Abstract
This study analyzed the impact of climate-related natural disasters (droughts, floods, storms/rainstorms) on economic and social variables. As the Africa-specific empirical literature is limited, this study used panel data from 1961–2011 on Africa. The study used a panel data regression model analysis. The results showed that climate change-related natural disasters affected Africa’s economic growth, agriculture, and poverty and caused armed conflicts. Among the disasters, droughts are the main cause of negative impact, severely affecting crops such as maize and coffee and resulting in increased urban poverty and armed conflicts. In contrast, international aid has a positive effect but the impact is insignificant compared to the negative consequences of climate-related natural disasters. Cereal food assistance has a negative crowding-out effect on cereal production. International donors should review their interventions to support Africa’s adaptative capacity to disasters. Government efficiency has reduced the number of deaths, and this is an area that supports Africa’s adaptative efforts.
Highlights
Climate Change and Natural Disasters in AfricaThis section reviews climate change and natural disasters in Africa
This study tested the impact of three elements of climate-related disasters on (1) Gross domestic product (GDP) per capita and agricultural production, (2) impact on poverty and conflict, and (3) factors contributing toward reducing the impact of disasters
There is no consensus on the impact of natural disasters on GDP, and there is no empirical analysis focusing on the impact of climate-related natural disasters on agricultural production in Africa
Summary
With the increasing threat of global warming, there is a drastic increase in the number of catastrophic natural disasters. Global warming is a worldwide phenomenon, but African countries are disproportionately punished, even though they contributed the least toward greenhouse gas emissions compared with developed countries. We must understand the extent of the collateral damage of global warming in Africa. This study analyzed the damage caused by climate-related natural disasters, such as floods, droughts, and storms. (The phenomenon of extreme temperature is not included in this study, as the frequency is shallow in Africa.) The remainder of this paper is organized as follows.
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