Africa could feel El Nino heat in wallets
· Citizen
It would be easy to look at Europeans with some cynicism, or even condescending gloating, as they struggle with the sort of heat which we in Africa have to deal with for much of the year.
As a heatwave pushed temperatures into the upper 30s for large swathes of Europe, affecting more than 92 million people, sweltering Europeans flocked to the sea, to rivers and to inland water bodies in desperate attempts to cool off.
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Public health warnings were issued in many countries, urging people to do as little as possible in the heat of the day, keep well hydrated and avoid travel.
In Germany and in the UK, train services were either cancelled or curtailed.
Yet, we in the southern part of Africa should not be smug, especially as our turn is probably coming at the end of the year, in our summer, as the effects of the predicted worst El Nino weather phenomenon on record hits us.
That will mean possible drought conditions and above-average temperatures in large parts of the country.
That’s more than inconvenient: for an economy where agriculture is a critical pillar, we could feel the heat of reduced harvests and increased food prices where it hurts – in our wallets.