Africa faces the most severe environmental damage from the conflict – countries must actively work on diplomatic solutions.

The Red Sea crisis has become a pressing concern largely due to its disruption of global trade. However, it also has far-reaching environmental impacts as the waters become a battleground. The clashes are adding to other environmental stressors that pose potentially irreversible damage to ocean health. The path for Africa is clear – it must act urgently.

On 27 January, Houthis attacked the Marlin Luanda British-linked oil tanker in response to United States (US) and United Kingdom (UK) air strikes against the armed group. The tanker caught fire and was severely damaged. This is just one of numerous attacks on oil tankers in the Red Sea since mid-December 2023.

The conflict is unfolding at a time of increasing pressure in the region due to population growth, climate change and coastal development. The Red Sea’s reef ecosystem provides food security and livelihoods for 28 million coastal inhabitants. Oil spills in these waters would cause severe damage, contaminating marine ecosystems, destroying vital coral reefs, and harming already overexploited fish populations. Clean-up efforts would be costly and time-consuming in a region lacking maritime safety capabilities.

Cooperation for climate action in the region is already hindered by complex geopolitical dynamics. For example, in August 2023, a United Nations (UN) mission conducted a ship-to-ship transfer of 1.4 million barrels of crude oil from the FSO Safer supertanker in Yemen. The tanker was at risk of corrosion-induced spillage due to a lack of maintenance since the Yemen war started in 2015. It could also have exploded if caught in the crossfire, posing a potential environmental and humanitarian crisis if the oil spilt into the Red Sea.

https://issafrica.org/iss-today/africas-oceans-could-pay-dearly-for-the-red-sea-crisis