Climate Change

Climate change is one of the biggest challenges the earth is facing. Climate change describes a change in the typical weather pattern and rainfall for a region — such as higher or lower temperatures and very little rain or lots of rain.

Did you know that Africa warmed at an average rate of around +0.3˚C/decade between 1991 and 2021, faster than the warming from 1961-1990, at +0.2°C/decade? In the past 50 years, drought-related hazards have claimed the lives of over half a million people and led to economic losses of over USD 70 billion in the region. 

The main cause of climate change is human activities like driving cars, creating electricity, cutting down trees and forests, and poor farming practices that use artificial fertilizers and pesticides. These human activities release gases into the earth’s atmosphere called greenhouse gases, which slowly warm the planet creating climate change.
 

Climate change is connected to catastrophic weather events such as soaring temperatures and drought, hurricanes, tornados, flash floods, erosion of coastal lines, and winter storms.

Climate change can affect our climate system in many ways: warmer oceans, a rise in sea levels, and melting sea ice and glaciers. As climate change worsens, extreme weather events are becoming more frequent and more severe.

All these risks are threatening human health and safety, food security, water resources, as well as socio-economic development on the continent. We have seen the impact of severe drought and devastating floods in South Sudan, Nigeria, Republic of Congo, DRC, and Burundi.

Agriculture is the backbone of Africa’s economy and is particularly vulnerable to climate change impacts. The key risks to agriculture are reduced crop productivity associated with severe heat and drought, as well as damage to crops from pests. Increased flooding is also impacting food security and the livelihoods of farmers and their communities. Did you know that since 1961 to 2022, increased temperature has contributed to a 34% reduction in agricultural productivity growth in Africa?

Warmer temperatures and higher rainfalls are also causing health hazards as we see an increase in the transmission of vector-borne diseases such as dengue fever, malaria, and yellow fever. We are also seeing an increase in flooding due to higher rainfalls resulting in people losing their homes and sometimes, sadly loss of lives too.

There are plenty of solutions to climate change, but all these solutions require strong cooperation between governments and businesses, including the most polluted sectors of society. At the heart of all climate change solutions is reducing greenhouse gas emissions. This needs to reach zero within the next 28 years if we have any hope of winning this battle. Nestlé, like other businesses, is working hard to reduce its carbon footprint and achieve net zero by 2050.

Other ways to reduce the impact of climate change is to keep fossil fuels in the ground, change to clean and renewable energy, switch to sustainable transport, introduce sustainable farming practices, and protect our forests and oceans.

Individuals are encouraged to play their part by making informed decisions about what food they eat, how they get their energy, and how they travel. Get inspired now with climate change activist Chibeze Ezekial’s story! If you want to take firm action, this is how you can also Be A Champion.