Global calls to increase climate action ambition – that have sustained from COP22 to the most recent UN Secretary Generals Summit on climate change, need to be actualised, in consideration of prevailing socioeconomic realities and contexts of different regions. Africa stands out for its disproportionate vulnerability to the changing climate – both biophysically and socioeconomically. Biophysically, scientists estimate that over the past 100 years, temperatures across Africa have increased by an average of 0.5 – 2 degrees1 and the impacts are life-changing. From changing weather patterns that reduce crop yields, to natural disasters which threaten lives, the fall-out of the changing climate is evident across this continent. Even though African nations are responsible for just 2-3% of global emissions2, 65% of the African population is likely to be impacted by the consequences of climate change. While unmitigated climate change is projected to shrink the global economy by about 23%, average income in the poorest vulnerable countries – most of which are in Africa - will reduce by a massive 75%. Africa’s disproportionate vulnerability brings in the socioeconomic aspects, where prevailing low levels of socioeconomic development have reinforced vulnerability. The World Bank records that the poor are disproportionately vulnerable to climate change because they lack the resources to quickly recover from its effects. The message in the continent is therefore clear – that efforts to combat climate change must align with accelerating socioeconomic growth to build resilience of populations. This is the context in which the EU-UNEP Africa LEDS project was undertaken and responded to.

Attachments:

EU-UNEP Africa LEDS Project results summary_.pdf

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