This document discusses climate change impacts and vulnerability in African cities. It identifies factors that make cities vulnerable, including their location, physical/social sensitivity, and adaptive capacity. Case studies show cities are vulnerable to direct climate impacts as well as secondary effects on infrastructure, health, and livelihoods. Vulnerability is uneven, disproportionately affecting the poor, women, children and elderly. Adaptation requires improving infrastructure, supporting coping strategies, and community-based approaches. Key responses involve building adaptive capacity, strengthening institutions/governance, and encouraging contributions from all levels of society.

1. Local Climate Solutions for Africa 2011
Cape Town, 27th February - 3rd March
Session C1: Resilient Cities
Climate Change and African Cities:
vulnerability, poverty and the role of
community-
community-based adaptation
Dr David Dodman
david.dodman@iied.org
International Institute for Environment and Development
www.iied.org

2. Climate Change Impacts and Vulnerability in Urban Areas
[Source: Parry et al (2009). ‘Overshoot, adapt and recover’. Nature 458, 30 April 2009.]

3. Vulnerability to Climate Change
The degree to which a system is susceptible to, and
unable to cope with, adverse effects of climate change,
including climate variability and extremes. Vulnerability is
a function of the character, magnitude, and rate of
climate change and variation to which a system is
exposed, sensitivity,
exposed, its sensitivity, and its adaptive capacity.
capacity.

4. Cities at Risk: what makes cities vulnerable?
UNFCCC commits developed countries “to assist
developing countries that are particularly vulnerable to
the adverse effects of climate change in meeting costs of
adaptation to those adverse effects” – but what is
“particularly vulnerable”?
• No agreed measure of vulnerability (or adaptation)
• ‘Exposure’ does not take social / economic
characteristics into account
• LDCs or low HDI do not take biogeographical
characteristics into account
• Technical and Political challenge

5. Cities at Risk: what makes cities vulnerable?
i) Cities in geographically sensitive
locations (exposed to hazards)
(exposed
ii) Cities with physical and social
sensitivity (population, governance)
iii) Cities with lower levels of adaptive
capacity (ability of stakeholders to
cope and change)
iv) Cities that have contributed little to
the problem of climate change (low
emissions)
Tudor Settlement,
Mombasa, Kenya

6. Major Case Studies on Urban Climate Change Impacts
[Source: Hunt A, Watkiss P (2011). ‘Climate change impacts and adaptation in cities: a
review of the literature’ Climatic Change 104: 13-49]

7. “... tools for urban climate impact assessment are
lacking... most existing analyses investigate only
the physical vulnerability of cities to the direct
impacts of weather and climate events”
Hallegatte and Corfee-Morlot (2011, p5)
Corfee-
[Source: Hunt A, Watkiss P (2011). ‘Climate change impacts and adaptation in cities: a
review of the literature’ Climatic Change 104: 13-49]

8. Social Aspects of Exposure to Climate Change
Harare,
Zimbabwe
Who lives or works in the
locations most exposed to
hazards related to the direct or
indirect impacts of climate
change?
Who lives or works in locations
lacking the infrastructure that
reduces risk?
Whose homes and
neighbourhoods face greatest
risks when impacts occur?

9. Gender, Age and Vulnerability
• damage to homes and neighbourhoods often
affects women’s incomes more (income-
(income-
earning activities often undertaken at home)
• vulnerability from child-rearing and domestic
child-
responsibilities (access to food, water, sanitation)
• vulnerability from relocation: lack of safety and
security in temporary accommodation
• very young and elderly more affected by water-
water-
borne / water-washed diseases, malnutrition, lack
water-
of mobility, psychological impacts

10. Policy Responses: Mitigation in Cities
• important: most urban
growth will be in low-
low-
income countries
• city planning and
governance can de-link
de-
development from CO2
emissions
• but must ensure that this
does not impose additional
burdens on vulnerable
groups
Iloilo, Philippines

11. Reducing energy consumption in low-income households
low-
(e.g. Witsands, South Africa)
Witsands,

12. Adaptation to Climate Change
“Adaptation can significantly reduce many potentially
dangerous impacts of climate change and reduce the risk of
many key vulnerabilities. However, the technical, financial
and institutional capacity, and the actual planning and
implementation of effective adaptation, is currently quite
limited in many regions”
IPCC Fourth Assessment
Chapter 19: Assessing Key Vulnerabilities and the Risks from Climate Change

13. Adaptation to Climate Change: Improving Infrastructure
[Source: Tiempo (2006)]

14. Adaptation to Climate Change: Improving Infrastructure
[Source: Jabeen et al. (2009)]

15. Tandale,
Tandale, Dar es Salaam
Adaptation: Supporting Coping Strategies

16. Community Based Adaptation
• based on the premise that local communities have
the skills, experience, knowledge and networks to
undertake locally appropriate activities to increase
resilience
• generates adaptation strategies through
participatory processes involving local stakeholders
• builds on existing cultural norms and addresses
local development issues that underlie vulnerability
• potential in urban areas:
both under-stated and over-stressed

17. Social and Political Implications of Adaptation
• cannot separate adaptation to ‘climate change’
from adaptation to other environmental hazards
• NAPAs (National Adaptation Programmes of
Action): often have little focus on urban areas
• rigorous building and infrastructure standards:
potentially costly and inappropriate?
• vulnerability and risk mapping:
legitimating removal of informal settlements?

18. Addressing Vulnerability and Risk
Key Responses: building adaptive capacity
• in tens of thousands of towns and cities around
Africa and the world
• working with reduction of risks to other
environmental hazards and building on
experiences of reducing disaster risk
• developing strong local knowledge base of climate
variability and change
• encouraging actions that reduce risks now, while
now,
recognizing importance of measures for long-term
long-
• with a strong pro-poor orientation
pro-

19. Addressing Vulnerability and Risk
Key Responses: institutions and governance
• supporting adaptation in rural areas
• integrating (where appropriate) with mitigation
• building competence and accountability of local
authorities and changing their relationship to low-
low-
income urban residents
• recognizing complementary roles of higher levels
of government and international agencies
• encouraging and supporting contributions of
individuals, households, community organizations,
private sector

20. Local Climate Solutions for Africa 2011
Cape Town, 27th February - 3rd March
Session C1: Resilient Cities
Climate Change and African Cities:
vulnerability, poverty and the role of
community-
community-based adaptation
Dr David Dodman
david.dodman@iied.org
International Institute for Environment and Development
www.iied.org