Glaciers in Africa will disappear in 20 years - what is the threat?

The attention of scientists in recent years has been riveted toglaciers of the Arctic and Antarctica. We have repeatedly talked about the fact that melting is only accelerating. In Antarctica, the number of breakaways of glaciers from the mainland has increased, which may in the near future be reflected at the level of the world ocean. However, not much information was received about glaciers in other parts of the Earth, in fact, they were overlooked. And in vain, some of them disappear even faster than at the poles, despite the fact that they are of great importance for the regions in which they are located. In particular, as it turned out, Africa is losing its glaciers extremely quickly. According to a report by the World Meteorological Organization, in 20 years there will be no more of them on the continent. For example, Kilimanjaro has lost more than 82 percent of its ice cover. The situation in the Kenya mountain range is even worse - it has lost more than 92% of the ice "cap". True, the decrease in the amount of ice began not now, but about 100 years ago, but in recent years this process has accelerated. If the glaciers disappear completely, the African continent could be badly damaged. But the paradox is that Africa is the least contributor to climate warming. It accounts for only 4% of greenhouse gases from the total amount of emissions on the planet, which, in fact, is not surprising. However, it is destined to be the first to suffer seriously from climate warming.

Africa may lose all its glaciers in 20 years

Africa's Climate - What's Happening to It?

The African continent has already lostmost of its glaciers. Currently, there are only three mountains that still have ice cover - these are Kenya, Kilimanjaro and Rwenzori. According to climatologists in their report, the Kenya mountain range will be the first to lose ice. This will happen in less than 10 years, that is, in 2030. The ice will completely disappear on the continent in 2040.

As I said above, the melting of glaciers here beganabout 100 years ago. Scientists in their report note that the 30-year warming trend between 1991 and 2020 is significantly higher than between 1961 and 1990. This situation is observed in all regions of Africa. Moreover, this continent is warming up faster than the average planet. I must say that accelerated climate warming is observed not only in Africa, but also in Russia, which we also talked about not so long ago.

Mount Kilimanjaro will be the first to lose its ice

The situation has worsened especially dramatically over the pastsome years. During 2020, climatic indicators were characterized by unceasing temperature rises, extreme climatic and weather events, and rising sea levels. Last year was one of the hottest on record.

Throughout 2020 on the continentfloods, landslides and droughts were recorded, which led to devastating consequences. But, judging by the forecast, this is only the beginning. The situation will get worse in the near future. According to climatologists, the accelerated melting of the remaining glaciers in eastern Africa, which are likely to melt in the near future, speaks of the threat of imminent and irreversible consequences for the entire Earth.

Consequences of melting glaciers in Africa

The remaining mountains with glaciers can be calledstrategic for Africa. They feed most of the continent's rivers, including the two largest - the Nile and the Congo. After the glaciers melt, as a result of the lack of recharge, the rivers will become very shallow, and in many areas they will dry out altogether. This will lead to disasters as well as destruction of economic, ecological and social systems.

If glaciers melt, the Nile can dry up in many areas

According to experts, in 10 years about 118The continent's millions of poor people living on less than US $ 1.9 will be exposed to flooding, severe drought, and extreme high temperatures. This will significantly complicate the fight against poverty in the region.

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“In sub-Saharan Africaclimate change could lead to a further decline in gross domestic product to 3% by 2050. This poses a major challenge to climate change adaptation and resilience action, as not only the physical conditions but also the scale of the problem are deteriorating. The number of victims will also increase, ”said Leonel Correia Saco, Commissioner for the African Union Commission on Rural Economy and Agriculture.

To prevent the effects of climate changeAfrican countries will have to spend an additional $ 30-50 billion a year. All this suggests that it is necessary right now to make every effort to prevent global warming, since tomorrow it may be too late.