The African continent contributes to the lowest Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions globally. However, GHG emissions, particularly Carbon Dioxide (CO2) and Methane (CH4) emission patterns, show a continuous increase in the African region, reflecting the importance of practising economic growth in the continent with sustainable environmental policies to meet future global climate targets.
Given Africa’s increasing emissions and the continent’s vulnerability to climate change, this study contributes to the existing literature by assessing the continental and country-wise impact of CO2 and CH4 emissions on MST and the resulting impact on MSL through Fixed Effect (FE) panel estimation and Simple Linear Regression (SLR).
This study focuses on continent-specific and country-specific emissions and their impacts and proposes policy measures to mitigate the emissions in the African continent.
As a matter of fact climate change from anthropogenic emissions imposes a significant threat to African countries, affecting inhabitants and ecosystems across the continent.
The African continent is subdivided into five main regions: Northern Africa (NA), Central Africa (CA), Southern Africa (SA), Eastern Africa (EA), and Western Africa (WA), encompassing a total of fifty-four countries with immense geographical, social, and economic differences.
Many countries in the African region are especially vulnerable to climate change because of their reliance on rain-fed agriculture, scarcity of water resources, frequent extreme weather events like droughts and heatwaves, rising incidences of diseases, limited access to infrastructure and financial resources, outdated technologies, and climate-sensitive vital economic sectors.
Anthropogenic emissions affect the surface temperature levels, causing sea level rise.
The surge in sea levels is primarily caused by thermal expansion and the melting of land-based ice sheets. The African continent covers about one-fifth of Earth’s total surface and is bounded by the Atlantic Ocean on the west side and the Indian Ocean on the east side.
The African coastline showcases a steady growth in ocean height and is expected to increase by 1 m in a 4 °C global warming scenario. Rising sea levels threaten many African countries, reducing land areas and increasing coastal floods.
Also, the African coastal regions are expected to experience the highest growth of population and urbanisation in the world, and elevated sea levels will affect approximately 174 million African inhabitants by 2060.
A Guest Editorial
