Malaria spreading into highlands that were once too cool for mosquitoes. Cholera outbreaks surging after floods. Heatwaves pushing already stretched hospitals past their limits. These are not distant projections for Africa. They are happening now, and they are sharpening the continent's focus as the Bonn Climate Conference approaches.
Africa accounts for a fraction of the world's greenhouse gas emissions, yet it absorbs some of the heaviest climate-related health consequences on the planet. The gap between responsibility and impact could not be wider, and it is fueling a growing call for health to be treated as a central issue in climate negotiations, not a footnote.
The pressures are coming from every direction. Infectious diseases are on the rise. Air pollution is shortening lives. Floods, droughts, storms, and extreme heat are disrupting communities and overwhelming health systems that were already operating under strain before climate change compounded the crisis.
Bonn is shaping up to be a moment where African voices push that reality to the front of the room. Whether the conversation translates into concrete commitments is the question worth watching.
Originally published by AllAfrica.