The year 2024 was the warmest year ever recorded in Africa, with almost the entire ocean area surrounding the continent experiencing marine heat waves. This is one of the key findings of the annual State of Africa’s Environment 2025 report.
The report warns that the period between 2021 and 2025 marks the most devastating five-year stretch. This is in terms of human toll from weather, climate, and water-related disasters across the continent.
Down To Earth magazine and the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) researched and published the report. It compiles investigative reporting by African journalists. It was launched during a briefing. This event was organized with African partners. These include the Alliance for Science-Ethiopia. It also includes the Media for Environment, Science, Health and Agriculture (MESHA), Kenya.
Climate-Driven Migration And Food Insecurity
The report highlights that by 2050, up to 5 percent of Africa’s projected two billion people could be displaced due to climate change. This gives the continent the highest rate of climate-induced migration globally.
Food insecurity is another pressing concern. Agricultural production has already declined by 18 percent due to climate change and land degradation. Cocoa production in West and Central Africa, which supplies 70 percent of the world’s cocoa, faces severe threats. If global temperatures rise by 2°C, half of Africa’s population could be at risk of undernourishment.
Health Impacts Intensify
Africa is also bearing a disproportionate health burden from the climate crisis. In 2023, cholera cases surged by 125 percent compared to the previous year, while malaria transmissions rose by 14 percent. The report notes that the global burden of cholera has now shifted largely to Africa.
A call for bioeconomy
At the launch, Professor Kassahun Tesfaye, Director General of Ethiopia’s Bio and Emerging Technology Institute, stressed the need for Africa to pioneer a bioeconomy. He described it as an economic system. It uses renewable biological resources to produce food, materials, and energy. This is done in a circular and regenerative manner.
“The solution lies not in simply trying to mitigate a crisis we did not create,” he said, “but in pioneering a new model of development altogether – the African bioeconomy.”
Adaptation And Resilience Efforts
CSE Director General Sunita Narain emphasized that African countries are taking proactive steps. From national net-zero strategies to integrating indigenous knowledge for managing drought and extreme weather, adaptation initiatives are underway across the continent.
Dr. Rita Bissoonauth of UNESCO called the report a “moral compass,” highlighting the staggering economic losses already being felt. Northern Africa is losing an estimated 1.18 billion US dollars annually, while sub-Saharan Africa loses around 1.25 billion US dollars each year due to climate impacts.
Nigussu Lema, Deputy Director General of Ethiopia’s Environment Protection Authority, underscored Ethiopia’s focus on strengthening climate resilience through its National Adaptation Plan (NAP-ETH), which integrates climate action into national development strategies.
A Warning For The Future
The State of Africa’s Environment 2025 sends a stark message: Africa is on the frontlines of a climate emergency it did not create. Without urgent action, the report warns, the trajectory of rising temperatures, declining food security, worsening health crises, and economic losses is unsustainable.
