One of the most crucial meetings on the African continent is underway in Addis Ababa to discuss the social and economic challenges facing African countries today.

The 57th session of the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA) Conference of African Ministers of Finance, Planning and Economic Development is being held under the theme ‘Advancing the implementation of the Agreement Establishing the African Continental Free Trade Area: proposing transformative strategic actions”

Addressing poverty and inequality in Africa implicitly requires addressing climate change, which is one of the most pressing drivers of the continent’s vulnerability to exogenous shocks.

Ahead of the opening of the conference, the ministerial segment containing high-level discussions on some of the most pressing issues facing the continent’s development analysed the socioeconomic implications of climate change and opportunities for leveraging green finance.

Participants at the conference will discuss how to leverage green finance, faster recovery and reduce inequalities and vulnerabilities in the continent.

According to the UN Environment Programme (UNEP), green financing is to increase the level of financial flows from banking, micro-credit, insurance and investment as well as from the public, private and not-for-profit sectors for sustainable development priorities.

A key part of this is to better manage environmental and social risks, take up opportunities that bring both a decent rate of return and environmental benefit, and deliver greater accountability.

Africa bears an increasingly heavy burden from climate change and disproportionately high costs of essential climate adaptations, according to the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO).

On average, African countries are losing between 2 and 5 per cent of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and many are diverting up to 9 per cent of their budgets to climate extremes. In sub-Saharan Africa, the cost of adaptations is estimated to be between US$30-50 billion annually over the next decade, or 2 to 3 per cent of the region’s GDP, according to the WMO State of the Climate in Africa 2023 report.

Timely interventions

By 2030, it is estimated that up to 118 million extremely poor people (living on less than US$1.90 per day) will be exposed to drought, floods and extreme heat in Africa, if adequate response measures are not put in place. This will place additional burdens on poverty alleviation efforts and significantly hamper growth, according to the report.

African countries need to prioritise increased investment in national meteorological and hydrological services and accelerate implementation of early warnings for all initiative to save lives and livelihoods.

This will help mitigate risks, build adaptive capacity, boost resilience at local, national and regional levels and guide sustainable development strategies.

The report focuses on climate change indicators and impacts in 2023 – the world’s hottest year on record to date. It supplements the WMO State of the Global Climate report and is one of the series of WMO regional reports that provide the observational basis to help drive action and support decision-making.

“Over the past 60 years, Africa has observed a warming trend that has become more rapid than the global average. In 2023, the continent experienced deadly heatwaves, heavy rains, floods and prolonged droughts,” said WMO Secretary-General Celeste Saulo, noting that while many countries in the Horn of Africa, southern and North-West Africa continued to suffer exceptional multi-year drought, other countries experienced extreme precipitation events in 2023 leading to flooding with significant casualties.

The pattern of extreme weather continued in 2024. Parts of southern Africa have been gripped by damaging drought. Exceptional seasonal rainfall has caused death and devastation in East African countries, most recently in Sudan and South Sudan. This, Celeste noted, exacerbates an already desperate humanitarian crisis.

WMO, the African Union (AU), UNECA and the African Ministerial Conference in Meteorology released the report at the twelfth Climate Change for Development in Africa Conference in Abidjan on September 2, 2024.

“The State of Climate in Africa 2023 report highlights the urgent need for investing in meteorological services and early warning systems to help adapt to climate change and build resilience in Africa,” said AUC Commissioner for Agriculture, Rural Development, Blue Economy and Sustainable Environment, Ambassador Josefa Leonel Correia Sacko

The commissioner noted how Africa faces disproportionate burdens and risks arising from climate change-related weather events and patterns, which cause massive humanitarian crises with detrimental impacts on agriculture, food security, education, energy, infrastructure, peace and security.

Across the continent climate change exacerbates poverty and inequality by disproportionately impacting vulnerable populations, increasing food insecurity and disrupting livelihoods, ultimately widening the gap between the rich and the poor.

Climate change impacts, such as extreme weather events (droughts, floods, heatwaves), rising sea levels, and disruptions to agriculture, disproportionately affect the poorest and most vulnerable populations.

In disrupting livelihoods, climate change increases poverty, pushing more people into poverty when destructive weather events damage crops, livestock and infrastructure, particularly in areas where people depend on agriculture or fishing.

Food insecurity occurs when climate change leads to reduced crop yields and increased food prices, making it harder for vulnerable populations to access food. Health impacts of climate change result in increased health risks such as heatstroke, waterborne diseases, and vector-borne diseases, which strain resources and increase poverty.

Widening inequality

The UNECA 2025 meeting in Addis Ababa will deliberate on how climate change exacerbates existing inequalities through unequal access to resources. Poorer communities often have less access to resources and infrastructure that can help them adapt to climate change impacts.

Studies have shown that climate change worsens existing inequalities by way of limited adaptive capacity. Vulnerable populations often have fewer resources and capacity to adapt to climate change impacts, such as building climate-resilient infrastructure or diversifying their livelihoods.

Research has also shown that inequalities are enhanced by increased vulnerability to climate hazards. Poor communities are often located in areas that are more vulnerable to climate hazards, such as floodplains or coastal areas.

Food security remains a worrying issue in addressing poverty, vulnerabilities and inequalities. Climate change leads to crop failures and increased food prices, disproportionately affecting low-income households who spend a larger portion of their income on food.

Displacement of people from homes due to rising sea levels, droughts, or other extreme weather events is yet another example of how climate change further exacerbates poverty and inequality.

Climate change also leads to increased heatwaves, which disproportionately affect vulnerable populations, particularly the poor, vulnerable elderly and those with underlying health conditions.

In discussing the socioeconomic implications of climate change, the UNECA conference will seek solutions through mitigation, adaptation and by addressing inequality.

Reducing greenhouse gas emissions through transitioning to renewable energy, improving energy efficiency, and adopting sustainable land management practices is crucial to limit the extent of climate change and its impacts.

Supporting vulnerable communities to adapt to the impacts of climate change through building climate-resilient infrastructure, developing drought-resistant crops and promoting sustainable livelihoods is essential to bridging the increasingly widening poverty-inequality-vulnerability divide.

Addressing the root causes of poverty and inequality, such as promoting inclusive economic growth, ensuring access to education and healthcare, and empowering marginalised communities, is crucial to building a more resilient and equitable future.