MOGALAKWENA DISTRICT

NKAKABIDI HIGH SCHOOL

STUDENT NAME MATLHATSI KGOPONG

SUBJECT GEOGRAPHY

CLASS GRADE 10

ASSESSMENT/TASK ARGUMENTATIVE ESSAY

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 THE IMPACT OF CLIMATE CHANGE ON AFRICA’S ENVIRONMENT AND
PEOPLE IS DEVASTATING

Climate change refers to an ongoing trend of changes in the earth’s general weather
conditions because of an average rise in the temperature of the earth’s surface often
referred to as global warming. This rise in the average global temperature is due,
primarily, to the increased concentration of gases known as greenhouse gases
(GHGs) in the atmosphere that are emitted by human activities. These gases
intensify a natural phenomenon called the “greenhouse effect” by forming an
insulating layer in the atmosphere that reduces the amount of the sun’s heat that
radiates back into space and therefore has the effect of making the earth warmer.
While weather changes daily, climate represents the statistical distribution of weather
patterns over time, and on a global scale has changed only very slowly in the past –
usually over periods of tens of thousands of years or even millions of years which
allows time for the earth’s bio-physical systems to adapt naturally to the changing
climatic conditions. Currently, the global climate is changing much more rapidly
because of global warming, leading to, among others, the melting of polar and
glacier ice, sea-level rise, ocean acidification, changes in rainfall and snowfall
patterns, more frequent floods and droughts and increased frequency and intensity
of extreme weather events, such as tornadoes, hurricanes and cyclones. The rapid
rate of this climate change does not allow the earth’s bio-physical systems to adapt
to these changes naturally.

African nations are among the least historic carbon emitters but are highly vulnerable
to climate change. Its effects include increased water stress, reduced agricultural
productivity, and heightened inequalities, particularly affecting women. Additionally,
climate change drives socio-economic challenges, straining governance due to
external debt, rapid urbanization, and social inequality. This leads to a rise in rural
poverty and informal urban settlements, which often face flood risks and lack
essential services like clean water, food security, healthcare, and sanitation. The
resulting instability threatens communities, livelihoods, and the overall socio-political
landscape in Africa.

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Climate change is affecting Africa in many ways. Some areas face severe drought,
crop failures, and famine, while others deal with heavy rain, rising sea levels, and
flooding. Extreme heat spells worsen these conditions and lead to health issues.
Millions have been forced to leave their homes, creating climate-induced migration
(WMO, 2023b, p. 2). These challenges are made worse by health pandemics,
economic struggles, poverty, gender inequality, rapid urban growth, extremism,
military coups, and conflicts between powerful nations. This creates a complicated
situation for governments to set national priorities, especially with limited resources.
The following are areas of concern regarding the devastating impact of climate
change in Africa

Rising temperatures

The year 2019 was among the three warmest years on record for the continent. That
trend is expected to continue. African temperatures in recent decades have been
warming at a rate comparable to that of most other continents, and thus somewhat
faster than global mean surface temperature.

The latest decadal predictions, covering the five-year period from 2020 to 2024,
shows continued warming and decreasing rainfall especially over North and
Southern Africa, and increased rainfall over the Sahel. Extensive areas of Africa will
exceed 2 °C of warming above pre-industrial levels by the last two decades of this
century under medium scenarios as reported in the Intergovernmental Panel on
Climate Change Fifth Assessment Report. Much of Africa has already warmed by
more than 1 °C since 1901, with an increase in heatwaves and hot days. A reduction
in precipitation is likely over North Africa and the south-western parts of South Africa
by the end of the century, according to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate
Change (IPCC).

Rising sea levels and coastal erosion

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There is significant regional variability in sea-level trends around Africa. Sea-level
increase reached 5 mm per year in several oceanic areas surrounding the continent
and exceeded 5 mm per year in the south-western Indian Ocean from Madagascar
eastward towards and beyond Mauritius. This is more than the average global sea-
level rise of 3–4 mm per year. Coastal degradation and erosion is also a major
challenge, especially in West Africa. About 56% of the coastlines in Benin, Côte
d’Ivoire, Senegal and Togo are eroding and this is expected to worsen in the future.
Sea level rise is currently not the dominant contributor but is expected to combine
with other factors in future to exacerbate the negative consequences of
environmental changes.

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Extreme events

The report documents high-impact events in 2019. Tropical Cyclone Idai was among
the most destructive tropical cyclones ever recorded in the southern hemisphere,
resulting in hundreds of casualties and hundreds of thousands of displaced.
Southern Africa suffered extensive drought in 2019. In contrast, the Greater Horn of
Africa shifted from very dry conditions in 2018 and most of 2019 to floods and
landslides associated with heavy rainfall in late 2019. Flooding also affected the
Sahel and surrounding areas from May to October 2019.

Food security

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In the drought-prone sub-Saharan African countries, the number of undernourished
people has increased by 45.6% since 2012 according to the Food and Agriculture
Organization of the United Nations (FAO). Agriculture is the backbone of Africa’s
economy and accounts for the majority of livelihoods across the continent. Africa is
therefore an exposure and vulnerability “hot spot” for climate variability and change
impacts. Africa faces the biggest development challenges of any continent because
of an increase in the number of people at risk of water stress, exposure to malaria,
and a drop in agricultural yields (Frankhauser and Schmidt-Traub, 2011). Climate
change has the potential to undermine sustainable which leads to food insecurity.

IPCC projections suggest that warming scenarios risk having devastating effects on
crop production and food security. Key risks to agriculture include reduced crop

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productivity associated with heat and drought stress and increased pest damage,
disease damage and flood impacts on food system infrastructure, resulting in serious
adverse effects on food security and on livelihoods at the regional, national and
individual household levels.

By the middle of this century, major cereal crops grown across Africa will be
adversely impacted, albeit with regional variability and differences between crops.

Under the worst-case climate change scenario, a reduction in mean yield of 13% is
projected in West and Central Africa, 11% in North Africa, and 8% in East and
Southern Africa. Millet and sorghum have been found to be the most promising
crops, with a yield loss by 2050 of just 5% and 8%, respectively, due to their greater
resilience to heat-stress conditions, while rice and wheat are expected to be the
most affected crops with a yield loss by 2050 of 12% and 21%, respectively.

Health impacts

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Increases in temperature and changes in rainfall patterns also significantly affect
population health across Africa. Warmer temperatures and higher rainfall increase
habitat suitability for biting insects and the transmission of vector-borne diseases
such as dengue fever, malaria and yellow fever. In addition, new diseases are
emerging in regions where they were previously not present. In 2017, an estimated
93% of global malaria deaths occurred in Africa. Malaria epidemics often occur after
periods of unusually heavy rainfall. In addition, warming in the East African highlands
is allowing malaria-carrying mosquitoes to survive at higher altitudes.

Economic impacts

According to the International Monetary Fund, adverse consequences of climate

change are concentrated in regions with relatively hot climates, where a
disproportionately large number of low-income countries are located. The African
Climate Policy Centre projects that the Gross Domestic Product in the five African
subregions would suffer significant decrease as a result of a global temperature
increase. For scenarios ranging from a 1 °C to a 4 °C increase in global
temperatures relative to pre-industrial levels, the continent’s overall GDP is expected
to decrease by 2.25% to 12.12%. West, Central and East Africa exhibit a higher
adverse impact than Southern and North Africa. Climate change will have significant
impacts on biodiversity and food security in Africa. Therefore, substantial reductions
of heat-trapping gas emissions in developed countries and adaptation strategies are
crucial. For example, biodiversity must be managed to ensure that ensure that
conservation is occurring both inside and outside of parks and reserves, and that
adequate habitat is preserved to enable species such as plants, animals and
humans, to migrate. The conservation of African biodiversity will ensure delivery of
ecosystem goods and services necessary to human life support systems (soil health,
water, air, etc.…) An integrated approach to environmental management is needed
to ensure sustainable benefits for Africa.

Conclusion

In conclusion, it is evident from this essay that Africa’s contribution to the climate
change problem is very insignificant and yet it is one of the hardest hit by the
negative impacts. This increased climate variability, coupled with the high

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dependence of African economies on agriculture and the direct consumption of
natural resources, creates the potential for dramatic negative consequences of
global climate change. Warmer temperatures have potential to facilitate the
increased breeding of vector-borne diseases such as malaria, and hygiene-related
illnesses such as cholera, etc. Climate change will also impose other costs to the
economy, human development and the environment. The transport system could
suffer because of destroyed roads and bridges, railway lines, waterways, affected
harbors due to sea level rise, and disrupted air transport due to increased
precipitation or bad weather. Change in vegetation, lack of water, beach erosion,
water sedimentation, high temperatures will have a negative impact on wildlife and
tourism. The marine and fisheries industry could be affected by changes in water
temperatures, flooding and drought. Climate change could also result in energy
losses or changes in hydropower potential for electricity generation, effects of
increased runoff on hydrogeneration, as well as changes in the growth rates of trees
used for fuel wood. The adverse impacts in some parts of the continent are likely to
trigger spontaneous migration as an adaptive option.

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REFERENCES

Desanker, P.V. and C. Magadza. 2001. Africa. In: McCarthy, J.J., O.F. Canziani,
N.A. Leary, D.J. Doken and K.S. White (eds.). Climate Change 2001: Impacts,
Adaptation and Vulnerability. IPCC Working Group II, Third Assessment Report.
Cambridge University Press.

FAO. 1999. The State of Food Insecurity in the World. Food and Agriculture
Organization of the United Nations.

Frankhauser S, Schmidt-Traub G (2011). From Adaptation to Climate-resilient

Development: The cost of Climate-proofing the MDGs in Africa. Clim. Dev. 3(20):94-
113.

World Meteorological Organization [WMO]. 2023b. “Provisional State of the Global

Climate 2023.” Geneva: WMO, Nov. 30. Available: https://wmo.int/publication-
series/provisional-state-of-global-climate-2023. (Accessed 04 May 2025)

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