Latest report shows that African countries that are the least responsible for the climate crisis will have to spend as much as five times more on adapting to global heating than their investment in healthcare.
An analysis that was undertaken on 11 nations with a total population of more than 350 million, shows the huge financial requirements of taking action to avert the severe environmental consequences of global heating.
To come up with results, the international NGO Tearfund compared the plans drawn up by African nations which are already suffering the effects of the climate crisis, including Cameroon, Cape Verde, Chad, the Republic of the Congo, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Madagascar, Mali, Mauritania and Sudan against their health budgets.
Read also: Analysis: US emissions inflict nearly $2tn of damage to other countries
The analysis found that the expected climate adaptation costs for Eritrea for instance, amount to 22.7% of GDP, compared with 4.46% for healthcare costs. Mauritania will need to spend more than four times as much on climate adaptation as it does on healthcare – 13.4% compared with 3.3%.
The analysis showed that the 11 nations are among the least to blame for the greenhouse gas emissions that are heating the planet as they emit 27 times less per person on average, a figure which is less than the global average.
According to the analysis, a measurement of global liability found that the US alone has inflicted more than $1.9tn (£1.6tn) in damage to other countries from the effects of its greenhouse gas emissions.
It explained that adapting to climate change involves building higher sea walls, capturing rainwater for irrigation and moving to drought-tolerant crops.
According to the International Monetary Fund, Sub-Saharan Africa already experiences one-third of the world’s droughts and is extremely vulnerable to temperatures and extreme weather, because of its dependence on rain-fed agriculture.
This Is even as East Africa is said to be currently suffering its worst drought in a generation, with 20 million people at risk of severe hunger.
In her reaction, Elizabeth Myendo, Tearfund’s disaster management lead for southern and east Africa, said that the hunger crisis in East Africa has shown the terrible power of the climate emergency. She explained that acute malnutrition and lack of clean water are putting intolerable strain on hospitals and clinics.
“Entire communities have been forced to leave their homes in search of food, leaving them more vulnerable to disease outbreaks and unable to access local health services,” she said. “The climate crisis will only worsen and governments will have to find the money somewhere to help people adapt. I fear that crucial services like healthcare will suffer unless rich countries deliver the climate finance they promised.”
Story was adapted from the Guardian.
