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New report warns of escalating climate and environmental disasters in Africa

A new report by the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) in India, titled “State of Africa’s Environment Report 2025”, has painted an alarming picture of Africa’s climate and environmental future. The report released today in Ethiopia warns that the continent is facing its most devastating five-year period yet, as weather, climate, and water-related disasters intensify. The 152-page report highlights that between 2021 and 2025, Africa experienced unprecedented losses—marked by rising temperatures, deadly floods, prolonged droughts, and food system shocks. Africa’s climate crisis is intensifying. In only 15 years, extreme weather has touched the lives of 412 million people, with over half of those cases concentrated in the past five years. Since 2021, more than 41,500 deaths have been recorded, while droughts alone have devastated 178 million lives. For instance, in Kenya and Ethiopia, repeated droughts have left pastoralist communities unable to feed their herds, wiping out livelihoods and forcing mass migrations. In West Africa, flash floods in Nigeria and Ghana submerged entire communities, displacing families overnight. Director of CSE, Sunita Narain, said it is time to fulfill commitments, take responsibility, and bring others into the fight against global environmental challenges driven by climate change.

Climate change could displace 100 million Africans by 2050 – Report

By 2050, up to 5 per cent of Africa’s population—about 100 million people—could be forced to move due to the impacts of climate change. This warning is contained in the State of Africa’s Environment Report 2025, released in Ethiopia by the India-based Centre for Science and Environment (CSE). The report presents thoroughly researched data and analysis on climate-induced migration and related challenges. “Africa, in fact, would have the highest rate of displacement or migration due to impacts of climate change,” the report states. Reliable reports in Somalia indicate that recurring droughts have displaced millions of people. Farming families continue to lose crops and livestock, forcing many into displacement camps or urban centres in search of food, water, and aid. The situation in Nigeria is not different; the 2022 floods killed over 600 people and displaced 1.4 million, destroying homes, schools, and farmlands. Entire communities along the Niger and Benue rivers remain vulnerable as rainfall grows increasingly erratic. Rising seas have already swallowed parts of coastal villages, forcing communities inland. Between 2020 and 2030, reports say Africa’s seven largest coastal cities—Lagos, Luanda, Dar es Salaam, Alexandria, Abidjan, Cape Town, and Casablanca—are projected to grow by 40 per cent, from 48 million to 69 million people. Smaller coastal cities are expected to expand even faster: Port Harcourt, Nigeria, could grow by 53 per cent within the same period. At the current rate, Analysis demonstrates that sea levels are projected to rise by 0.3 metres by 2030, affecting 117 million Africans. Limiting global warming to 2°C could restrict the rise to 0.4 metres, but a 4°C scenario would see a full metre rise by 2100. In Niger, Chad, and Burkina Faso, expanding deserts are reducing arable land. Farmers and herders are migrating southwards into densely populated areas, often leading to clashes over land and water. Cyclone Idai in 2019 displaced nearly 600,000 people across Mozambique, Zimbabwe, and Malawi, leaving 783 dead. Scientists warn that such storms will intensify with climate change, driving further displacement. The Groundswell Model projects that 32 million people in West Africa could be forced to migrate within their countries by 2050 due to water scarcity, land degradation, and sea level rise. Under pessimistic scenarios, Niger could see 19.1 million internal migrants, Nigeria 9.4 million, and Senegal 1 million. In the coastal belt of West Africa alone, up to 2.2 million people could be displaced. CSE's emphasised that climate change and land degradation are driving an 18 per cent decline in agricultural production across Africa. Cocoa production in West and Central Africa, which supplies 70 per cent of the world’s cocoa, is under serious threat. If global temperatures rise by 2°C, according to the report, half of Africa’s population could face undernourishment. What experts say during the launch Director General of the Bio and Emerging Technology Institute in Ethiopia, Professor Kassahun Tesfaye, said: “The data in this report, while alarming, also points the way forward. It shows that our greatest liability—our natural resources and land—is also our greatest asset to build a sustainable bioeconomy.” He explained that the bioeconomy is “an economic system that uses renewable biological resources to produce food, materials, and energy—a circular economy where waste becomes a new beginning.” CSE Director General Sunita Narain added: “Change is taking shape in Africa," adding that, every African nation now has some adaptation programme to showcase from net-zero carbon strategies to indigenous knowledge systems tackling drought and extreme weather. Dr. Rita Bissoonauth of UNESCO described the report as “a moral compass”, highlighting that Africa faces annual direct economic losses of US$1.18 billion in North Africa and US$1.25 billion in sub-Saharan Africa.

Frontline of a Planetary Emergency: Africa Demands Climate Justice and Action

The room at the Swiss Inn Nexus Hotel in Bole was silent but tense as Sunita Narain, one of the world’s most influential environmental voices, fixed her gaze on rows of African journalists, scientists, and policymakers. Her tone was gentle, but the words cut deep. “Us, we are—I call us the ants of the world, okay. We are the ants, so we have to keep at it,” said Narain, the Director General of India’s Centre for Science and Environment (CSE). “We have to keep understanding and we have to keep at it and to do that we need to build this conversation, this community and keep it going.” Her audience had gathered on September 18 for the launch of The State of Africa’s Environment 2025, a sweeping assessment of a continent reeling from floods, heat waves, droughts, and collapsing food systems. The event, organized by CSE in partnership with the Alliance for Science–Ethiopia and Media for Environment, Science, Health and Agriculture (MESHA) of Kenya, became more than a briefing—it was a call to arms. A Continent on the Frontline The report’s numbers were stark. Africa’s warming trend now outpaces the global average. “2024 was the warmest year on record for Africa,” Narain said. “The entire ocean area of Africa was under marine heat wave… and between 2021 and 2025 you had the most devastating five-year stretch in terms of human toll from extreme weather events.” In just five years, over 200 million Africans have been affected by extreme weather, with nearly 70 percent of recorded deaths from such events occurring in that period. Yet, Narain noted, “There is no death because of climate change,” quoting the euphemisms and omissions in national databases. “Every year, every month, extreme weather events are breaking new records. Every region is devastated. I call this the revenge of nature.” The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has long warned of Africa’s vulnerability, but the report underscored how rapidly the danger is escalating. Seven of the world’s ten most climate-vulnerable nations are African, according to Brookings Institution analysis. The World Meteorological Organization estimates that every third global death from extreme weather in the past 50 years occurred in Africa. ‘This Is a Matter of Existence’ Negus Lemma, Ethiopia’s Deputy Director General of the Environmental Protection Authority, offered a blunt assessment: “Discussing and working on issues of climate and environmental protection is an extravagance, but it is a matter of existence and way of life.” He cited UNFCCC figures showing 16 of the world’s 19 hunger hotspots this year are in Eastern and Southern Africa and the Sahel, where conflict and climate shocks combine to devastate crops. “Over 115 million people faced acute food insecurity in Eastern and Southern Africa and the Sahel in 2025,” he said. “In Africa, the most vulnerable populations are particularly people living in remote rural areas and informal settlements, as well as women, children, the elderly, people with disabilities, and those living in poverty.” Lemma highlighted Ethiopia’s Green Legacy Initiative (GLI) as an African-led solution. Anchored by Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, the program planted a record-breaking 714.7 million seedlings in a single day this July. “The 2025 planting campaign was part of an annual target to plant 7.5 billion trees,” Lemma said. “This is an African model of climate adaptation.” Food, Water, and Health on the Edge Narain warned that Africa’s climate crisis is not just about weather—it is about livelihoods. “Water will be at the center of climate change,” she said. “You will get more water in fewer number of rainy days. The ability of a society to be able to hold the water… is going to be key.” She painted an unsettling picture of failing crops, declining cocoa yields, and rising plant diseases that will erode farmers’ profits. “That means more and more money being spent by the farmer and less and less money in terms of the ability to be able to save or to make farming profitable.” Health threats loom equally large. “Climate change will lead to more temperature spikes, more flooding, more rain, and more heat,” Narain said. “It will have an impact on vectors—on malaria, on dengue, on chikungunya… flooding… cholera has come back as one of the biggest health problems once again.” Her concern extended even to the concrete towers of Addis Ababa. “I look at your architecture and I wonder whether this is going to be appropriate for the extreme heat that we are going to have. Architecture for heat is going to require us to have more and more ventilation—the traditional architecture of our region.” Climate Justice and Reparations Dr. Rita Bissoonauth, UNESCO’s Director for the Addis Liaison Office, described the crisis as one of equity and dignity. “Africa is on the frontline of a climate emergency it did not create,” she said. “Climate hazards are causing significant economic losses… This is not just an environmental crisis; it is a profound inequality. It is also a humanitarian crisis: water scarcity already affects 14 African countries, with a further 11 projected to join them by 2025—putting nearly half of the continent’s 1.45 billion people at risk of severe water stress.” Bissoonauth called the report “a moral compass,” linking environmental stress to broader issues like food insecurity and migration. She urged journalists to humanize the science: “Reports don’t change the world; people do, especially those who turn complex evidence into public understanding and demand for action.” She reminded participants of the African Union’s 2025 Theme on Reparations. “Climate justice is inseparable from historical justice. This is a call to action, through innovative financing and public–private collaboration, to scale investment where it counts.” Holding the Rich World Accountable Narain did not spare high-emitting nations. “Africa is not responsible for the stock of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. Let’s be absolutely clear about it,” she said. “The appropriation of the global carbon budget … that’s a finite budget.” She pointed to the United States taking nearly a quarter of that budget since 1870. “China became the manufacturing hub for the entire world… and then you have India… the rest of the world, all of you combined, are left with 24 percent of the global budget,” she said. “Now the world is going to go even more backwards. We have the Trump world now, where climate change is being denied. Drill, baby, drill is back on the agenda.” Migration and Social Fractures Narain cautioned against oversimplification. “I have a problem with [the term] ‘climate refugees’ because one day it will come back to haunt us,” she said. Extreme weather, she added, is often “the tipping point that forces already vulnerable people to migrate.” The report shows disaster-related displacements surged from 1.1 million to 6.3 million in 2020, with projections of unprecedented future migration without urgent action. “Africa would have the highest rate of displacement or migration because of this,” Narain warned. Chroniclers of Today For Narain, the fight is as much about storytelling as science. “We are the chroniclers of today… if we don’t have that voice, if we don’t have that reality check, we will forget,” she said. “We will in a generation believe that whatever we are seeing in the name of climate change is just a new normal and that there’s nothing we can do about it.” Bissoonauth echoed this. “An African proverb reminds us: ‘Until the lion learns to write, every story will glorify the hunter.’ This report provides the evidence. But you—the journalists—are the writers who will ensure the story of Africa’s environment is told by Africans, for Africans, and for the world.” Spotlighting African Solutions Lemma urged the continent to “spotlight African solutions and adaptation mechanisms … including during the upcoming COP30 in Belém, Brazil.” Ethiopia’s Climate Resilient Green Economy strategy, integrated with its National Adaptation Plan, is an example of embedding adaptation into development. Narain pressed journalists to focus on local innovation. “Solutions are where our mind is today,” she said. “Highlight water harvesting, sustainable farming, and community resilience alongside the warnings.” Bissoonauth suggested cross-border collaborations and empowering citizens: “Follow pledges from summit halls to real-world outcomes… amplify innovation from communities, youth, and women—they are not just victims.” A Call to Keep Going As applause filled the hall, Narain’s closing words were both a plea and a promise: “It is sometimes heartbreaking to say we have not got where we need to go—but we can’t give up. So, we have to keep at it. What does the continent of Africa do? What does India do?… This is the double whammy that exists—the environmental crisis coming on top of the climate crisis. But we are ants. We keep going.” The State of Africa’s Environment 2025 may not reverse the climate emergency, but for Narain and her allies, chronicling Africa’s crisis—and its ingenuity—is itself an act of resilience. “How do you stitch it together and make the big picture come alive? That’s what these reports are able to do,” she said. “Because if we do not tell this story, no one else will.”

Financial Times’ Energy Transition Summit: Industry heads discuss India’s net zero target

Equally prominent was the emphasis on equity. Sunita Narain of the Centre for Science and Environment . New Delhi witnessed an important moment in its climate and energy calendar with the conclusion of the Financial Times’ Energy Transition Summit India 2025, held on September 16–17 at the Taj Mahal Hotel. Over 250 participants, representing more than 150 companies from 15 countries, gathered under one roof to deliberate India’s ambitious journey toward achieving net zero by 2070. The summit, which combined high-level keynotes, engaging panels and networking sessions, brought together senior policymakers, business leaders, investors, and experts from energy, metals, transport and manufacturing. The opening day set the tone with an address from Pralhad Joshi, Minister of New & Renewable Energy, who reaffirmed India’s commitment to balancing growth and sustainability while ensuring energy remains affordable for its citizens. Suman Bery, Vice Chairman of NITI Aayog, followed with an urgent call for aligning India’s industrial strategy with global capital flows, stressing that overseas investment and risk-mitigation mechanisms would be as critical as technology itself in enabling the transition. Industry leaders brought perspectives from the corporate frontlines. Praveer Sinha, CEO & Managing Director of Tata Power, and Ashish Khanna, CEO of Adani Green Energy, spoke about the challenges of scaling renewable capacity at the speed required, while Deshnee Naidoo, CEO of Vedanta Resources, underlined the need for cleaner metals production and carbon-capture solutions in hard-to-abate sectors. The financial dimension was explored by Johannes Zutt of the World Bank, who highlighted the bottlenecks in climate financing, and Mansi Madan Tripathy of Shell, who focused on supply chain resilience and innovation. What emerged from the two days was a picture both of immense opportunity and of daunting challenges. There was consensus that India’s aspirations to lead in green hydrogen will only materialize if technology costs decline rapidly and policy frameworks provide clarity. Speakers also stressed the urgency of building a robust domestic battery ecosystem to support the country’s electrification drive, and of securing clean-energy supply chains in an increasingly turbulent geopolitical environment. Equally prominent was the emphasis on equity. Sunita Narain of the Centre for Science and Environment and Arunabha Ghosh of CEEW reminded the gathering that a just transition must remain at the heart of the energy shift, ensuring that communities and states dependent on coal are not left behind. Their interventions echoed a broader theme: that the credibility of India’s net-zero journey will rest on how it manages decarbonisation in heavy industries like steel and cement while keeping households and small businesses shielded from price shocks. Behind the scenes, collaboration was the defining spirit. Panels revealed how government, private industry and international investors will need to move in lockstep, with clear timelines for hydrogen deployment, carboncapture initiatives and renewable grid integration. At the same time, speakers admitted that overcoming generational perceptions, unlocking overseas capital and ensuring consistent policy regimes remain formidable tasks. The Summit concluded on a note of cautious optimism. While no binding commitments were announced, the discussions laid out a clear strategic direction: India must streamline regulatory approvals, deepen public-private partnerships, encourage innovation in clean technologies and ensure its transition narrative is as much about social equity as it is about megawatts and gigatons. As one speaker observed, India’s pledge to reach net zero by 2070 is no longer just aspirational—the next decade will decide whether it can be transformed into reality.

Communities near petrochemical plants pay the price for plastic convenience

However, they did not outrightly deny the impact of petrochemical operations,” said Siddharth Ghanshyam Singh, Programme Manager (Solid Waste Management and Circular Economy) at the Centre for Science and Environment, New Delhi. Yvette Arellano had a nosebleed twice during the 10-day-long Global Plastic Treaty negotiations in Geneva in August this year. “This is frequent. Apart from eczema and hormonal imbalance. I can’t have children unless I put massive resources into it,” said Arellano, a Mexican-American who stays in Texas’ Houston city in the United States of America. “In fact, it was over my skin condition that I would have a conversation with my neighbours and get to know they were suffering too,” she said. Thousands of miles away, on the western coast of India, a casual survey in mid-2024 found that in Lakhigam village near Dahej in Gujarat’s Bharuch district respiratory illness, skin and hearing issues were common and at least 50 cases of cancer were found in a population of 5000. “This is thanks to the open-air conveyor belt that transports coal. The village remains coated in soot, and because of the noise and foul smell, it is impossible to sleep without shutting doors,” said Kamlesh Madhiwala, an advocate and president of the Samast Bharuch Jilla Machimar Samaj, an association fighting for fishers’ rights. There’s one thing, however, that connects the issues of the people in the Houston Ship Channel, where Arellano lives, and the people of Lakhigam 14,000 kilometres away – many of their health problems are linked to pollution from factories that are producing plastic. While images of plastic bags strangling turtles in the sea have drawn substantial attention to the issue of plastic waste, the source of the plastic — factories producing plastic polymer — and the pollution they cause, has stayed out of public gaze. “Plastics are embedded in nearly every aspect of our daily lives – from airplanes to toothbrushes. However, the goods and services that plastic enables have a full lifecycle that impacts the environment not only through litter but also through greenhouse gas emissions, thereby contributing to climate change,” said Iewa Rucevska, senior expert at GRID Arendal, a Norwegian non-profit, referring to the dual impact of plastic as waste and as a driver of emissions. Plastic manufacturing accounts for approximately 3.7% of greenhouse gas emissions, projected to increase to 4.5% by 2060 at the current rate. How are plastics made? As the world shifts from fossil fuels like coal and crude oil to renewable sources for energy and electric vehicles for transportation, petroleum refineries consider petrochemicals, such as plastics, fertilisers, tyres, and synthetic fibres, to be their Plan B. Almost 99% of plastics are made from fossil fuels (crude oil) in refinery complexes like the ones situated in Dahej and the Houston Ship Channel. Crude oil is essentially a mix of hydrocarbons, compounds made up only of hydrogen and carbon atoms. After extraction from the ground or the ocean, it is taken to a refinery where it is heated in a furnace. The mixture then undergoes a process called ‘fractional distillation,’ which separates the hydrocarbons into various products, including petroleum gas, gasoline, kerosene, naphtha, light oil, and heavy oil. Plastics are made mainly from two raw materials, naphtha (a product of crude oil) and natural gas. When these are processed, they give lighter gases such as ethylene, propylene, and styrene. These gases are then combined through a chemical process to form various materials, including polypropylene, polyethylene, PET, and polystyrene. These materials are the basic ingredients used to make most of the plastics we see in daily life. The global annual production of plastics grew from two million tonnes (MT) in 1950 to 400 MT in 2025. Approximately half of all plastics produced to date have been manufactured since 2002. Who bears the cost? “Until 2017, I had no idea that my entire life was affected by plastics. I fought against chemicals affecting our community, odours and explosions in the ethylene plants around us, but did not know it was linked to plastics. I thought they were making fuel/gasoline out of it,” recalled Arellano, the founder of Fenceline Watch, a group working against the toxic impact of fossil fuel infrastructure around the Houston Ship Channel, popularly called the “energy capital of the world.” “To realise that so much of that tonnage of crude oil was going into producing plastics was enraging,” Arellano said. With 600 companies, including ExxonMobil, Shell and Dow, the Houston Ship Channel is the largest petrochemical complex in the USA. The road from Texas to Louisiana connects to “Cancer Ally,” notorious for the high rate of the disease that has been attributed to the 200 petrochemical plants there. A 2024 report by Amnesty International found the presence of Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs), such as benzene and toluene, as well as greenhouse gases like methane and carbon dioxide, and particulate matter in the area. Since 2021, the Houston Ship Channel has reported at least 15 chemical explosions, fires, and toxic releases. A separate study noted health risks ranging from headaches, fatigue, nausea and nosebleeds to asthma, anaemia, childhood leukaemia, cancers, kidney and liver damage, sterility, and even death. While affected communities from the USA had some representation at the Treaty talks in Geneva, those from India and the Global South were absent, just like studies on the health impacts of plastic production in the region. “The Lakhigam survey happened when people, sick of air pollution by the 9.8 km long open conveyor belt in Dahej, decided to file a case. The belt transports coal, gypsum, polypropylene, and propylene,” said Madhiwala. However, the loss of traditional livelihoods, mainly fishing and agriculture, is evident as fields become saline and the sea becomes polluted from chemicals leaking into it. “The number of Pagadia fishers (fishers on foot) in the 10 coastal villages from Dahej to Bhadbhut (a proposed barrage) has reduced by half in the last 10-12 years. More than 10,000 villagers earned a decent income from fishing earlier without venturing into the deep sea. But now, the waters till the Dahej port, the maximum distance they would go inside the sea, are full of effluent, affecting their income,” said Madhiwala. Situated near the Gulf of Khambhat, Dahej is India’s first functioning Petroleum, Chemical and Petrochemical Investment Region (PCPIR) out of the four planned in 2007 by the Government of India. It has approximately 180 existing and 650 under-construction industrial units including those of public sector company ONGC, private industries such as Reliance Industries Ltd (RIL), and Adani Petronet. “The highly saline effluent released by the companies’ desalination plants kills prawns, the main fish found in the mudflats in Dahej,” claimed Usmangani Sherasiya, Secretary of the Samast Machimar Samaj, an association of fishers, Gujarat. Most petrochemical complexes are located on the coast since India imports more than 85% of its crude oil. As one travels north along the Gujarat coastline, a section of the Gulf of Kutch is also lined with petrochemical jetties. Starting from Reliance Industries Ltd. (RIL) in Jamnagar, the world’s largest single-site refinery, there is Nayara Energy Ltd. in Vadinar, India’s second largest refinery, and the Essar Port in Salaya. “Between them, they have covered the entire coast from Sikka to Salaya. For small Pagadiya fishers, there are hardly any passages in between. Most of them have become labourers- either with big boats that remain at sea for days together or with petrochemical companies,” said Jayendrasinh Ker, environmental activist in Jamnagar district. Massive fish kill happens when ballast water– the water filled in a ship’s tank for stable manouvering- is released from incoming ships at the port, which alters the coastal water temperature, informed Ker. On the other hand, chemical ingress from these plants has rendered agriculture non-remunerative. “Groundwater is contaminated in villages near Vadinar. During the monsoon, people cultivate one crop, but after that, using this water for irrigation would burn the crop,” claimed Ker. Most of these refineries are close to the Gulf of Kutch Marine National Park, which houses 52 species of coral. Oil leakage leads to the formation of tar balls, which can impact marine ecology, Ker said. But in Jamnagar, no one is protesting. “In Gujarat, medical practitioners are not willing to talk about the health impact of refineries on local population for fear of being slapped with defamation charges by giant companies. However, they did not outrightly deny the impact of petrochemical operations,” said Siddharth Ghanshyam Singh, Programme Manager (Solid Waste Management and Circular Economy) at the Centre for Science and Environment, New Delhi. Global studies back this fear. “Studies from Europe, Taiwan, the USA, and the UK show that there is a 30% higher risk of leukaemia for those living close to petrochemical industries,” said Megan Deeney, research fellow at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine and a member of the Scientists’ Coalition for an Effective Plastic Treaty. Another study shows that the release of particulate matter from plastic production and disposal was responsible for about 1,59,000 deaths globally in 2015.

How climate change fuels cholera, malaria & hunger in Africa

Africa is confronting a devastating climate and health emergency, with 2024 marking the warmest year ever recorded for the continent, according to the State of Africa’s Environment 2025 report that was released this week in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. The report reveals that in just four years, over 200 million people in Africa were hit by devastating weather disasters like floods, droughts, and extreme ocean heat, with a direct and severe impact on people’s health and food supply. Cases of malaria shot up by 14 per cent in a single year, while cholera infections more than doubled. Farming has also taken a major hit, with food production dropping by 18 per cent. The problem has been accelerating at an alarming rate. Over the last 15 years, more than 412 million Africans have been affected by extreme weather. Shockingly, over half of that damage happened in just the last five years. These disasters have killed over 41,000 people, with droughts being the biggest culprit, affecting 178 million individuals. The report also notes that Africa has been heating up faster than the rest of the world over the last six decades, with Northern Africa warming the quickest and thus driving a sharp increase in the number of severe heat waves, droughts, storms and floods. The climate crisis is manifesting as a severe health emergency across multiple fronts, including an increase in infant mortality, while long and punishing droughts in the Horn of Africa, the Sahel, and southern Africa are worsening hunger, malnutrition and disease. Speaking at the report’s launch, Prof Kassahun Tesfaye, Director General of Ethiopia’s Bio and Emerging Technology Institute, called the data “a glaring evidence-based assessment of our continent’s physical health.” He emphasised the profound injustice at play: “Despite Africa contributing the least to global greenhouse gas emissions, it is suffering the most from its consequences.” He argued that the solution lies not in simply mitigating a crisis others created, but in pioneering an entirely new model of sustainable development.

New Report: 2024 Was Africa’s Warmest Year on Record, Driving Mass Migration and Food Insecurity

Africa is grappling with an unprecedented climate emergency, with 2024 confirmed as the continent’s warmest year on record, according to a major new report released today. The State of Africa’s Environment 2025 report details a continent under siege, from devastating marine heatwaves encircling its coasts to a looming crisis of climate-induced migration that could displace up to 100 million people by 2050. The report, researched and published by the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) and Down To Earth magazine, paints a dire picture of the human and economic toll. It reveals that the period from 2021-2025 has been the most devastating five-year stretch in Africa’s history for weather and climate-related disasters. This has triggered a catastrophic 18% decline in agricultural production and a sharp rise in climate-sensitive diseases like cholera and malaria. The report presents a set of thoroughly researched and analysed data. Climate-induced migration, for instance, is a matter of concern. By 2050, says the report, up to 5 per cent of Africa’s population of some two billion people could be forced to be on the move due to climate change. “Africa, in fact, would have the highest rate of displacement or migration due to impacts of climate change,” says the report. Food insecurity is looming. Climate change, combined with land degradation, is causing an 18 per cent decline in agricultural production. In fact, the report points out that cocoa production in West and Central Africa (which produces 70 per cent of the world’s cocoa) would be severely hit. If the world warms up to 2oC, it would put 50 per cent of the continent’s population at risk of undernourishment. In terms of health, the report points out that the global burden of cholera has shifted to Africa – there was a 125 per cent increase in cases in 2023 compared to the previous year. There was a 14 per cent rise in malaria transmissions as well in the same year. Speaking at the launch of the report, Professor Kassahun Tesfaye, Director General, Bio and Emerging Technology Institute, Ministry of Innovation and Technology, Government of Ethiopia, said: “The data in this report, while alarming, also points the way forward. It shows that our greatest liability – our natural resources and land – is our most powerful asset to build a sustainable bioeconomy. The solution lies in not simply trying to mitigate a crisis we did not create, but in pioneering a new model of development altogether – that model is the African bioeconomy.” Explaining what he meant by ‘bioeconomy’, Professor Kassahun said: “This is an economic system that uses renewable biological resources to produce food, materials and energy. It is a circular economy where waste is not an endpoint but a new beginning. It is an economy that is inherently sustainable, regenerative and tailored to our continent’s strengths.” In her address, CSE Director General Sunita Narain said: “Change is taking shape in Africa. Across the continent, countries are adopting policy measures and crafting programmes to adapt to and mitigate climate change. Starting from rolling out a national strategy to become net-zero in carbon emissions to adopting indigenous knowledge to fight impacts such as drought and extreme weather events, every African nation now has some adaptation programmes to showcase. Addressing the assembled audience, UNESCO’s Dr Rita Bissoonauth said: “This report from CSE is more than a scientific assessment. It is a moral compass. It comes at a pivotal moment. Africa is on the frontline of a climate emergency it did not create. Estimated average direct economic losses are to the tune of US $1.18 billion per year in northern Africa and US $1.25 billion per year in sub-Saharan Africa. The message of the 2025 State of Africa’s Environment report is clear – the current trajectory is not sustainable.” Highlighting the steps taken by Ethiopia, Nigussu Lema, Deputy Director General of the Ethiopian Environment Protection Authority, said: “Ethiopia’s climate adaptation efforts focus on strengthening climate resilience through its National Adaptation Plan (NAP-ETH), which integrates adaptation into its development strategies.” The communicator’s and journalist’s briefing will continue till September 19, 2025, and will cover three subjects – conflicts, migration and climate change; agriculture, food security and climate change; and adaptation. About 20 journalists from across Africa are participating.

17000 गाड़ियां, 6600 सिलेंडर... कूड़े के पहाड़ से बन सकती है CNG गैस, दिल्ली भी हो जाएगी प्रदूषण मुक्त, कमाल का है ये आइडिया

देश की राजधानी दिल्ली में कूड़े के कई पहाड़ बन चुके हैं. ये कूड़े के पहाड़ एक नहीं, बल्कि तीन जगहों पर हैं, जिसमें भलस्वा, ओखला और गाजीपुर हैं. इन्हें लैंडफिल साइट भी कहा जाता है. यह कूड़े के पहाड़ एमसीडी समेत दिल्ली सरकार के लिए सिर दर्द बन गए हैं, क्योंकि इससे वातावरण पूरी तरह से प्रदूषित हो रहा है और वायु प्रदूषण भी फैल रहा है. कई बार ये कूड़े के पहाड़ आसपास की गाड़ियों पर भी गिर चुके हैं, जिससे कई बार हादसे हो गए हैं. बता दें कि कई दशकों से इन्हें खत्म करने का प्रयास किया जा रहा है, लेकिन आज तक ऐसा नहीं हो सका है, लेकिन अब सेंटर फॉर साइंस एंड एनवायरमेंट (सीएसई) की नई रिपोर्ट आई है, जिसमें कहा गया है कि दिल्ली में मौजूद कूड़े के पहाड़ों का अगर सही इस्तेमाल किया जाए, तो इससे दिल्ली की 17000 गाड़ियां चल सकती हैं. साथ ही यहां के प्रदूषण को भी रोका जा सकता है और इसी कचरे से जैविक खाद भी बनाई जा सकती है. इस पर लोकल 18 की टीम ने विस्तार डॉ. जेपीएस डबास से बातचीत की. जो कि पूर्व प्रधान वैज्ञानिक भारतीय कृषि अनुसंधान संस्थान पूसा के रह चुके हैं. भारतीय कृषि अनुसंधान संस्थान पूसा के पूर्व प्रधान वैज्ञानिक डॉ. जेपीएस डबास ने बताया कि दिल्ली से रोजाना 5210 तन गीला कचरा निकलता है. इस कचरे से 174 टन यानी एक लाख सात हजार किलो बायो सीएनजी गैस तैयार की जा सकती है. उदाहरण के लिए अगर एक कार दिनभर में औसतन 10 किलो सीएनजी खर्च करती है, तो इस हिसाब से 17400 कारों के लिए ईंधन की जरूरत यह कचरा पूरा कर सकता है उन्होंने बताया कि इस कचरे से एलपीजी बनाई जाए, तो 94 टन एलजी तैयार होगी, जिससे हर रोज 6600 सिलेंडर भरे जा सकते हैं. उन्होंने बताया कि इसके लिए दिल्ली में 3 बड़े कूड़े के पहाड़ हैं. उनका इस्तेमाल करने के साथ-साथ घरों से जो सुख और गीला कचरा निकलता है, उसका सही प्रबंध किया जाए, तो इससे भारत सरकार को भी फायदा होगा और पर्यावरण को भी काफी फायदा पहुंचेगा. उन्होंने बताया कि भारत के इंदौर में ऐसा प्रयोग किया जा रहा है, जो की सफल है. इसके अलावा जर्मनी यूनाइटेड स्टेट ऑफ अमेरिका के अलावा कनाडा में भी प्रयोग किया जा रहा है. जैविक क्षेत्र घोषित हो सकता है दिल्ली एनसीआर पूर्व प्रधान वैज्ञानिक डॉ. जेपीएस डबास ने बताया कि कूड़े को कूड़ा हम बनाते हैं, जबकि अगर इसका सही प्रयोग किया जाए तो बायो वेस्ट को एनर्जी में कन्वर्ट किया जा सकता है. जब इस कचरे से एनर्जी बनेगी तो देश में बीमारियां भी कम होंगी. यानी कचरा और गंदगी से ही मच्छर और मक्खी से होने वाली बीमारियां फैलती हैं. उनको नियंत्रित किया जा सकता है. उन्होंने बताया कि इस कचरे से मीथेन गैस निकलती है. जो पर्यावरण को बड़ा नुकसान पहुंचाती है. ग्लोबल वार्मिंग के लिए भी यही गैस जिम्मेदार है. जबकि इसे जलाने पर 28 गुना तक इससे होने वाला नुकसान को कम किया जा सकता है और इससे एनर्जी जनरेट की जा सकती है, जिससे हमारे देश का तेल, डीजल, पेट्रोल और एलपीजी की बचत होगी. इससे मिलने वाली एनर्जी से जीवनशील गैस बनाई जा सकती है, जिससे हमारा खाना बनेगा, गाड़ियां चलेंगी, बिजली बन सकती है और इसके अलावा जैविक खाद भी तैयार हो सकती है. उन्होंने बताया कि इससे हमारे देश के किसानों को बड़ा मुनाफा होगा. उनकी फसलें खराब नहीं होंगी. उत्पादन अच्छा होगा. फसल अच्छी होगी और फसलों में दवाई डालने की जरूरत भी नहीं पड़ेगी, जिससे आने वाले वक्त में लोगों को कैंसर समेत तमाम बीमारियों से बचाया जा सकता है. इसका सिर्फ एक ही उपाय है कि देश की सरकार ज्यादा से ज्यादा बायोगैस प्लांट बनाए, जिससे कूड़े का सही इस्तेमाल किया जा सके.

State of Africa’s Environment Report 2025 Launched in Ethiopia

The Centre For Science and Environment (CSE) in New Delhi, lndia has with its partner organizations in Africa have launched the state of Africa's Environment Report for 2025 in Addis, Ababa, Ethiopia today on 18 September, 2025 at a book release and briefing for Journalists and Communicators from the African continent. The launch event has been jointly organised by CSE, the Alliance For Science - Ethiopia (AFS-E) and the Media for Environment, Science, Health and Agriculture (MESHA) Kenya. The objective of the two day conference is to release the report and to build understanding and capacity of journalists and other stakeholders on issues of environment and development in Africa. The launch event has been attended by experts from the African Union Commission (AUC), (UNESCO, Ethiopia Environmental Protection Authority (EPA) and other non-governmental organizations. The report, prepared by experts, researchers and writers of the Down To Earth, the magazine that CSE helps publish, as well as journalists from all over Africa offers carefully collated perspectives on Africa and its environment-development issues, concerns, victories and setbacks. Some of the issues highlighted in the report include conflicts, migration and climate change, agriculture, food security and climate change, agriculture, food security and climate change including adaptation.

State of Africa’s Environment Report 2025: CSE Warns of Africa’s Rising Climate Crisis

‎The Centre for Science and Environment (CSE), India, has released the “State of Africa’s Environment Report 2025”, highlighting the scale of Africa’s escalating climate emergency. ‎ ‎The report shows that over the past 60 years, the continent has experienced a sharp increase in heat waves, with temperatures rising faster than the global average. It identifies 2021–2025 as Africa’s most devastating five-year period, marked by record deaths from weather, climate, and water-related disasters. ‎ ‎The release took place on September 18 in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, during a two-day conference and media briefing hosted by the Alliance for Science–Ethiopia in partnership with CSE and Media for Environment, Science, Health and Agriculture (MESHA), Kenya. The sessions aimed to equip journalists and stakeholders with a deeper understanding of environmental and development challenges in Africa. ‎ ‎The 152-page report examines critical themes including climate change, migration, food security, water, health, climate debt, carbon markets, and adaptation. ‎ ‎It reveals that 412 million Africans have been affected by extreme weather over the past 15 years, with more than half impacted in the last five years. At least 41,549 lives were lost, most since 2021, while droughts alone affected 178 million people. ‎ ‎Speaking at the event, Sunita Narain, Director of CSE, emphasized that climate change has become the “new normal,” and stressed the need for concrete action: “Stakeholders who already know what must be done should take responsibility, fulfill their commitments, and invite others to join the fight against global environmental challenges cause by the climate change crisis.” ‎ ‎Representing UNESCO, Dr. Rita Bissoonauth, Director of the Addis Ababa Liaison Office to the AU and UNECA, highlighted that the crisis is not only environmental but also deeply linked to inequality. ‎ ‎She urged journalists to humanize climate stories, track financing, and highlight local solutions. The report underscores how the crisis is reshaping communities, warning that Africa could face the world’s highest rates of climate-related displacement if urgent action is not taken. ‎ ‎Nearly 265 million people were forced to move internally in the past year alone, and by 2050, an additional 200 million could become environmental migrants. Conflict-prone countries such as Ethiopia, Sudan, and Somalia are already reporting the heaviest burdens of displacement, with disaster-related deaths three times higher than those recorded between 2016–2020. ‎ ‎Africa’s carbon and food systems are also under stress. By 2024, the continent accounted for roughly one-fifth of all carbon credit projects globally, attracting around $5.9 billion in voluntary carbon market investments between 2013 and 2023,primarily funding forestry, land-use, and community-based initiatives. ‎ ‎Meanwhile, climate change and land degradation have driven an 18% drop in agricultural production, affecting key crops like cocoa in West and Central Africa, and disease transmission, including malaria, is on the rise. ‎ ‎Experts at the summit highlighted solutions. Professor Kassahun Tesfaye, Director General of Ethiopia’s Bio and Emerging Technology Institute, stressed that Africa’s vulnerable natural resources could become its greatest strength through a sustainable bio economy, harnessing crops, forests, animals, and microorganisms in a circular, regenerative system. ‎ ‎Negus Lemma, Deputy Director General of the Ethiopian Environmental Protection Authority, underscored that the most vulnerable populations—rural communities, women, children, the elderly, people with disabilities, and those living in poverty—bear the heaviest climate burdens. ‎ ‎The State of Africa’s Environment Report 2025 concludes that Africa is at a critical juncture: while the continent bears the heaviest costs of a crisis it did little to cause, it is uniquely positioned to lead with solutions. The choice is clear: act now with urgency, equity, and innovation, or risk a future defined by climate catastrophe. ‎

Delhi’s growing population and garbage mountains: What’s the solution?

India now has the world’s largest population. Among the country’s metro cities, Delhi is the most populous. A significant reason for this is the steady stream of migrants arriving each year. The fact is, very few of them return to their hometowns; most choose to stay back and work in the national capital. As a result, the growing population continues to put immense pressure on Delhi’s basic infrastructure. Despite the construction of flyovers to ease traffic, congestion remains a daily nightmare. Yet, even more daunting are the garbage mountains located at three corners of Delhi. They have repeatedly featured in election promises, with governments pledging to remove them. Although some work has been done and the height of these mounds has reduced marginally, they are far from gone. This article looks at whether a solution is possible at all. The Federal visited all three landfill sites and also spoke with experts for ground-level insights. Dr. Tribhuvan Bisht from the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE), who has researched dumping sites, stresses that political will and community participation are critical to eliminating garbage mountains. Some Indian cities, like Bhubaneswar (Odisha), and Indore (Madhya Pradesh), have managed to do it successfully. In Delhi, residents were urged to segregate waste at source — wet and dry separately. However, in practice, this hasn’t worked. Waste still reaches landfills mixed, making treatment far more time-consuming. According to Dr. Bisht, Delhi’s three dump sites together hold an estimated 160,000 tonnes of waste — about 16 crore kilograms. Treating (remediating) a single tonne costs Rs 600-800. By this estimate, the total expense would exceed Rs 100-130 crore. The government has ramped up efforts, especially under Swachh Bharat Mission 2.0, but a fundamental problem persists: for every tonne processed daily, about 1.2 tonnes of fresh waste arrive. Unless households truly begin segregation — wet waste separate from dry — these mountains will never disappear. If wet waste doesn’t reach the landfills, remediation can accelerate dramatically. The Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) has contracted private firms to handle the treatment of landfill waste. Generally, the waste is processed into compost for agricultural use, or the residue is used for road and construction fill. However, Dr. Bisht warns that compost from decades-old mixed waste is risky. While it contains nitrogen, which benefits soil, it is also laced with hazardous contaminants — biomedical waste, chemical residues, and more. Over time, such compost can harm soil health instead of improving it. Health hazards for residents Dr. Ajay Lekhi, who has studied the Ghazipur landfill site, says groundwater within a three-kilometre radius is severely contaminated. Tests revealed carcinogenic substances at alarming levels. Residents of Kondli, Ghazipur, and Gharoli Dairy Farm face high health risks, including cancer. Lead levels in the water were found so high that even RO purification cannot remove them. Bathing in this water can cause skin diseases. Though the government has banned hand pumps in the area, illegal borewells remain.

'अगर तापमान 2 डिग्री सेल्सियस और बढ़ा तो...', CSE ने जारी की रूह कंपा देने वाली रिपोर्ट

Climate Change: अफ्रीका के लिए जलवायु परिवर्तन एक गंभीर चुनौती बनकर उभर रहा है. सेंटर फॉर साइंस एंड एनवायरमेंट की ताजा रिपोर्ट ‘स्टेट ऑफ अफ्रीकाज एनवायरमेंट 2025’ ने चेतावनी दी है कि यदि वैश्विक तापमान दो डिग्री सेल्सियस से अधिक बढ़ता है, तो अफ्रीका की खाद्य सुरक्षा पर भयंकर संकट मंडराएगा. 18 सितंबर 2025 को इथियोपिया की राजधानी अदीस अबाबा में जारी इस रिपोर्ट में बताया गया कि अफ्रीका की 70% आबादी छोटे किसानों और बारिश पर निर्भर है, जो जलवायु परिवर्तन से सबसे अधिक प्रभावित हो रही है. कृषि पैदावार पर खतरा रिपोर्ट के अनुसार, 2050 तक सहारा के दक्षिणी हिस्सों में मक्का उत्पादन 22% तक गिर सकता है, जबकि जिम्बाब्वे और दक्षिण अफ्रीका में यह गिरावट 30% से अधिक हो सकती है. गेहूं की पैदावार में 35% तक की कमी आने की आशंका है. हालांकि कुछ फसलों में अल्पकालिक वृद्धि संभव है, लेकिन अनाज और बागवानी फसलों में होने वाली हानि इस लाभ को निष्प्रभावी कर देगी. कोको उत्पादन में संकट पश्चिमी और मध्य अफ्रीका, जो विश्व का 70% कोको उत्पादन करते हैं, में जलवायु परिवर्तन कोको की खेती को प्रभावित कर रहा है. शोध के अनुसार, 2050 तक कोको के लिए उपयुक्त क्षेत्र आधे हो सकते हैं. आइवरी कोस्ट और घाना में 12% तक, नाइजीरिया में 10% और कैमरून में 2% उत्पादन गिरावट की आशंका है. कोको उत्पादन का केंद्र भविष्य में पूर्वी देशों की ओर खिसक सकता है. पानी और मत्स्य संसाधनों पर प्रभाव जलवायु परिवर्तन साफ पानी की उपलब्धता को भी प्रभावित करेगा. बढ़ती आबादी के साथ ताजे पानी का संकट गहरा सकता है. समुद्रों का गर्म होना और अम्लीयकरण तटीय क्षेत्रों के मत्स्य संसाधनों को नुकसान पहुंचा रहा है, जिससे लाखों लोगों का पोषण खतरे में है. पश्चिमी अफ्रीका में मत्स्य संसाधनों की कीमत 20% तक घट सकती है. जैव विविधता और वनों की चुनौती रिपोर्ट में कैमरून जैसे देशों में कोको उत्पादन बढ़ने की संभावना के साथ-साथ जंगलों और जैव विविधता पर खतरे की बात कही गई है. वर्षावनों को बचाने और कोको उत्पादन को बढ़ाने के बीच संतुलन बनाना एक बड़ी चुनौती होगी. अफ्रीका को इस संकट से निपटने के लिए तत्काल कदम उठाने होंगे.

स्टेट ऑफ अफ्रीका’स एनवायरनमेंट 2025

18 सितंबर, 2025 को इथियोपिया की राजधानी अदिस अबाबा में साइंस एंड एनवायरनमेंट सेंटर (CSE) ने अपनी वार्षिक रिपोर्ट ‘स्टेट ऑफ अफ्रीका’स एनवायरनमेंट 2025’ (State of Africa’s Environment 2025) जारी की। स्टेट ऑफ अफ्रीका’स एनवायरनमेंट 2025 के बारे में यह अफ्रीका के पर्यावरणीय संकट पर आधारित रिपोर्ट है जिसमें जलवायु परिवर्तन के प्रभाव, आर्थिक हानि एवं अनुकूलन की आवश्यकता पर शोध केंद्रित है। यह रिपोर्ट विश्व मौसम विज्ञान संगठन (WMO) की ‘स्टेट ऑफ क्लाइमेट इन अफ्रीका 2024’ पर आधारित है, जो दर्शाती है कि वर्ष 2024 अफ्रीका का सबसे गर्म वर्ष था। यह अफ्रीका महाद्वीप की भूमि एवं आसपास के समुद्रों की ऊष्मा, चरम मौसम व स्वास्थ्य संकट को उजागर करती है। रिपोर्ट के अनुसार, अफ्रीका वैश्विक जलवायु आपातकाल का प्रमुख केंद्र बन गया है। रिपोर्ट के प्रमुख निष्कर्ष तापमान वृद्धि : अफ्रीका का औसत सतह तापमान 1991-2020 के औसत से 0.86 °C अधिक रहा। उत्तरी अफ्रीका में यह 1.28 °C अधिक रहा। शताब्दी के अंत तक तापमान वृद्धि 3-6 °C तक हो सकती है। समुद्री हीट वेव्स : वर्ष 2024 में अफ्रीका के आसपास के समुद्रों में रिकॉर्ड समुद्री हीट वेव्स देखी गईं। जनवरी-अप्रैल में 30 लाख वर्ग किमी. क्षेत्र प्रभावित रहा, जो वर्ष 1993 के रिकॉर्ड से अधिक था। यह समुद्री जीवन, उष्णकटिबंधीय चक्रवातों और दक्षिण-पूर्वी देशों (मलावी, मोजाम्बिक, मेडागास्कर) को प्रभावित कर रहा है। घातक संकट : वर्ष 2021-2025 में 22.1 करोड़ लोग प्रभावित हुए तथा 28,759 मौतें हुई जो वर्ष 2016-2020 से तीन गुना अधिक है। बाढ़, सूखा, चक्रवात, भूस्खलन एवं हीट वेव वर्ष 2011 से अब तक 41 करोड़ लोगों को प्रभावित कर चुकी हैं। बीमारी का बोझ : मलेरिया के मामले वर्ष 2023 में 14% बढ़े, वर्ष 2030 तक 14.7-17.1 करोड़ अतिरिक्त जोखिम। कॉलरा के मामलों में 125% की वृद्धि हुई। जलवायु परिवर्तन से ऊँचाई वाले क्षेत्रों में मच्छरों के प्रजनन में वृद्धि हुई। खाद्य एवं जल संकट : 2 °C ग्लोबल वार्मिंग से 50% आबादी कुपोषण का शिकार हो सकती है। जल तनाव से वर्ष 2030 तक 70 करोड़ लोग विस्थापित हो सकते हैं। कोको उत्पादन व मत्स्य पालन प्रभावित होगा और मीठे पानी की कमी होगी। विस्थापन : अफ्रीका सर्वाधिक ‘जलवायु सक्रिय’ बनेगा। वर्ष 2021-2025 में संघर्ष एवं चरम मौसम से विस्थापन में वृद्धि हुई और नाइजीरिया में 87 लाख प्रभावित हुए। आर्थिक हानि : उत्तरी अफ्रीका में वर्षिक 11.8 अरब डॉलर, उप-सहारा में 12.5 अरब डॉलर की हानि हुई।

CSE Brings Africa’s Environmental Challenges to the Forefront in Addis Ababa

Addis Ababa is this week hosting a major gathering of African journalists and communicators for the release of the groundbreaking report, State of Africa’s Environment 2025: Africa and Climate Change. The event, which spans two days, brings together voices from across the continent to engage with the report’s critical findings and discuss the urgent environmental challenges facing Africa. The report highlights pressing issues such as: The accelerating climate emergency and its far-reaching impacts Migration and conflicts linked to environmental pressures Food security and the future of African agriculture Water scarcity and public health concerns Adaptation strategies that communities and governments can adopt The potential of biotechnology to enhance sustainable agriculture, improve crop resilience, and address food security challenges By convening journalists, the event seeks to strengthen media engagement in driving awareness, accountability, and solutions around climate change, biotechnology, and environmental sustainability in Africa. The briefing and book launch are jointly organized by the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE), Down to Earth, Alliance for Science Ethiopia, and Media for Environment, Science, Health and Agriculture (MESHA). Participants can expect in-depth discussions, expert analysis, and storytelling opportunities that bring the data and challenges to life. Over the coming days, live updates and insights will be shared to ensure that this vital conversation reaches audiences across Africa and beyond.

New report highlights Africa’s climate crisis, sparks urgent calls to act

A new report has laid bare the scale of Africa’s climate emergency, revealing that the period between 2021 and 2025 has been the most devastating five-year stretch in terms of human toll from weather, climate, and water-related disasters. The State of Africa’s Environment 2025 report—produced by the India-based Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) and Down To Earth—was released Thursday, September 18 in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, during a media briefing that brought together journalists from across the continent. The 152-page report shows that about 412 million people in Africa have been affected by extreme weather events in the past 15 years, with more than half of them (53.77%) impacted in just the last five years. At least 41,549 people lost their lives, the majority between 2021 and 2025. Droughts were by far the most significant hazard, affecting 178 million people in that period.

Melting Peaks, Thinning Margins: A New Water Reality Is Arriving

A fresh environmental report released in Addis Ababa has a blunt message for East Africa: the water calculus is changing, and faster than most plans assume. The State of Africa’s Environment 2025 warns that climate-driven shifts in the water cycle are intensifying stress across the continent and could force mass displacement by the end of the decade. For East Africa, the signal is stark on the region’s signature peaks—Kilimanjaro in Tanzania, Mount Kenya, and the Rwenzori ranges in Uganda—where ice fields are retreating quicker than global averages. Glaciers on these mountains are small in volume but large in meaning. They store high-altitude water, regulate seasonal flows, and anchor tourism economies. When they shrink, nearby communities feel it first: springs weaken, dry-season buffers thin, and downstream irrigation schemes face tighter rationing. The report’s headline figure—a projection that up to 700 million Africans could face displacement linked to water stress by 2030—doesn’t land evenly, but it illustrates the scale of risk planners must price in. East African governments have expanded dams, boreholes, and rural water points. Yet the new reality calls for a different rhythm: faster groundwater mapping, aggressive leakage control, and conservation agriculture that keeps moisture in the soil instead of losing it to heat. Cities must catch more stormwater when it falls and reuse more wastewater when it doesn’t. Tourism boards will also need to diversify the draw—less “snow on the equator,” more culture, trails, biodiversity—so visitor numbers don’t hinge on disappearing ice. The report’s authors lean on earlier climate assessments to show how hotter, longer dry spells and erratic rains now bookend the calendar. Floods and droughts increasingly arrive as back-to-back shocks rather than isolated events, eroding household savings and stressing public works built for gentler cycles. That makes early-warning systems and micro-insurance less of an add-on and more of a core service for farmers and informal businesses. There is a route through this. East Africa’s energy build-out—geothermal in Kenya, hydropower across the region, nascent wind and solar corridors—can power desalination pilots on the coasts and big-lift pumping inland, while climate-smart farming raises yields per drop. The harder part is governance: keeping water allocations transparent, maintaining pipes before they fail, and treating catchments like living infrastructure. Symbols matter. If the white cap on Kibo fades, the image will sting, but the practical work remains the same: protect headwaters, price losses honestly, and help communities adapt without losing their homes or their livelihoods. The melt is a warning; the response can still be a plan.