Africa is increasingly bearing the brunt of a rapidly warming planet, with worsening droughts, deadly floods and rising food insecurity highlighting the continent’s growing vulnerability, according to 2025 State of the Global Climate Report by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO).
Despite contributing the least to global greenhouse gas emissions, African countries are among the hardest hit by climate change, with extreme weather events disrupting livelihoods and displacing communities.
From prolonged drought in eastern and central regions to destructive flooding in parts of West and southern Africa, the impacts are intensifying.
“Flooding events across Africa caused deaths, displacement and widespread damage,” the report said, while warning that “climate shocks are undermining food security, especially in low-income regions.”
The findings come as the global climate reaches alarming new extremes. The WMO reports that “the past three years are the three warmest years on record,” part of a broader trend in which “the last eleven years have all been the warmest on record.”
Scientists say the continued rise in temperatures is driven by human activity, particularly the buildup of greenhouse gases.
“Greenhouse gas concentrations have reached their highest levels in hundreds of thousands to millions of years,” the report noted, adding that the Earth is now “trapping more energy than it releases.”
For Africa, this global warming translates into real and immediate risks. Drought conditions have reduced water availability and agricultural output in several regions, while heavier rains elsewhere have triggered floods that destroy homes, crops and infrastructure.
The report also warns that these climate extremes are deepening existing vulnerabilities. “Vulnerable communities are disproportionately affected by climate change impacts,” it said, pointing to fragile and conflict-affected regions where the ability to cope is already limited.
Globally, the warming trend is reshaping the planet. Oceans, which absorb most of the excess heat, reached record temperatures in 2025. “Ocean heat content reached a new record high,” the report said, noting that about “91% of the excess heat trapped by greenhouse gases is stored in the ocean.”
Rising ocean temperatures are accelerating sea-level rise, increasing the risk of coastal flooding. At the same time, glaciers and polar ice continue to melt rapidly, with “eight of the ten most severe glacier losses since 1950” occurring in the past decade.
Extreme weather events are becoming more frequent and intense worldwide. “Human-caused climate change is already affecting many weather and climate extremes in every region,” the report said.
In Africa, the human toll is stark. Climate-related disasters are driving displacement, worsening hunger and increasing pressure on already strained resources. Health risks are also rising, with higher temperatures contributing to the spread of diseases such as dengue.
“Extreme heat is affecting health, livelihoods and productivity worldwide,” the report said.
Photo from Vatican News website