Lagos, Kinshasa, Nairobi to face worst population, pollution, crime challenges – report | Tellwell Newspaper
Tellwell Newspaper, Abuja – Nigeria:
Nigeria’s economic capital Lagos, Kenyan capital Nairobi and Democratic Republic of Congo’s Kinshasa would face the harshest challenges among megacities in the world in terms of population growth rates, pervasive air pollution, sanitation, higher levels of petty and organized crime,
according to global Ecological Threat Report (ETR) released on Wednesday.
The trio, which are among the 33 megacities in the world, would face nightmarish hurdles as they lack the financial capacity and governance to adequately cope with these challenges, warned the report obtained by Tellwell Newspaper.
Ecological Threat Report is an annual compendium produced by the Institute for Economics and Peace (IEP), featuring exclusive research from the Lloyd’s Register Foundation World Risk Poll.
The report analyses ecological risk, societal resilience, and peace for 250 cities across 228 countries, assessing their ability to manage their challenges between now and 2050.
It also highlights 27 ‘hotspot’ countries, 23 of them in Sub-Saharan Africa, home to an estimated 768 million people, which face the worst ecological threats and have the lowest societal resilience.
These three megacities have the highest population growth, highlighting the precarious relationship with unsustainability, the report said.
Over 60 percent of the 33 megacities are in low peace countries, with their number expected to reach 47 by 2050 when global population is projected to soar to
9.7 billion.
As the world’s population balloons, so would the world face stiffer challenges including natural disasters and migration, food shortages, conflicts and water stress, as well as climate concerns.
Ecological threats, such as rapid population growth, water risk, and food insecurity will be exacerbated by climate change, causing mass migration and conflict, said the report, warning Sub-Saharan Africa would be the worst hit by these unpleasant upheavals.
“As we approach COP27, this report is a timely reminder that the costs of many of the existing ecological challenges will only be amplified by climate change,” said Steve Killelea, IEP Founder and Executive Chairman.
By 2050, sub-Saharan Africa’s population is predicted to rise to 2.1 billion, an increase of over 95 per cent, which will dramatically increase pressure on existing food and water supplies.
Africa is also home to some of the world’s most unsustainable cities, which would see population growth of over 50 percent in cities including Lagos, Nairobi,
Kinshasa and Khartoum.
Projections to 2050 show that much of sub-Saharan Africa would be unsustainable, with 95 percent population growth projected. Currently, 738 million people lack adequate food and all but one country are facing extreme water stress, the report pointed out.
Already 37 of 52 African countries analysed in the report are now suffering extreme levels of food insecurity.
The ETR identified Burundi, Central African Republic, Chad, Democratic Republic of Congo, Somalia, South Sudan and Uganda as the most at risk hotspot countries in Sub-Saharan Africa.
“The world’s current approach to the countries suffering the worst climate-related issues is not working; ecological threats are increasing and have systemic causes that require systemic solutions,”
Killelea said.
“Governments and international agencies must invest in building long-term resilience to avert future ecological destruction, forced migration and conflict,” he added.
