Public Management

SS Africa: Climate change could force 86 mln residents out of their homes by 2050 (report)

SS Africa: Climate change could force 86 mln residents out of their homes by 2050 (report)
Tuesday, 14 September 2021 20:27

In Sub-Saharan Africa, over 86 million people could become internally displaced persons, by 2050, because of climate change. This would represent 4.2% of the total population by that period. The figures were estimated by the World Bank in its recent updated Groundswell report on Internal Climate Migration which studies the impacts of climate change on water availability, crop productivity, and sea-level rise in the six World Bank regions: Sub-Saharan Africa, East Asia and the Pacific, South Asia, North Africa, Latin America, Eastern Europe and Central Asia namely.

Although it is the region with the lowest CO2 emission per capita in the world [according to 2018 data from the World Bank], Sub-Saharan Africa will record the highest number of internal climate migrants.

In comparison, a region like South Asia that has a CO2 per capita emission of 1.52 (almost double the 0.8 of Sub-Saharan Africa) will record just 40.5 million internal climate migrants representing just 1.8% of its estimated total population. According to the Bretton Woods institution, this could happen because Sub-Saharan Africa "is highly vulnerable to climate change impacts, especially in already fragile drylands and along exposed coastlines." Also, agriculture, "which is almost all rainfed in the region, also accounts for a large share of employment."

The report calls governments to take urgent actions to mitigate climate change or manage the looming threat. “These projections should impart a sense of urgency for early action. Climate change could shift social, economic, and livelihood circumstances in ways that may force people to migrate in distress. This could place significant pressures on both sending and receiving areas, if left unplanned. Countries that have made important development gains may see their progress threatened, and some could face existential challenges related to habitability. (…) if well managed, internal climate migration and associated shifts in population distribution can become part of an effective adaptation strategy, allowing people to rise out of poverty, build resilient livelihoods, and improve their living conditions," it reads.

In Sub Saharan Africa, which is already facing an internally displaced persons’ crisis due notably to various conflicts, internal climate migrants will be additional budgetary problems.  In 2018, International NGO IDMC published a report estimating the financial costs of Sub-Saharan African migrants at US$4  billion yearly for some 18.4 million internal refugees [according to Pew Research]. Should governments fail to take action, the additional spending generated by internal climate migrants could cost more than double that amount for countries that are already struggling to deal with other priorities like electrification, industrialization, food security, etc…

M.M

Additional Info

  • communiques: Non
  • couleur: N/A
On the same topic
Côte d’Ivoire will receive $234 million for a sustainable urban mobility project in Abidjan. Gambia will receive $32.2 million to build...
Stanbic IBTC and Zenith Bank cut monthly card spending abroad to $500 and $200 Foreign reserves fall by $3.5 billion in six...
Cauri Money launches Gajo Money, an e-wallet for the Cameroonian diaspora, targeting €120 million in transactions by end-2025. The fintech...
• Kenya and ASR sign deal to reduce risk on projects worth up to $2 billion.• Risk cover will target infrastructure, energy, logistics, and trade...
Most Read
01

• Investors seem to keep focusing on yields, which are high for the moment• New Leadership might see...

Afreximbank Bonds Retain Market Confidence Despite Moody’s Downgrade
02

• ECOWAS Bank funds 47.7-km stretch of strategic 700-km road project• Lagos-Calabar highway seen boo...

Nigeria Secures $100 mln ECOWAS Bank Loan for Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway
03

• Algeria grants commercial 5G licenses to top three telecom operators: Mobilis, Djezzy, and Ooredoo...

Algeria Awards Commercial 5G Licenses
04

• IFC teams up with AfDB and Nigeria’s EbonyLife to assess a new fund for African cinema• Sector cou...

IFC Plans Investment Fund to Help Grow African Film Industry
05

• Global coffee consumption projected to hit a record 169.4 million 60-kg bags in 2025/2026, up from...

Coffee: Global Consumption Expected to Reach Record Level in 2025/2026
Enter your email to receive our newsletter

Ecofin Agency provides daily coverage of nine key African economic sectors: public management, finance, telecoms, agribusiness, mining, energy, transport, communication, and education.
It also designs and manages specialized media, both online and print, for African institutions and publishers.

SALES & ADVERTISING

regie@agenceecofin.com 
Tél: +41 22 301 96 11 
Mob: +41 78 699 13 72
Média kit : Download

EDITORIAL
redaction@agenceecofin.com

More information
Team
Publisher

ECOFIN AGENCY

Mediamania Sarl
Rue du Léman, 6
1201 Geneva
Switzerland

 

Ecofin Agency is a sector-focused economic news agency, founded in December 2010. Its web platform was launched in June 2011. ©Mediamania.

 
 

Please publish modules in offcanvas position.