Lancet Paper Warns of Rising Health Impacts of Climate Change in Africa; New Regional Centre Launched to Boost Data and Policy Support
African countries face some of the world’s most severe climate-linked health risks despite contributing least to emissions
A major new Health Policy paper published in The Lancet warns that the health impacts of climate change are rapidly intensifying across African countries, despite the continent’s minimal contribution to global greenhouse gas emissions. Aimed at guiding African policymakers, the report underscores the urgent need to place health at the centre of climate action and development planning.
According to the paper, African nations are already facing severe climate-related risks, including rising temperatures, extreme weather events, food insecurity, malnutrition, vector-borne diseases, and displacement. To respond effectively, the study calls for strengthened data systems, equitable climate financing, and evidence-based climate policies that can help countries adapt and build long-term resilience.
Dr. Zakari Ali, Lancet Countdown Africa Fellow, emphasized that African nations are not starting from scratch. “The solutions to adapt to the health impacts of climate change in Africa will not come easy, but we are not starting from zero. Now is the time to build new expertise and galvanise existing data to guide effective action to safeguard human health across Africa.”
New Lancet Countdown Africa Regional Centre Launched
In response to the continent’s growing needs, the Lancet Countdown has launched a new Africa Regional Centre, initially incubated at MRCG with Wellcome funding and now hosted at the Future Africa pan-African platform of the University of Pretoria. The Centre aims to unite regional experts and institutions to produce locally relevant evidence, track climate-related health indicators, and support policymakers with robust, actionable data.
Professor Tafadzwa Mabhaudhi, Director of Lancet Countdown Africa, highlighted the significance of the new centre: “As the health impacts of climate change worsen, the centre will assemble eminent experts and work with partners globally to translate evidence into solutions. It will elevate the African voice in global discourse and help convert climate commitments into meaningful action that protects lives and livelihoods.”
Professor Kris Murray, Lead of Nutrition and Planetary Health at MRCG at LSHTM, stressed the importance of global collaboration: “Effective action on the health impacts of climate change requires coordinated efforts from all corners of the world. The African Centre aims to shift the centre of gravity of climate and health science and ensure solutions serve local populations.”
About the Lancet Countdown
The Lancet Countdown: Tracking Progress on Health and Climate Change is a global research collaboration supported by Wellcome, bringing together almost 300 experts from academic institutions and UN agencies. It monitors the health impacts of climate change and assesses global progress in reducing risks and capitalising on opportunities.
The newly launched Lancet Countdown Africa Regional Centre becomes the sixth regional centre of excellence dedicated to generating regionalised scientific evidence to inform local and national climate-health decisions.
The writer of this article is Dr. Seema Javed, an environmentalist & a communications professional in the field of climate and energy
