause much greater damage to Earth’s climate system.

UNEP chief Achim Steiner said in a statement: “Missing the 2.0 C window will not only cost governments billions of dollars but will risk the lives and livelihoods of hundreds of millions of people on the African continent and elsewhere.

“Even with a warming scenario of under 2.0 C by 2050, Africa’s undernourished would increase 25-90 percent.”

Steiner goes on to say: “Crop production will be reduced across much of the continent as optimal growing temperatures are exceeded.

“The capacity of African communities to cope with the impacts of climate change will be significantly challenged.”

The World Bank has warned of a 40-percent risk of warming between 3.5 C and 4.0 C if efforts to curb greenhouse gas emissions are not stepped up significantly.

 

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