Africa climate crisis

by Tapuwa Mashangwa

The Greek philosopher, Heraclitus, said: “Change is the only constant.” From time immemorial, the world’s climate has been changing. The global surface temperature first began being monitored in 1880 through a network of ground- and ocean-based sites. The data shows clear evidence that over the last century, the average surface temperature of the earth has increased by about 17 oC. The eleven warmest years all occurred after 1980, with 1995 as the hottest recorded.

Also, in the last century, global mean sea level has risen by 25 centimetres. Melting glaciers have contributed to this increase, and soil that was once frozen in the arctic is thawing too. This is all due to climate change. Melting ice caps and tundra warming is causing additional rot of organic matter and the discharge of trapped carbon and methane, thus contributing to an increase of greenhouse gases.

In this same period, Africa has been subjected to inconsistent rainfall patterns that have led to flooding in some