An injustice when this region has one of the lowest pollution rates per inhabitant in the world.
African countries are spending up to 5% of their GDP to protect themselves from the effects of climate change, such as droughts, floods and crop failures, despite being the lowest emitters of greenhouse gases, according to a report released on Saturday. This work from the Nairobi-based think tank Power Shift Africa focuses on seven countries, including Kenya, Liberia and Ethiopia, looking at their spending but also the impact of these disasters on their growth.
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Ethiopia is, according to the organization, the country spending the most, devoting 5.6% of its GDP to combat climate disasters. South Sudan, which has suffered in recent years from very heavy rains and floods affecting more than 850,000 people, is expected to lose 3.1% of its GDP each year in the years to come, according to the text. For its part, Sierra Leone, whose inhabitants emit on average 80 times less CO2 than American citizens, will spend to adapt to climate change some 80 million euros per year, or 2.3% of GDP.
Low polluter but first hit
“This report shows the deep injustice of the climate emergencysaid Mohamed Adow, director of Power Shift Africa. “It is simply not acceptable that the costs fall on the people who suffer the most, while contributing the least to climate change.“For Mohamed Adow, African countries need aid”massiveto address climate change.
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African countries are struggling to mobilize resources to both adapt and limit their emissions. According to a study published in November, the 65 poorest countries will see their GDP fall by 20% on average by 2050 and by 64% by 2100 if the temperature increases by 2.9°C. According to this study, eight of the ten most affected countries are located in Africa. To date, the average temperature on Earth has risen 1.1°C above levels at the end of the 19th century.