In the small community of Ohofia in rural Nigeria, 40 kilometers from the southeastern state city of Enugu, Michael Okorie, 54, a smallholder farmer, grows yams. During the 2020 planting season in February, he secured a loan of 60,000 Naira ($166) and committed to repaying after harvest in a few months. He was fully prepared for the early rains of March that soften the land, making sure the yam tubers can take root. But the rains did not come in March. Without his regular foresight, Okorie planted in early April. Rains came in May, but it was too heavy and frequent, quickly turning into flash floods that ruined his work and scattered the yam seedlings. “I lost a lot last year and got into heavy debt,” Okorie told Climate Home News in February 2020. “It wasn’t this way in the past. Rain came in its time. Sunshine came in its season. But the seasons are becoming mysterious.” Nigeria is the most populous country in Africa and is expected to overtake China and become the 2nd most populous country by 2100. According to the UN, smallholder farmers like Okorie produce 90% of the food in the country. The changing seasons and population growth are already putting incredible pressure on the continent’s food production. According to the new UN climate report, Africa is one of the most vulnerable places to be hit by the massive, overwhelming effects of the global climate crisis. According to that report, things are only about to get worse. The crisis is already here Okorie’s yam plantation epitomizes Africa’s most noticeable climate change ramifications, already affecting hundreds of billions. Late-onset of rains and dry spells rises in temperatures, and heavy downpours are destroying crops, sending their growers to serious debt, and causing excess hunger. In Nigeria alone economic productivity could decrease by up to 30% by 2050 due to climate change, says a study by Oxfam Nigeria and the West Africa Network for Peace-building Nigeria (WANEP). In early August, the UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) presented the 6th “state of the science” on the climate crisis. UN Secretary-General António Guterres called the report: “a code red for humanity,” noting that “global heating is affecting every region on Earth, with many of the changes becoming irreversible.” Over 3500 pages long and written by more than 200 scientists from over 60 countries, this is the most comprehensive, science-based report ever to be published on the issue of climate change. It places the blame for global warming on human greenhouse gas emissions, forgoing the question of “natural versus human-caused,” conquering that society’s reliance on fossil fuels is the reason the planet has already warmed 1.2 degrees Celsius. Today, the primary concern is that as warming continues, extreme climate events such as droughts, floods, cyclones, hurricanes, and sea-level rise will continue to increase in frequency and intensity. These detrimental consequences are influential in every part of our planet, but Africa is the most exposed and threatened. Africa under the spotlight Focusing on Africa, the report projects an increase in average temperatures and hot extremes across the continent. In contrast, the frequency and intensity of heavy rainfall events are projected to increase alongside heatwaves and sea level rises along the continental shores. “All of Africa, in general, is vulnerable, given the level of development,” Youba Sokona, vice-chair of the IPCC, told Africanews about what the report means for Africa. “The entire continent is highly exposed to climate extremes, at a relatively high level of vulnerability, which amplifies the problems that the continent is experiencing, including poverty, limited infrastructure, conflicts and urbanization in development.” The projected weather conditions will have a devastating impact on a continent where most economies and livelihoods of the people depend on rain-fed agriculture. Around 66% of Africa’s population is employed in the agriculture sector, while 94% of arable lands are rain-fed only. In the likely scenario where global warming will reach at least 2°C by the mid-21st century, southern Africa is set to experience a reduction in precipitation, which will have disastrous effects on agriculture and water availability in the region, which will soon result in adverse health issues. Focusing on renewable possibilities for change There is still time to establish meaningful impact and create a better, more hopeful reality. This potential lies, of course, in solar power and other renewable sources of energy. Focusing on the renewable sphere could have a dual effect on the continent and its communities. Firstly, By connecting hundreds of millions to electricity through solar power, we can provide an affordable solution for entire communities that could escape extreme poverty conditions through the endless possibilities that electricity access offers. With more opportunities for work and education, communities across the region will be less vulnerable to the changing weather conditions. Solar irrigation solutions are another crucial factor in establishing a better starting point for local communities. They present an affordable option for smallholder farmers, like Michael Okorie, to properly irrigate their farms and not rely solely on rainwater, allowing farmers to take their situation into their own hands and be a bit less diverted by climate changes. Secondly, renewable energy solutions are the leading way to offset the climate crisis, and the more people use them, the better off our planet will be. As Africa’s population continues to grow exponentially, expected to double and become 25% of the global population by 2050, the continent must focus on renewable energy. Local governments looking for current electricity solutions should go to the renewable option first. It is the most affordable and scalable, and on top of all, the only sustainable solution. Africa has the opportunity to lead our planet to a better, greener future, and leaders should take on this opportunity and put renewable energy first. Today. The writer is an entrepreneur and investor, leading sustainability-driven companies in Africa and the Middle East
