Many African countries are already struggling with heavy debt burdens. Climate change is making this worse. Africa contributes the least to global emissions but suffers the most from extreme weather, rising temperatures and drought. These disasters affect not just people’s livelihoods but also national revenues, making debt repayment harder. Yet traditional debt contracts don’t account for this.
The link between these pressure points is becoming undeniable. As climate-related disasters worsen, debt-laden countries are left with fewer public resources to protect their natural ecosystems and invest in health and education.
When countries allocate more funds to debt repayment than to health or climate resilience, the system is…