By Ross Moyo
Climate change has proved to be the fertilizer to health disasters costing African economies at least 3-5% of their Gross Domestic Product.This according to Zimbabwe President Emmerson Mnangagwa who confirmed in his address at the inaugural Climate and Health Africa Conference (CHAC 2024) held in Harare yesterday.
President Mnangagwa in his address to delegates at the official opening of the inaugural Climate and Health Africa Conference (CHAC 2024), said Africa must be at the forefront of protecting its people, flora and fauna, while advancing its development aspirations and livelihoods.
“Our beloved continent, Africa, is enduring the worst effects of global warming. The land that nourished us for a millennium is now being ravaged by increasingly severe heat, droughts, floods, and cyclones.
“The impacts are profound, costing African economies between 3 and 5 percent of our GDPs. Despite being among the least responsible for emissions causing climatic disturbances, Africa bears both the brunt and cost of climate change. This, coupled with illegal sanctions, particularly for Zimbabwe, is having a far-reaching implication on straining our health system,” he said.
Mnangagwa’s profound speech was ahead of the 29th Conference of Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP29) to be held in Baku, Azerbaijan, next month, were he called on all African countries to stand united in coming up with resolutions to deal with the impact of climate change on health.
“As we prepare for COP29 and look ahead to COP32, Africa must once again stand united. We must advance our development agenda, framed by our aspirations and driven by the actions of our people. The outcomes of this Conference must play a crucial role in shaping Africa’s future at the intersection of climate and health.”
The President said climate change was not merely an environmental disaster, but a profound public health emergency, which had contributed to the re-emergence of previously under control diseases such as malaria, cholera and diarrhoeal infections.
The Centre for Sexual Health and HIV/AIDS Research (CeSHHAR) Zimbabwe in collaboration with the Ministry of Environment, Climate and Wildlife and the Ministry of Health and Child Care is hosting CHAC 2024 with the aim of addressing the harmful health impact of climate change on health and well-being in Africa.
This brings together researchers, policymakers, and other stakeholders serving as a platform for sharing innovations, best practices, and solutions that enhance climate resilience in health running under the theme, “Cultivating resilience in health: towards unified equitable strategies for climate adaptation and mitigation in Africa.”
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