This report synthesizes climate change governance issues in Botswana, Kenya, Nigeria, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda and Zimbabwe. Case studies assessed vulnerabilities to climate change; climate change adaptation policies, plans and strategies, and their genesis and relation to the state of national knowledge on vulnerability; the institutional actors involved in climate change policy and responses; public awareness of climate change; and the role of state and non-state actors in international climate change negotiations.

This working paper reports results from a literature review on ecosystem vulnerability to climate change undertaken within the CIFOR-led project AdaptEA, funded by the Rockefeller Foundation. A total of 410 scientific publications were reviewed, with 183 studies examined in detail. Of those papers with clear geographic focus, most examined European or North American ecosystems, with only 18 studies focusing on Africa. Climatic and environmental drivers considered were temperature (52% of studies), precipitation (52%), carbon dioxide (15%) and rising sea level (11%).

How can humanitarian and development approaches help enhance communities’ capacity to adapt to a changing climate? This paper explores how interventions associated with disaster risk reduction (DRR), social protection (SP) and livelihoods (LH) approaches can play an important role in terms of climate adaptive capacity. In this context, as no single intervention addresses all of the features of adaptive capacity, the authors suggest a combination of the various approaches to better address the key features of adaptive capacity to cope with climate change and variability.The paper:

A billion people could be forced from their homes by 2050; 250 million of them permanently displaced by the effects of climate change. Without urgent action global warming will exacerbate the conflicts, natural disasters and development projects that drive displacement and the problem will spiral out of control. Current international mechanisms to address displacement are feeble, disorganised and under-funded.A report from Christian Aid argues that forced
migration is the most urgent threat facing poor people in developing countries.
The world currently has around 163 million

Nearly one-third of all water-related disasters occur in Africa. The second issue of Joto Afrika considers the relationship between climate change, the greater incidence of extreme weather events, such as drought and flooding, and the increasing scarcity of water on the African continent. The briefing presents the following six articles and case studies, which reflect on experiences from different countries and regions:

Six years ago, at the UN Millennium Summit, world leaders set a specific target for realising the right to adequate housing and ‘continuous improvement of living conditions’. However, in Africa climate change is already threatening that goal, causing massive rural-urban migration and bringing chronic flooding to the cities. This paper explores the impact that climate-induced flooding is having on Africa’s urban poor and argues that urgent action is needed at all levels to help poor people cope with these problems.

Africa is vulnerable to climate change on two fronts: firstly, because of existing vulnerabilities and secondly, due to capacity limitations for disaster mitigation and inability to adapt to climate change.

This document elaborates a framework for understanding drought and vulnerability to drought and provides guidance on actions to reduce the risks associated with drought. It discusses drought policy and governance, risk identification and early warning, awareness and knowledge management and effective mitigation and preparedness measures. These framework elements are illustrated with practical examples, techniques and extensive background information.

This study evaluated the use of the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF) products in forecasting droughts in East Africa. ECMWF forecasts added value to the statistical forecasts produced during the Greater Horn of Africa Climate Outlook Forums, which was the present operational product. Complementing the raw precipitation forecasts with SPI provided additional information on the spatial extent and intensity of the drought event.