Climate Change and Health in SADC Region: Review of the Current State of Knowledge
Evidence shows that the SADC region is experiencing increasing frequency of hot days and decreasing frequency of extremely cold days. Rainfall trends are variable but evidence points to an increased inter-annual variability, with extremely wet periods and more intense droughts in different countries. Projections show that changes will not be uniform over the region with the central, southern land mass extending over Botswana, parts of north western South Africa, Namibia and Zimbabwe being likely to experience the greatest warming of0.2°C to 0.5°C per decade. Frequency of extremely dry winters and springs will increase to roughly 20%, while the frequency of extremely wet summers will double.
Warming is also predicted to increase the frequency and intensity of tropical storms in the Indian Ocean.The region is vulnerable to the impact of climate change due to poverty, high pre-existing disease burden, fragmented health services,