Visiting British envoy for climate change George Edgar forecast Tuesday that the African continent will be badly affected by climate change due to lack of adaptive policies on climate change.

 Edgar told press that the continent, particular the vulnerable countries, would be badly affected because most countries are already facing challenges in agriculture production, noting that research has shown that climate change will cause among other effects, changes in agricultural productivity due to change in rainfall patterns.

 Edgar said some countries would experience drought while other parts of the world would experience severe floods.

 "Climate will bring with it new patterns for diseases such as malaria, bio diversity and some countries in the southern Africa will see a decline in rainfall pattern," he said.

 Edgar said that a report released in February this year by one of the working groups on climate change indicates that the continued greenhouse gas emissions will lead to rapid climate increases.

 He urged the governments to start integrating and mainstreaming issues of climate change into wider policy-making. 

 "Urgent response required of all of us, in adaptation to the inevitable impacts in reducing emissions and in building low- carbon economy for the future. Parts of the response will bring co- benefits, in clean energy investment, improved disaster response capacity, development of global public goods," he said.

 Edgar arrived in Zambia for a two-day visit to the country, during which he is scheduled to meet government ministers and other officials from organization involved in issues of climate change.