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Spheres of Influence
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Continental Divide: Why Africa’s Climate Change Burden Is Greater Scott Fields Abstract
Africa, although it contributes only 4% of the world’s carbon dioxide output, appears to be the continent that will be the most affected by the global warming caused in part by greenhouse gases. Some scientists believe the continent is already being affected by climate change, as evidenced by the waves of drought that have gripped the Sahel and southern Africa intermittently since the 1970s. Although climate change is not necessarily worse in Africa than in other areas, multiple stressors—such as the spread of HIV/AIDS, the privatization and general lack of resources, increasing impoverishment, population growth, and conflict—leave many African nations poorly equipped to absorb the effects of weather extremes, with potentially catastrophic public health consequences.
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