Credit By: ResearchGate
With the world struggling to deal with the effects of climate change, Africa is in a particularly bad place. African nations are disproportionately affected by the effects of climate change, which include droughts, flooding, extremely high temperatures, and rising sea levels. We explore the pressing need to address the relationship between human mobility and climate change in Africa in this piece, particularly in light of the upcoming Africa Climate Summit.
Africa Climate Summit: An Iconic Convocation
The Africa Climate Summit, which is slated to take place in Nairobi from September 4–6, is expected to be a historic occasion in the continent’s history. To address the urgent problem of climate change, this summit brings together the greatest number of African heads of state, ministers, UN organizations, partners in development and humanitarian efforts, the commercial sector, and young people.
The Supremacy of African Nations
The statement, “African countries are among the most vulnerable to the impacts of climate change,” is illuminating. This vulnerability has practical repercussions, as seen by the catastrophic effects of climate crises that many African countries are currently facing. Africa is facing extreme weather conditions due to climate change, ranging from severe droughts that pose a danger to food security to severe flooding that uproots populations.
The Unsettling Data
Several concerning figures highlight how urgent it is to address the relationship between human movement and climate change. As per the Geneva-based Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre, there were about 7.5 million internal disaster displacements in Africa in 2022. These moves upend people’s lives, tax available resources, and make preexisting vulnerabilities worse.
Even more dire predictions are made in a 2021 World Bank report. The report projects that, in the absence of a comprehensive climate change plan, as many as 105 million Africans may become internal migrants by 2023. This startling statistic emphasizes how urgently we must take action to mitigate the effects of climate change and adapt to it.
COP28: Uniting for Climate Action
The Conference of Parties (COP28), which is set for December in the United Arab Emirates, is greatly aided by the Africa Climate Summit. The main objective of these gatherings is to bring the African continent together to discuss the effects of climate change on human mobility.
Climate change transcends national boundaries, which makes unity crucial. There will be significant ramifications for not only Africa but the entire world from the decisions made at COP28 and the promises made at the Africa Climate Summit. Because climate change is driving human movement, collaboration and international solidarity are critical.
Amy Pope Seeks to Take the Lead
After being chosen in May to serve as the International Organisation for Migration’s (IOM) Director-General, Amy Pope will take over as the organization’s leader on October 1, 2023, and serve in that capacity for the following five years. Her experience serving as U.S. President Joe Biden’s senior counselor on migration in 2021 qualifies her as a leader knowledgeable about the nuances of migration brought on by climate change.
The relationship between climate change and human movement in Africa must be addressed as soon as possible. The Africa Climate Summit and the COP28 that follows are critical occasions for leaders and interested parties to work together on successful climate action. The effects of climate change are already being felt, and millions of lives and livelihoods are in jeopardy if action is not taken quickly and in concert. The world needs to respond to this call to action because the implications of doing nothing are too terrible to overlook.
