Early warning systems can reduce Africa's risks to climate change

Africa is facing a crisis when it comes to planning and preparing for climate change-related disasters. Ibrahima Cheick Diong, the Assistant Secretary General of the United Nations, emphasized the need for additional resources to address these disasters during an outbreak. In a recent interview with CNBC Africa, Diong highlighted the importance of focusing on saving lives first before considering climate adaptation. Despite Africa contributing less than 4% of greenhouse gases globally, the continent bears the brunt of climate change impacts. From droughts to tropical cyclones, floods, and health sector outbreaks, the disasters affecting Africa have a profound human impact, particularly on vulnerable communities. Diong stressed the necessity of utilizing early warning systems to assess risk exposure to these disasters and taking necessary actions to mitigate their effects. He proposed a two-pronged approach involving policy planning by governments and risk transfer to the insurance market to ensure additional resources are available when disasters strike, thereby saving lives and livelihoods. Diong acknowledged that traditional methods of disaster response in Africa often come too late, leading to loss of lives. To address this, he advocated for the creation of institutions dedicated to helping African governments plan, prepare, and respond to disasters effectively. Diong's organization, African Risk Capacity, has been focusing on disaster areas such as drought, tropical cyclones, and floods, with a primary goal of protecting vulnerable populations while adapting to climate change. When questioned about the adequacy of global funding for addressing climate change in Africa, Diong emphasized the need to honor the promised $100 billion for developing countries, including those in Africa. He stressed the importance of channeling funds towards resilience-building and adaptation projects that would help African governments better cope with climate-related disasters. While discussing the progress made at the COP conference, Diong highlighted Africa's focus on loss and damages, early warning systems, technology access, and energy transitions as key priorities to protect people and promote sustainable development. In terms of implementation, Diong emphasized the importance of consolidating efforts to make Africa more resilient to climate change impacts. African Risk Capacity's approach of combining planning, preparation, and response to disasters has shown promising results in modeling and managing risks effectively. By enabling governments to make informed decisions about risk transfer and resource allocation, initiatives like African Risk Capacity are paving the way for proactive disaster management in Africa. Diong's vision for Africa involves strengthening institutions like African Risk Capacity to anticipate and address climate change disasters before they become catastrophic. By fostering solidarity and collaboration among African countries and global partners, Diong believes that Africa can build a more resilient future for its people by prioritizing early intervention and disaster preparedness.