The effects on people, particularly the poor, are severe. Farmers, pastoralists, fishing communities, and town dwellers are vulnerable to changes in water availability and lower agricultural productivity. Warmer climate increases the risk of contracting vector-borne diseases such as malaria. Even if the temperature rise can be kept within the 2C band, an additional 40 - 60 million Africans are likely to be exposed. As agricultural yields drop by as much as half in some areas, other sources of income need to be found for people to meet their basic needs. Economic necessity and competition for access to resources are already resulting in displacement, mass movement of people within countries and across borders, heightened social tensions and, in many cases, violence.
The economic implications of these changes are enormous. Receipts from agricultural activities, which account for over half the jobs and GDP in many African countries, may decline sharply. And just as national revenues are strained, demand for public expenditures will increase.
