Climate crisis responsible for West Africa’s heat wave in February: summary

What we know:

• A study by the World Weather Attribution researchers has suggested that temperatures in many West African countries which were unusually higher in the month of February, were likely caused by global heating.
• The heat which affected the health of millions also affected cocoa farming and production, resulting in inflated prices among other things, and coincided with sporting activities during the Africa Cup of Nations held in Ivory Coast.
• The study found that the heatwaves that occur in between centuries would have happened less than once a century if climate change wasn’t present. It noted that the frequency has shifted and it is now occurring once a decade with an average of 1.2 degrees Celsius of global heating over the last four years.
• February was the hottest ever recorded, in the history of the world, according to The Guardian, the ninth month in a row that such a record has been broken with an increase in carbon emissions and the return of the El Niño phenomenon driving high temperatures.
• Planning in West African countries like Nigeria and Ghana was not carried out despite early warnings by meteorological organisations in countries including Nigeria and Ghana.

What they said:

Maja Vahlberg, a risk consultant at the Red Cross Red Crescent Climate Centre said the consequences of the heatwave could have detrimental consequences. “Many people do not appreciate the dangers of heat [but high temperatures] are silent killers. They can be incredibly deadly for the elderly, people with existing health conditions, and outdoor workers. Roughly half of the West African population also lives in informal housing, rendering millions of people highly vulnerable to extreme heat,” she was quoted by The Guardian.