2024 Declared Hottest Year in Africa with Climate Impact Warning
The World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) has revealed that extreme weather and climate change impacts are severely affecting socio-economic development in Nigeria and other parts of Africa. This exacerbates issues such as hunger, insecurity, and displacement. The WMO's ‘State of the Climate in Africa 2024 report’ indicates that the continent experienced its warmest sea surface temperatures in decades during the reviewed period. Droughts and floods have destroyed lives and livelihoods, influenced by natural climate drivers like El-Niño.
According to the report, 2024 was either the warmest or second-warmest year on record, depending on the dataset, and the last decade has been the warmest ever recorded. Sea-surface temperatures around Africa reached record levels, with particularly rapid warming in the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea. Marine heatwaves have also impacted the largest area since measurements began in 1993.
The report emphasizes the potential of digital transformation and the necessity to scale up early warnings and climate adaptation measures to mitigate the fatal impacts of climate change. It reflects the urgent and escalating realities of global warming across the continent.
West and Central Africa have suffered from devastating floods that affected over four million people, leading to hundreds of deaths and hundreds of thousands of displacements. Nigeria, Niger, Chad, Cameroon, and the Central African Republic were among the most severely affected countries.
WMO’s Secretary-General, Celeste Saulo, stated that the report reveals a stark pattern of extreme weather events, with some countries facing exceptional flooding due to excessive rainfall, while others endure persistent droughts and water scarcity. The WMO and its partners are committed to building resilience and strengthening adaptation efforts in Africa through initiatives like early warnings for all. Saulo expressed hope that the report will inspire collective action to address increasingly complex challenges and cascading impacts.
