Page 6 - AfrElec Week 20 2022

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on multi-decadal timescales. On average, the of people is also a threat, caused by what the
world’s reference glaciers have thinned by 33.5 report called hydrometeorological hazards.
metres (ice-equivalent) since 1950, with 76% of The countries with the highest numbers of
this thinning since 1980. 2021 was a particularly displacements recorded as of October 2021
punishing year for glaciers in Canada and the US were China (more than 1.4mn), the Philippines
Northwest with record ice mass loss as a result of (more than,386 000) and Vietnam (more than
heatwaves and fires in June and July. 664,000).
Greenland experienced an exceptional Finally, ecosystems, including terrestrial,
mid-August melt event and the first-ever freshwater, coastal and marine ecosystems – and
recorded rainfall at Summit Station, the highest the services they provide – are affected by the
point on the ice sheet at an altitude of 3,216 m. changing climate and some are more vulnerable
than others.
Temperatures Some ecosystems are degrading at an unprec-
Exceptional heatwaves broke records across edented rate. For example, mountain ecosystems
western North America and the Mediterranean. – the water towers of the world – are profoundly
Death Valley, California reached 54.4 °C on 9 affected. Rising temperatures heighten the risk
July, equalling a similar 2020 value as the high- of irreversible loss of marine and coastal eco-
est recorded in the world since at least the 1930s, systems, including seagrass meadows and kelp
and Syracuse in Sicily reached 48.8 °C. forest.
Drought affected many parts of the world, Coral reefs are especially vulnerable to cli-
including the Horn of Africa, Canada, the west- mate change. They are projected to lose between
ern United States, Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan 70 and 90% of their former coverage area at 1.5
and Turkey. In sub-tropical South America, °C of warming and over 99% at 2 °C. Between 20
drought caused big agricultural losses and dis- and 90% of current coastal wetlands are at risk of
rupted energy production and river transport. being lost by the end of this century, depending
The drought in the Horn of Africa has inten- on how fast sea levels rise. This will further com-
sified so far in 2022. Eastern Africa is facing the promise food provision, tourism, and coastal
very real prospect that the rains will fail for a protection, among other ecosystem services.
fourth consecutive season, placing Ethiopia, “The State of the Global Climate report
Kenya and Somalis into a drought of a length not emphasizes the need for speed, scale and sys-
experienced in the last 40 years. Humanitarian temic action to mitigate the environmental
agencies are warning of devastating impacts on risks presented in the World Economic Forum’s
people and livelihoods in the region. Global Risks report,“ said World Economic
Forum Managing Board Member Gim Huay
Food security and population displacement Neo.
The compounded effects of conflict, extreme “As shown by the recent IPCC report, we
weather events and economic shocks, further already have the means and the know-how to cut
exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic, emissions and limit global warming. We need to
undermined decades of progress towards focus our efforts on bold policies and solutions
improving food security globally. that can quickly transform the way we produce
Worsening humanitarian crises in 2021 have and consume resources. People and partnerships
also led to a growing number of countries at risk have to be at the heart of our approach, whether
of famine. Of the total number of undernour- it is to create new jobs, provide more access and
ished people in 2020, more than half live in Asia affordability for everyone and to build a cleaner
(418mn) and a third in Africa (282mn). and greener living environment.”™
Forced migration, or internal displacement,

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