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According to the World Meteorological Organization, “extreme weather and climate change impacts are every single aspect of socioeconomic development in Africa and exacerbating hunger, insecurity and displacement.” This alarming statement underscores the scale of devastation sweeping across the continent as it faces the full force of a climate crisis it did little to cause.

While Africa contributes only a tiny fraction of global greenhouse gas emissions, it is bearing the heaviest burden of climate change — economically, socially and environmentally. As these impacts deepen, so too does the responsibility of global powers, especially the major emitters, to provide meaningful and sustained assistance.

Africa’s economies are uniquely to climate change because they are predominantly reliant on sectors highly sensitive to weather patterns — especially agriculture, fishing and natural resource extraction. Across East, West and Central Africa, erratic rainfall patterns, prolonged droughts, extreme heat and intense floods are decimating crops, killing livestock, damaging infrastructure and eroding livelihoods. Countries such as Nigeria, Ethiopia, Mali and Sudan have seen agricultural yields plummet, often wiping out entire seasons of staple crops such as maize, millet, cassava and sorghum.

This agricultural collapse is more than a farming crisis — it is an economic catastrophe. Agriculture accounts for up to 60 percent of employment in many African countries and constitutes a major source of national income. In Kenya and Somalia, repeated droughts have not only dried up fields but also drained public finances, as governments scramble to fund food aid, water delivery and emergency infrastructure repair. In 2024, floods across Central Africa critical roadways, bridges and water systems, forcing several governments to divert funds from education, healthcare and public development programs toward crisis management and reconstruction.

Climate change is turning development gains back by decades, especially in countries already facing instability

Dr. Majid Rafizadeh

Moreover, energy and water systems, already under strain from underinvestment, have become further crippled by erratic climate conditions. Hydropower — an essential electricity source for countries like Zambia and the Democratic Republic of the Congo — is due to drying rivers. As a result, power shortages are throttling manufacturing output, damaging businesses and pushing more people into poverty.

The longer these economic stresses persist, the harder it will be for African nations to achieve sustainable growth or attract investment. Climate change is turning development gains back by decades, especially in countries already facing fragility, conflict or economic instability. Without urgent financial and technological support, these economies may spiral into prolonged recession or collapse, with global repercussions.

Beyond the numbers and statistics lies an immense human cost. Families are being torn apart, homes , children are going hungry and millions are being forced to flee their lands. The continent is facing a massive displacement crisis — one that is rapidly escalating in scale and complexity. These numbers are only expected to grow, with many communities facing permanent relocation as climate shocks become more frequent and intense.

Food insecurity has reached catastrophic levels. Across the Sahel and West Africa, the number of people emergency and famine-level hunger is now over 36 million. Malnourishment in children is spiking, with irreversible consequences on cognitive development and long-term health. In many regions, climate disasters have also destroyed or damaged schools, forcing children out of education and leaving a generation without the tools to rebuild their futures.

Public health systems are also under immense strain. Rising temperatures and flooding have led to outbreaks of malaria, cholera and waterborne diseases. At the same time, heat waves are increasingly causing heatstroke and other heat-related illnesses, especially among the elderly and outdoor laborers. Poor communities, without access to medical care, clean water or sanitation, are bearing the brunt of these health emergencies. The social fabric of entire regions is unraveling. Competition over scarce resources — especially land and water — is intensifying conflicts. Climate change is not just a crisis of the environment — it is a multiplier of instability, violence and displacement.

Africa’s tragedy is made even more bitter by its innocence in the making of this crisis. The continent less than 4 percent of global carbon dioxide emissions. Most African countries have historically emitted negligible amounts of greenhouse gases, yet they are the most vulnerable to climate extremes and have the fewest resources to adapt.

This stark imbalance is a glaring injustice. The bulk of the world’s emissions have come from industrialized nations — especially the US, European powers, China and other developed economies — that built their wealth on centuries of carbon-intensive industrialization. Yet these same nations have been slow, even reluctant, to fulfill their climate finance promises to developing countries, particularly those in Africa.

Climate justice demands more than rhetorical sympathy. It requires concrete action, systemic financial restructuring and a shift in how the global community perceives responsibility and vulnerability. Africa is not asking for charity — it is demanding fairness.

It is both a moral imperative and a strategic necessity for global powers to act. The industrialized world has the means, the technology and the historical responsibility to help Africa confront climate change. It must see African adaptation not as a cost, but as an investment in shared global security and prosperity.

Failure to support Africa will only deepen instability, provoke mass migration, fuel regional conflicts and disrupt global supply chains and markets. The cost of inaction — social, economic and geopolitical — will be far higher than the cost of proactive, coordinated intervention today.

Climate change is the ultimate borderless crisis. Droughts in the Horn of Africa, failed harvests in the Sahel and flooding in Central Africa do not remain contained — they send ripple effects across continents. Food shortages can lead to spikes in global food prices. Displacement and migration can strain bordering nations and contribute to humanitarian emergencies. Helping Africa is, in essence, helping the world.

Global powers must see African adaptation not as a cost, but as an investment in shared security and prosperity

Dr. Ramzy Baroud

Wealthy nations initially $100 billion annually in climate finance to developing countries by 2020 — a target they have repeatedly failed to meet. Now, under the new global goal, this figure needs to be up to $1 trillion to $1.3 trillion per year by 2030. This funding must be predictable, accessible and focused on both adaptation and mitigation.

Africa has enormous renewable energy potential — particularly solar and wind. Global support can fast-track a transition to clean energy, while also addressing the continent’s vast energy access gap. Technological investment in climate-resilient agriculture, water management and disaster preparedness is essential. Tools like artificial intelligence-enabled early warning systems, climate-smart farming and green infrastructure can protect livelihoods and prevent disasters from becoming catastrophes.

Many African nations are trapped in unsustainable debt, limiting their ability to invest in climate adaptation. Debt restructuring, concessional loans and new financing tools must be implemented to ease this burden.

True resilience begins at the grassroots. Global aid must empower African communities, farmers, women and youth with the tools and knowledge to build adaptive systems suited to local realities.

If Africa is left to face climate change alone, the consequences will be devastating — not just for the continent but for the entire world. Mass displacement could grow into one of the largest refugee crises in human history. Widespread hunger, conflict and economic collapse could destabilize entire regions. The suffering would be unimaginable.

At the same time, failing to help Africa would undermine trust in global climate negotiations and multilateral cooperation. The legitimacy of climate agreements like the Paris Agreement rests on the principle of equity and shared responsibility. If the world’s poorest and least culpable are abandoned, such agreements will lose meaning.

Ignoring Africa today is sowing the seeds of greater crises tomorrow — crises that no border, wall or ocean can prevent.

In conclusion, the responsibility of Western and global powers to help Africa is not optional — it is urgent, necessary and long overdue. Africa did not cause this crisis, yet it is paying the highest price. By acting now, global powers and the world’s richest nations can prevent mass suffering, strengthen global stability and forge a path toward a more just and resilient planet. Helping Africa adapt to climate change is not just about generosity. It is about survival — for them and for us all.

• Dr. Majid Rafizadeh is a Harvard-educated Iranian American political scientist. X: @Dr_Rafizadeh