Introduction
Africa is a rich continent with diverse flora and fauna but is highly susceptible to climate change and, in turn, economic changes against this background. The agricultural sector mainly funds African states, not the industry and the information sphere. Accordingly, the state reacts very painfully to climate change when society protests. In Africa, the connection between capitalism and the world market is intertwined with climatic conditions and unimaginable cruelty in the suppression of public discontent.
Minerals of Africa and Corruption
Tantalum, gold, and diamonds are often mined in Africa, attracting new investments every year. Africa is rich in oil; many locals work in the mines and wells, which is convenient for investors since Africans are seen as a low-paid workforce. The predatory manners of investors harm African nature and spoil relations between society and the state, becoming reasons for protests. States strongly associated with minerals are almost always corrupt, and pay systems in the mines are opaque (Monks, 2018). Protests against corruption are brutally suppressed; one of the authoritarian leaders who did this was Robert Mugabe from Zimbabwe.
Global Climate Change
The climate is changing all over the planet, and the World Meteorological Association is concerned about Africa in particular, as the region is warming faster than other continents. Global warming could cause frequent droughts; hence, livestock deaths and crop failures and melt the glaciers of Mount Kenya and Kilimanjaro (World Meteorological Organization, 2021). With anthropogenic climate change, the loss of glaciers in Africa means the absence of reservoirs and cultural and tourist facilities. Climate change, particularly drought, affects population migration and can lead to a migration crisis.
Impact of Precipitation and Drought
Precipitation and drought shape social moods and aspirations to a great extent. Many scientists record an extraordinary mobilization of society during high rainfall, but at the same time appeasement during drought (Jones et al., 2017). One can argue with this statement since the drought, for example, caused unrest in Somalia in 2008 (Connolly-Boutin & Smit, 2015). Both rainfall and drought equally influence price increases, which is the main reason for Africans to protest. Even those who are not usually prone to non-conform behavior recognize that in the absence of food or satisfaction of basic needs, there is nothing left for them but protest.
Possible Solution
The World Meteorological Association is currently leaning toward the idea that the best option is not to ask for solutions to rebuild African areas but to take careful preventive measures. Ecologists and meteorologists are ready to install high-quality equipment that will allow predicting weather changes, but this is a long process that requires financial costs. COVID-19 has worsened the social and economic situation of African countries, debilitating them (World Meteorological Organization, 2021). Therefore, the proposed program has not yet brought any clear conclusions.
Import Substitution
Capitalism, which destroys Africa’s nature, sometimes helps it fight the effects of climate change. Democratic regimes try to distribute benefits among citizens on the principle of justice in order to avoid protests (Anderson et al., 2021). In addition, African leaders are trying to bring in international food to achieve a high level of import substitution. Africans need imports not for variety of goods, but for protection from hunger in years of crop failure. If, for some other states, access to the world economy is a matter of capitalist goods, then for Africa, it is still a matter of hunger.
Suppression of Protests
Protests in corrupt authoritarian regimes are brutally suppressed; international organizations cannot pressure leaders, so they feel unpunished. In the societies of countries such as South Sudan and Nigeria, there is still a high threshold for perceiving violence (Fritts, 2021). Economic problems and the extraction of necessities prevent Africans from eliminating gender inequality and promoting education (Bassey, 2018). It affects the particular cruelty cultivated in many African tribes for centuries.
Conclusion
Africa is a rich but unhappy continent that capitalism has intervened in but has been unable to help bring economic stability. African territories torn apart by climate problems, but its lack of inclusion in the modern world makes it difficult to make global decisions quickly. Usually, power in Africa falls into the hands of dictators or autocrats who do not try to live according to the laws of capitalism, in which the internal wealth of the continent helps them. Foreign investment at disadvantageous terms, corruption, risks of famine, and unclear climate change lead to protests that are brutally suppressed without condemnation by the international community.
References
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Bassey, N. (2018). The climate crisis and the struggle for African food sovereignty. In V. Satgar (Ed.), Climate Crisis, The: South African and Global Democratic EcoSocialist Alternatives, 190-208. Wits University Press.
Connolly-Boutin, L., & Smit, B. (2015). Climate change, food security, and livelihoods in sub-Saharan Africa. Regional Environmental Change, 16(2), 385–399. Web.
Fritts, R. (2021). To understand hunger in Sub-Saharan Africa, consider both climate and conflict. Prevention Web. Web.
Jones, B. T., Mattiacci, E., & Braumoeller, B. F. (2017). Food scarcity and state vulnerability: Unpacking the link between climate variability and violent unrest. Journal of Peace Research, 54(3), 335–350. Web.
Monks, K. F. C. (2018). Why the wealth of Africa does not make Africans wealthy? CNN. Web.
World Meteorological Organization. (2021). Climate change triggers mounting food insecurity, poverty and displacement in Africa. Web.