Lagos, Nigeria — July 16, 2026 Dozens of lives have been lost and thousands displaced as intense rainfall overwhelmed West Africa’s coastal regions, a situation scientists attribute to the intensifying effects of climate change.
The deluge, which struck Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana, Togo, and Nigeria, was deemed five times more likely in today’s climate, with heavy downpours increasing in intensity by roughly 23% since record-keeping began.
The World Weather Attribution team, led by Professor Friederike Otto of Imperial College London, concluded that the rains that caused the floods were supercharged by climate breakdown, transforming a routine weather event into a climate catastrophe. “.
The climate is changing faster than most nations can adapt, “said Otto. “Adapting to these now common events is critical, but so is reducing emissions much further and faster. “.
In Côte d’Ivoire, at least 59 deaths have been reported since May, while in Ghana, 34 lives were lost. Nigeria has been particularly hard hit, with over 14,000 communities affected and tens of thousands displaced.
The study, which focused on the three most extreme days of rainfall, found that climate change had caused a 4% increase in intensity, confirming that greenhouse gas emissions had intensified the event. Joyce Kimutai, lead author of the study, emphasized the need for international cooperation on climate justice, noting that industrialized nations have a responsibility to assist nations like Togo, Côte d’Ivoire, and Ghana in adapting to a worsening problem they did not cause.
As the climate continues to warm, with temperatures 1. 4C hotter than before the industrial use of fossil fuels, scientists expect rainfall of a similar scale to occur above the Gulf of Guinea every two to four years.
The urgency to adapt and reduce emissions is clearer than ever, as the region grapples with the devastating impacts of climate change.
*Additional reporting by ImNews | Sources consulted: 5*
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This original article was produced by the ImNews editorial team
Source: The guardian
Source: Damien Gayle
