88% of Africans Impacted by Climate Change—Survey

By Adedapo Adesanya

As the world moves toward its pursuit of more climate-friendly policies and actions, a new survey has shown that 88 per cent of Africans believe that climate change is already affecting their everyday life.

The first African edition of the European Investment Bank’s (EIB’s) 2022 Climate Survey showed that 61 per cent of respondents believe that climate change and environmental damage have affected their income or source of livelihood, while 76 per cent of African respondents say renewable energy should be prioritised.

The results of the survey come at a critical moment for Africa, after COP 27, where the mobilization of resources for the mitigation of global warming and the adaptation to its effects were at the heart of the debates with the decisive agreement reached on a new “loss and damage” fund for vulnerable countries hard hit by climatic disasters.

These losses are typically due to severe drought, rising sea levels or coastal erosion, or extreme weather events such as floods or hurricanes.

Other findings show that more than half of African respondents (57 per cent) say they or people they know have already taken some form of action to adapt to the impact of climate change. Some of these initiatives include investments in water-saving technologies to reduce the impact of drought and drain clearing in advance of flooding.

The survey results confirm that while climate change has negatively affected the livelihoods of African people, 76 per cent of African respondents say renewable energy should be prioritised, far ahead of fossil fuels (13 per cent).

Speaking on this, Mr Ambroise Fayolle, vice-president of the EIB, noted that “A great majority of respondents in the countries polled in Africa are alerting us that climate change is already impacting their families and sources of income. The results of the EIB 2022 Climate Survey also show that developing renewable energy is seen as an important priority by most of the respondents.”

Africa is the part of the world most affected by climate change, although it contributes least to the problem. The continent faces an increased threat from extreme weather events and chronic climate change, which influence agricultural yields, food and water security, ecosystems, livelihoods, health, infrastructure, and migration.

By damaging vital resources and increasing competition for natural resources, climate change is likely to increase poverty, inequality, and unemployment. Our investments contribute to the building of the infrastructure that helps mitigate climate change and allows Africans to adapt to its unavoidable impact on their lives.

EIB has a long-established presence on the African continent and provides support for numerous initiatives and projects, including in the areas of environmental protection and climate change, the digital economy and telecommunications, sustainable agriculture and food security, clean water and sanitation, clean and affordable energy, sustainable infrastructure, sustainable industrial development, urban development, education, and lending for sustainable projects carried out by small and medium-sized enterprises and large corporations.

EIB financing includes providing access to clean and modern energy for hundreds of millions of people in Africa.