Human-caused climate change has intensified the devastating rains that triggered deadly floods in Cameroon, Chad, Niger, Nigeria, and Sudan in recent months, killing around 1,500 people and displacing over a million, according to international scientists. The heavy downpours, worsened by global warming, overwhelmed dams and could become an annual threat if global temperatures continue to rise, experts warn.
Researchers from the World Weather Attribution (WWA) group found that global warming has made this year’s rains 5-20% more intense across the Niger and Lake Chad basins. They also warned that if temperatures reach 2°C, expected by the 2050s, such extreme rainfall could become a yearly occurrence.
“Spells of heavy summer rainfall have become the new normal in Sudan, Nigeria, Niger, Cameroon, and Chad,” said a researcher at the Royal Netherlands Meteorological Institute, in a statement. The floods have overwhelmed dams in Nigeria and Sudan, further exacerbating the crisis. Scientists are calling for increased investment in early warning systems and the upgrading of dam infrastructure to mitigate future disasters.
Climate Change Worsens Deadly Floods in West and Central Africa, Scientists Say
