By 

Coleen Vogel, University of the Witwatersrand

When it comes to climate change Africa is in the eye of the storm. This is partly because of human factors – but the continent’s climate also makes it extremely vulnerable.

Africa is faced with a number of interlinked challenges. These include land degradation, poverty and climate change. These are referred to as “wicked problems” since they are complex and caused by a number of factors, many of which have global dimensions.

In the case of climate change, Africa is vulnerable because it is exposed to damaging climate risks including extreme droughts, flooding and storms.

The continent also has low adaptive capacity making it particularly vulnerable and exposed
because of high rates of poverty, financial and technological constraints as well as a heavy reliance on rain-fed agriculture.

Solving these challenges can seldom be achieved with a one-size-fits-all approach.

Continue reading “Why Africa is Particularly Vulnerable to Climate Change”