Africa’s glaciers are melting rapidly

Africa’s worsening reaction to the climate crisis is causing a broad range of alarming issues, including worsening poverty, food security and forcing people to leave their homes, according to a major assessment of how the issue is impacting the continent.

Changing rain patterns, rising temperatures and more extreme weather are all compounding the socio-economic and health crisis triggered by the Covid-19 pandemic, the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) has warned.

The organisation’s report – the product of international collaboration across the continent – highlights how badly the climate crisis impacts, including sea level rise and the melting of what it described as “the continent’s iconic glaciers”, such as those on Mount Kilimanjaro and Mount Kenya.

It also highlighted “Africa’s disproportionate vulnerability” and the authors said it shows how the potential benefits of investing in climate adaptation, weather and climate services and early warning systems far outweigh the costs.

The report comes ahead of the UN’s Cop26 climate summit, and the authors said it should add to the scientific evidence about the urgency to cut global greenhouse gas emissions and serve to increase the level of climate ambition and financing.