Calay News
Although climate change is not directly identified as the origin of armed conflicts, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) maintains that this phenomenon “considerably exacerbates confrontations and related adversities,” such as famine, economic hardship, and forced displacement.
According to the report, by the year 2060, conflict-related deaths could increase by 8.5% in states characterized by “fragility, conflict, and violence” (FCV) and up to 14% in those countries facing a noticeable rise in temperatures.
A total of 39 nations, home to close to 1,000 million inhabitants and representing 43% of people living in poverty globally, are categorized as FCV by the World Bank. A significant number of these countries, which suffer disproportionately from the effects of climate change, are located in Africa.
Similarly, more than 50 million individuals in these nations could face food shortages by 2060 due to declining agricultural production coupled with rising food costs, the IMF warns.
The economic consequences of climate shocks affect vulnerable countries more “severely and persistently” than other nations, the report added.
With just a week to go before the first African Climate Action Summit, the IMF is calling on leaders to propose solutions targeting the most prone nations.
“Every year, three times as many people are affected by natural disasters in fragile states than in other nations. Disasters in these disadvantaged states trigger displacement that is double the number in other nations,” reads the IMF blog post.
The institution highlights that “extreme temperatures and increasingly frequent exceptional weather events will affect human health and decrease productivity and employment in key sectors such as agriculture and construction.”
