Almost 118 million people in Africa will be exposed to the consequences of climate change by 2030 if appropriate measures are not taken, warns a report by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) released on Monday, with the risk that millions of people will be forced to leave their homes to be visible.

“By 2030, it is estimated that up to 118 million extremely poor people (living on less than US$1.90 a day) will be exposed to drought, floods and extreme heat in Africa if adequate mitigation measures are not taken,” according to the report on the state of the climate in Africa in 2023.

The report highlights the urgent need for increased investment and initiatives to mitigate the effects of climate change on the vast continent.

African countries lose an average of 2-5% of their Gross Domestic Product (GDP) annually, and many allocate up to 9% of their budgets to responding to climate extremes.

In sub-Saharan Africa alone, the costs of climate adaptation are projected to rise between 30 and 50 billion dollars annually in the next decade, i.e. to 2-3% of the region’s GDP.

The report highlights that this would put enormous pressure on poverty alleviation efforts and severely hamper economic growth across the continent.

“Africa has seen a warming trend over the past 60 years that has become faster than the global average,” said WMO Secretary-General Celeste Saulo. He added that in 2023 the continent experienced deadly heat waves, heavy rainfall, floods, tropical cyclones and prolonged droughts.

2023 has been confirmed as the warmest year on record and has brought catastrophic climate effects to various parts of Africa.

While countries in the Horn of Africa, Southern Africa and Northwest Africa faced prolonged, multi-year droughts, other regions suffered from extreme rainfall that led to devastating floods. These extreme climatic conditions have had serious consequences, causing loss of life, widespread displacement and significant economic damage.

“This pattern of extreme weather continued in 2024,” Saulo added. “Parts of southern Africa have been hit by devastating drought and unseasonal rainfall has caused death and destruction in East African countries, most recently in Sudan and South Sudan, exacerbating an already desperate humanitarian crisis.”