Climate Adaptation Report Sees a Resilient and Prosperous Africa

The “State and Trends in Adaptation in Africa Report 2021” report from the Global Centre on Adaptation (GCA) in partnership with the African Development Bank, the African Union, and the Africa Adaptation Initiative, launched on 26th October, presents a comprehensive view of Africa’s present and future prospects in consideration of climate change (Beigon, 2021).

The 290-page report “combines in-depth analyses, case studies, and viewpoints from those on the frontlines of climate change impacts in Africa. It presents a detailed blueprint for action by offering innovative adaptation and resilience ideas, solutions, and policy recommendations. The results are clear and compelling.  Adaptation measures can be enormously cost-effective and have the potential to start a positively reinforcing cycle of benefits. As these measures protect people and communities from floods, droughts, and other impacts, they also help lift people out of poverty, reduce hunger and undernourishment, raise incomes and living standards, fight diseases, create jobs, reduce inequality, mitigate the risk of conflicts, and give voice to the most vulnerable. These realizable results, in turn, further increase resilience to climate impacts.”

The report says that successful climate adaptation will not be easy but will require a significant increase in adaptation finance, mainstreaming adaption into all policies and budgets across the public and private sector.

It will also require new actions such as the uptake of new technologies to work with traditional adaptive farming practices, to empower women and youth, and transforming critical sectors like agriculture, trade, transportation, energy, and water management. 

Although African countries and communities have already taken steps to adapt and build resilience, the report shows how these efforts can be accelerated and scaled up to seize the promising opportunities that lie ahead for the region.

The report is comprised of three main parts: 

• Section 1 Economics and Finance – macroeconomics and climate adaptation, COVID recovery, finance, private sector, youth, and jobs;
• Section 2 Focus sectors – agriculture and food systems, trades, drylands, transport and energy, urban development, water resource management, floods and disaster risk management; and
• Section 3 Crosscutting themes – Health, gender, conflict and migration, and sustainable development goals.

Every topic is discussed thoroughly in the report, with adaptation a consistent theme throughout each section.

Climate adaptation is a vital imperative and represents a significant opportunity to solve previously intractable and complex problems to put Africa on a more resilient path. The report also shows key findings and policy recommendations under each topic in all three sections.

To read the report, click the following links:

Full report: State and Trends in Adaptation Report 2021

Synthesis report: State and Trends in Adaptation Report 2021