FICHA INFORMATIVA ÁFRICA AUSTRAL

This fact sheet, produced by the Climate and Development Knowledge Network (CDKN), synthesizes findings from the IPCC Sixth Assessment Report (AR6) specifically for Southern Africa. It details observed climate changes, future projections, and the resulting impacts on health, biodiversity, food systems, and economies, while outlining adaptation strategies and critical investment needs for the region.

• Southern Africa has experienced temperature increases exceeding the global average, with annual surface temperatures rising between 1.04ºC and 1.44ºC from 1961 to 2015. Other observed changes include a doubling of marine heatwaves along the coast between 1982 and 2016 and an increase in the frequency of meteorological droughts, which rose by 2.5 to 3 events per decade since 1961.
• Climate change is significantly impacting human health and mortality in the region. In South Africa, human-induced climate change is estimated to have been responsible for nearly 44% of heat-related deaths between 1991 and 2018. Future warming of 1.5ºC is projected to increase the spread of infectious diseases, specifically raising the population at risk of contracting dengue and malaria.
• Agricultural productivity is declining due to climate change; between 1974 and 2008, wheat and maize productivity in Sub-Saharan Africa decreased by an average of 2.3% and 5.8%, respectively. Projections indicate that wheat productivity in Southern Africa could drop by more than 50% with 1.5ºC of warming, even with adaptation measures.
• Infrastructure and human settlements face escalating risks, particularly in coastal and low-lying areas. In Mozambique, river flooding could cause transport infrastructure damages exceeding 400 million USD annually by 2050 under high-warming scenarios. Additionally, sea-level rise is projected to cause aggregate damages of 650–980 million USD in Maputo and 110–170 million USD in Cape Town by 2050.
• The region suffers from critical data gaps and funding inequities in climate research. From 1990 to 2009, research on Africa received only 3.8% of global climate research funding, and of that, only 14.5% went to African institutions, while 78% was allocated to institutions in North America and the EU.
• Effective adaptation requires a shift toward nature-based solutions and gender-sensitive approaches. However, the document warns of 'maladaptation,' such as when biomass production for bioenergy displaces subsistence agriculture or biodiversity-rich areas, thereby threatening food security and ecosystem services.

APA

Trisos, C., Totin, E., Adelekan, I., Lennard, C., Simpson, N., New, M., & Meyer, A. (2022). FICHA INFORMATIVA ÁFRICA AUSTRAL. Climate and Development Knowledge Network. https://cdkn.org/sites/default/files/2022-09/IPCC%20Factsheet_Southern%20Africa%20%28Portuguese%29.pdf

Chicago

Trisos, Christopher, Edmond Totin, Ibidun Adelekan, Chris Lennard, Nicholas Simpson, Mark New, and Andreas Meyer. FICHA INFORMATIVA ÁFRICA AUSTRAL. Climate and Development Knowledge Network, 2022. https://cdkn.org/sites/default/files/2022-09/IPCC%20Factsheet_Southern%20Africa%20%28Portuguese%29.pdf.

Wikipedia

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BibTeX

@techreport{trisos2022ficha, author = {Trisos, Christopher and Totin, Edmond and Adelekan, Ibidun and Lennard, Chris and Simpson, Nicholas and New, Mark and Meyer, Andreas}, title = {{FICHA INFORMATIVA ÁFRICA AUSTRAL}}, institution = {Climate and Development Knowledge Network}, year = {2022}, url = {https://cdkn.org/sites/default/files/2022-09/IPCC%20Factsheet_Southern%20Africa%20%28Portuguese%29.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }