Climate change: Five big issues affecting Africa

Like many other African countries, Madagascar has been impacted by flooding recently

Climate change is a huge issue affecting lots of countries right across the world.

According to the United Nations (UN), changes in weather patterns are expected to have more of an impact on Africa than any other continent in the world.

Flooding, drought and rising temperatures are all having an impact on people living in African countries.

Many of the climate issues in Africa aren't widely known, something which young African climate activists are eager to change.

Want to know more about how climate change is impacting the world's third largest continent? Here are five important climate issues in Africa.

Deforestation in the Congo Basin

The Democratic Republic of Congo has seen a big increase in deforestation

The Congo Basin is the world's second biggest rainforest after the Amazon. It covers an area totalling a whopping 1,780,000 km2 and stretches across a number of different countries including Cameroon, the Central African Republic (CAR), the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), the Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea and Gabon. Around two thirds of the forest is in the DRC.

More than 12,000 different species, which includes tropical plants, birds, fish and mammals, can be found in the Congo Basin.

The rainforest also provides important resources like food, fuel and shelter for more than 75 million people.

However, the rainforest has seen a huge increase in the rates of deforestation - which is when large areas of trees are cleared - particularly in the DRC. Trees absorb carbon dioxide from the air, but this is released back into the atmosphere when they are cut or burned down and this contributes to global warming.

Flooding in the Central African Republic

Lots of people in the Central African Republic lost their homes because of severe flooding

The Central African Republic (CAR), which is located in central Africa, was hit by major flooding at the end of 2019. Heavy rain in the country caused the Oubangui river to overflow.

The recent flooding is thought to have been the worst to hit the country in the last 20 years. More than 10,000 homes have been destroyed and more than 30,000 people have been made homeless.

Lots of other countries in East Africa have also been affected by flooding in recent times including Sudan, South Sudan, Ethiopia, Somalia and Kenya.

Droughts in South Africa

Some parts of South Africa haven't seen rain for several years

South Africa is currently experiencing a severe drought. Some areas in the country haven't seen rainfall for several years. The extreme weather is bad news for South Africa's wildlife industry.

Temperatures in Southern Africa are said to be rising at twice the global average rate according to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, and water levels in South African reservoirs are falling.

Other African countries have also been impacted by drought including Malawi, Zambia and Zimbabwe.

Rising temperatures in sub-Saharan Africa

Lots of Africa countries, including Zimbabwe, have been affected by hot temperatures

Sub-Saharan Africa is made up of lots of different countries including Angola, Cameroon, Ghana, Liberia, Zimbabwe and Sierra Leone.

Temperature increases are expected to be higher compared to average temperature increases globally and it's been predicted that regions close to the equator will experience more heatwaves and hotter nights.

Cyclones in Southern and East Africa

Cyclone Idai hit Mozambique in March 2019

Africa was hit by several cyclones last year. Cyclone Idai struck Mozambique in March 2019, affecting more than 1.5 million people. Thousands in Malawi and Zimbabwe were also negatively impacted by the extreme weather conditions.

Tropical storm Pawan hit Somalia in December 2019, leading to strong winds and heavy rainfall. Almost 5000 people lost their homes as a result of the storm.