Africa’s contribution to greenhouse gas emissions is negligible but according to experts, the continent remains the most vulnerable to climate change-related hazards.
Recent events like the deadly Cyclones Idai and Kenneth in Southern Africa, droughts, landslides and desert locust invasion in East Africa have laid bare the fragile state of the continent to climate disasters.
As Africa experiences more extreme weather, officials say early warnings and early action will help limit its impact. Leaders attending the eighth Africa Regional Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction in Nairobi, Kenya emphasized the need to increase funding for investment in multi-hazard early warning systems in the continent and sustainable financing in anticipation of disasters.
It is in this regard that the Africa Union is setting up centralized monitoring and early warning system to help monitor major hazards and provide centralized early warnings for drought, floods, cyclones, extreme rainfall, food insecurity, and pests like the desert locust for the continent.
The situation rooms in Nairobi for the East African region and Niger for the West Africa region will monitor different hazards. The information collected at both sites will be collected and distributed by the situation room at the AU headquarters in Addis Ababa. The IGAD regional Disaster Operation Center in Nairobi is the continent’s first “Situation Room” open operation.
Juma Majanga reported for VOA News on how the establishment of this multi-hazard early warning system can help the continent in reducing disaster risks.
Watch the video here.
