Climate change no longer a future threat – Minister
Africa can no longer regard climate change as a future threat because its impacts are already worsening disease outbreaks, food insecurity and pressure on health systems, Mr Seidu Issifu, Minister of State for Climate Change and Sustainability, has said.
He called for stronger collaboration among governments, scientists and development partners to generate evidence that would inform policies to protect vulnerable communities.
Mr Issifu made the remarks at the launch of the Climate and Health Science and Policy Consortiums in Africa, hosted by the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) in partnership with Wellcome Trust, a philanthropic foundation, in Accra.
The initiative established two African-led consortiums, one led by KNUST for West Africa and another for Southern Africa, to strengthen research and policymaking on the links between climate change and human health.
Mr Issifu said rising temperatures, floods, droughts and air pollution were increasing disease outbreaks and placing additional pressure on already fragile health systems across the continent.
He said the recent floods in Accra and other parts of Ghana had demonstrated how climate impacts could disrupt healthcare delivery, contaminate water sources, displace families and interrupt education and livelihoods.
“Climate change is no longer a projection. It is a present-day public health emergency,” he said.
Quoting World Health Organisation estimates, Mr Issifu said climate change could contribute to an additional 250,000 deaths globally each year between 2030 and 2050, with Africa expected to bear the greatest burden.
“We cannot adapt our way out of this without science, and we cannot act on science without policy,” he stressed.
Mr Issifu described the launch of the consortiums as a milestone that placed African scientists at the centre of generating evidence tailored to the continent’s realities.
“For too long, the global conversation on climate and health has spoken about Africa, but not always with Africa in the lead. This is African-led science for African realities with African solutions,” he said.
Professor David Asamoah, Pro Vice-Chancellor of KNUST, said Africa remained among the regions most vulnerable to climate change despite contributing the least to global greenhouse gas emissions.
He said malaria, which claimed nearly 600,000 lives each year, mostly among African children under five, was increasingly being influenced by changing climatic conditions.
Prof Asamoah said flooding contributed to cholera outbreaks, while drought increased food insecurity and malnutrition, placing further pressure on health systems.
“The evidence is clear, the risks are growing, and the cost of inaction is far too high. But this moment also presents an opportunity, an opportunity for Africa to lead with knowledge, innovation, and coordinated action,” he said.
Ms Modi Mwatsama, Head of Capacity and Field Development, Climate and Health at Wellcome Trust, said recent climate-related events highlighted the urgency of strengthening climate and health research in Africa.
She said communities in the United Kingdom had experienced their third heatwave of the summer, while recent flooding in Accra had claimed 12 lives and displaced about 55,000 residents.
Ms Mwatsama said a confirmed El Niño weather pattern was expected to bring higher temperatures and reduced rainfall to Southern Africa, increased flooding in East Africa, and delayed rains and drought risks in West Africa.
“The recent floods are a reminder that climate change affects all of society, health, lives, livelihoods, infrastructure, and the economy. The health sector alone cannot solve this problem,” she said.
Ms Mwatsama said climate and health research in sub-Saharan Africa remained limited despite growing climate-related risks, leaving policymakers with few tested solutions to guide interventions.
Source: GNA