Links between climate change, conflict and governance in Africa

The aim of this paper is to review and assess the existing evidence on the security threat of climate change, with particular reference to Africa.

Adaptation and climate risk management is becoming an increasingly important policy discourse in almost all African countries. There is consensus that a response to climate change demands a concerted approach grounded in the principle of collective but differentiated responsibility. However, divergences in the perceived causes of climate change have revealed a deep divide between the developed and developing worlds. The aim of this paper is to review and assess the existing evidence on the security threat of climate change, with particular reference to Africa. The paper addresses the question to what extent climate change poses a threat to security and conflict in Africa. It further seeks to identify manifestations of climate change, the sectors and regions most likely to suffer from the adverse impacts of climate change, and the associated incidence of conflict.

About the authors

Dr Wario Roba Adano holds a PhD from the University of Amsterdam, and has an MSc in Environmental Economics and Environmental Management from the University of York. He is a Research Fellow at the Max Planck Institute, Germany, and a lecturer at Moi University’s School of Environmental Studies, Kenya.

Dr Fatuma Daudi holds a PhD in Environmental Planning and Management from the School of Environmental Studies, Moi University, Kenya. Presently she is a lecturer at the Department of Environmental Monitoring, Planning and Management at the School of Environmental Studies, Chepkoilel University College, Eldoret, Kenya.