Key facts
- Scientists concluded that recent heavy rains in West Africa were supercharged by climate breakdown.
- The floods displaced thousands and caused dozens of deaths across Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana, Togo, and Nigeria.
- The intensity of such deluges has increased by approximately 23% due to global warming.
- Similar extreme rainfall events are expected to occur every two to four years with continued warming.
- Industrialized nations have a responsibility to help affected nations adapt to climate change impacts.
Scientists have concluded that recent heavy rains in West Africa, which caused widespread flooding and displaced thousands, were supercharged by climate breakdown. The intensity of such deluges has increased by approximately 23% due to global warming.
Over 72 hours starting June 20, intense rainfall drenched the densely populated coastal regions of Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana, Togo, and Nigeria. More than 140mm of rain fell in some cities in less than a day, overwhelming drainage systems and triggering flash floods that inundated neighborhoods, washed away markets, and submerged roads.
At least 34 people died in Ghana, five in Togo, and 59 in Côte d’Ivoire since May. The World Weather Attribution team stated such a deluge was five times more likely in today’s climate, with heavy, three-day downpours in the region increasing in intensity by roughly 23% since record-keeping began.
With the climate 1.4C hotter than before the industrial use of fossil fuels, similar rainfall events are expected to occur every two to four years above the Gulf of Guinea. While climate models often struggle with tropical precipitation trends, they showed climate change caused a 4% increase in intensity for this event, confirming that greenhouse gas emissions made it worse.
Researchers emphasized the need for international cooperation on climate justice, stating that industrialized nations have a responsibility to help nations like Togo, Côte d’Ivoire, and Ghana adapt to a worsening problem they did not cause.