On Monday 9 August, Part 1 of the UN’s sixth main report was presented.
The report states that climate change is man-made, and that they happen quickly and hit the entire globe. In a statement, UN Secretary-General António Guterres said the report was “code red” for humanity.
“The alarm bells are deafening, and the evidence is indisputable,” Guterres said.
The main findings of the report show that the global average temperature has already increased by 1.1 degrees, and that we will pass 1.5 degrees over the next 20 years with the current emission rate. The researchers who have worked on the report state that extreme weather such as heat waves and extreme precipitation are becoming more common, and that climate change will increase in all regions of the world.
– Like a perfect storm
Little ability to defend
Director of the Directorate for Development Cooperation (NORAD), Bård Vegar Solhjell, believes that climate change can have the greatest consequences for Africa and points to several reasons why.
– According to various scenarios in the climate report, the earth’s temperature will rise, in addition to the risk of extreme weather increasing. The rate of temperature rise has so far increased faster in Africa than the global average. In large parts of the continent, it is extremely hot from before, and a rise in temperature can have enormous consequences for, among other things, agricultural production and living conditions, says Solhjell.
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He points out that in large parts of Africa it is very vulnerable, with little ability to defend itself against the changes.
– Here in Norway, we can invest in better water pipes and safer homes. We have the opportunity to adapt to the climate, but due to the economy, many in Africa do not have that opportunity. Compared to developing countries such as Norway, countries in Africa have a weak defense against the changes, he says.
– The world is getting warmer and more dangerous
Solhjell adds that a dominant part of Africa’s population subsists on small farms and self-production of food.
– Increased drought, more wind, forest fires and torrential rain will result in even more difficult conditions for running small farms, and it will affect many people’s livelihoods. The weather changes are a threat to food and agricultural production. We already see clearly that food production is affected, and that in many places it is difficult to feed people, Solhjell points out.
Takes the shock
Solhjell points out that many countries in Africa are responsible for low emissions, but are among the countries that are hit extremely hard. He cites Mozambique in East Africa as an example.
In 2018, one was made survey by The World Bank, a world bank composed of five organizations that provide financial assistance and advice to promote economic development and contribute to poverty reduction in developing countries. The bank is part of the UN.
The survey shows that Mozambique in 2018 had an emission of 0.23 tonnes of Co₂ per capita. The average emission per person in Norway was 7.03 tonnes. In general, the statistics show that all countries in the bottom layer belong to the African continent, where Congo reigns at the very top as the country with the lowest emissions per capita, with 0.03 tonnes.
Solhjell believes that countries in Africa are taking the biggest hit for the enormous climate emissions, which rich, industrialized countries are to blame for.
Has never happened before
More climate refugees
Solhjell also highlights challenges related to the increased number of climate refugees and how world trade is affected by the climate crisis.
Climate analyst at the Red Cross, Cathrine Tranberg Hårsaker, states that they see an increase in the number of people fleeing due to climate change and natural disasters, but states that it is important to note that the vast majority move internally in their own country and are climate displaced.
FRAMES: The poorest are hardest hit by the climate crisis. The picture is from the flood in Mozambique in 2019, which destroyed thousands of homes. Photo: Rajesh Jantilal / AFP / NTB
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Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre came in May with a report showing how many people in the world were on the run in 2020. The figures show that as many as 30.7 million people fled due to climate and natural disasters, while 9.8 million people fled as a result of violence and conflict .
– We in the Red Cross hear from our sister associations that they are constantly moving out in response to weather disasters. We thus see that the frequency and prevalence of these disasters is changing. It is challenging for emergency preparedness organizations, but most challenging in terms of personal emergency preparedness, those who are directly affected, says Hårsaker.
She says that those who live off agriculture are hit hard and end up in a vicious cycle.
– Those who are extra vulnerable are those who are dependent on nature. They are the ones who make a living from agriculture and primary industries such as forestry and cattle farming. When these people and countries are hit by floods or droughts that damage nature, many lose their livelihoods.
More expensive with imports
She points out that Africa is a vulnerable continent, but that this is not where most people move. The continent with the most climate refugees is Asia.
– How many people move, however, is not the biggest symptom of climate change, yet. First and foremost, there are large financial losses and declining food production, which we, for example, see clearly in Madagascar now, Hårsaker adds.
More drought, fires, extreme rainfall and extreme temperatures
Due to the extreme drought in Madagascar, the population is unable to maintain a normal agriculture. A food crisis has been declared in the African archipelago in 2021, and Hårsaker fears that this is a growing problem that we will see in several places in the years to come.
She also supports Solhjell’s claim that the global trading system is affected by the climate crisis.
– Raw materials such as food, rubber and wood are directly affected by extreme weather such as drought and precipitation, but the supply of these goods is also affected. The infrastructure needed to transport goods to importing countries will be affected, and it will be more expensive, more difficult and more unpredictable to import goods for countries such as Norway, says Hårsaker and continues:
– It will again affect those with the least money in Norway. Climate change is a machine for social inequality. The climate crisis has a bill, and it will be paid by the poorest, no matter where.
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