Africa Action (Washington, DC). In recognition of Earth Day, Africa Action released a new resource entitled A Strategy of Extraction examining the oil industry in Africa using the case study of Nigeria’s Niger Delta region. Because of poverty and geography, Africa will be disproportionately impacted by climate change. Africa Action urged leaders to prioritize sustainable, people-driven development in U.S.-Africa relations.

African scientists point to the extreme droughts of the past 25 years as evidence that the impacts of climate change are already being felt. If climate change continues at present rates, unpredictable fluctuations in rainfall along with more frequent and severe droughts threaten agriculture, the backbone of most African economies.

The threats posed by climate change are intricately linked to existing human development challenges such as food insecurity, conflict, and public health problems like the absence of clean water. In areas where rainfall increases, swampier environments with more standing water will facilitate breeding of mosquitoes and thus greater spread of malaria and other insect-born diseases. People living with HIV or AIDS will face malnutrition as food shortages occur, impeding the effectiveness of treatment regimens.

“Climate change is a threat to all humanity, and the United States and other wealthy nations have a duty to address the global peril that they are primarily responsible for,” said Gerald LeMelle, Executive Director of Africa Action. “U.S. development policy in Africa must address both the immediate challenge of poverty and the long-term need for renewable energy sources.”