Climate change and its potential impact on the health and demographic profiles of Africa
Year: 2025
Type: article
Abstract: Africa is the continent most impacted by climate change, which affects people's health directly and indirectly. The effects include infectious diseases, malnutrition, food insecurity, and damage to mental health. Africa's climate has warmed more than the global average since pre-industrial times. At the same time, the rise of sea levels along African coasts is faster than the worldwide average. The main objectives of this study are to analyze how climate change is affecting the African continent and to evaluate the impact of climate change on health and demographic profile. To analyze the impact of climate change on health, a trend analysis of demographic indicators related to climate change from the World Bank and a study of the nine climate risk profiles of African countries are carried out. With differences between countries, the climate effects will be a warmer and drier continent, with an increase in extreme weather events. Impoverished rural and urban populations will be the most affected. Climate impact and its effect on health are exacerbated by the interaction between demographic growth, urbanization, and the lack of resources, which contribute to low levels of adaptation to high-intensity meteorological phenomena.
Authors: LARA GÓMEZ, IBTIHAL AHMED, AREIJ MOHAMED
Language: English
Subfield: Health, Toxicology and Mutagenesis
Field: Environmental Science
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: diamond
OpenAlex ID: W4410241216