Climate problems predicted for Africa

Mozambique floods were blamed on global warming

Africa is facing an increase in natural disasters if the world's main economic powers do not ratify a key protocol on climate change as soon as possible, a key UN environmentalist has warned.

The executive director of the United Nations Environment Programme (Unep), Klaus Toepfer, was speaking after scientists released a new report on climate change.

Industrial activity is adding to global warming

The report, drawn up by scientists from 99 countries, says that increased industrial activity has forced them to revise upwards their predictions of the increase in global temperatures.

Mr Toepfer pointed out that Africa contains 14% of the world's population, but is only responsible for 3.2% of global carbon emissions. It is Africa, he said, that bears the brunt of some of the world's worst weather conditions.

Global warming

Unep believes that the extreme weather conditions experienced in Africa, such as the recent floods in Mozambique and the famine in the Horn of Africa are closely connected to climate change.

The UN agency also says that developed countries have a "moral obligation" to tackle the scourge of climate change.

But last year's climate conference in The Hague ended without an agreement, as countries argued over the detail.

Scientists are now predicting that global temperature will rise between 1.4C and 5.8C. The previous forecast put the figures at 1C and 3.5C respectively