World’s First African Climate Summit

Written by Jose Miguel Lopez | September 10, 2023

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The first ever climate summit of the African continent was held in Kenya this past Monday, September 4th. This is a significant step for African nations as recent assessments by the University of Cambridge label the region as a “climate blind spot”. This is due to the lack of reliable infrastructure to collect weather data. According to the World Meteorological Organizations (WMO), the African continent only has 37 radar facilities, creating dangerous shortcomings in weather monitoring and forecasting prevention – a comfort we enjoy in Western society which allows us to adequately prepare for the day.

The summit will provide a crucial forum for countries such as Mozambique, Madagascar and Malawi to seek viable solutions as extreme weather phenomena become more common. Just earlier this year, cyclone Freddy created a humanitarian crisis affecting 1.6 million individuals in the aforementioned countries. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the cyclone has created an appalling humanitarian crisis as the regional infrastructure has been stretched thin. This will have a severe impact on food production, potable water supplies and sanitary conditions in these countries.

The summit comes at a crucial time for the region as there is an urgent need to address infrastructure shortcomings and climate change challenges. There is hope that countries can address green and renewable energy development goals, while promoting a sustainable agenda for the region. Solutions will have a direct impact on the region as it is estimated that, “half of the Sub-Saharan populations ha[ve] no access to electricity.” It is clear to see that investment in the region is necessary for its development. Failure to support development efforts will be detrimental and affect the lives of millions in Sub-Saharan Africa.