Case Studies
- Rwanda
Despite the country’s overall positive growth and development over the past 25 years, Rwanda is still highly vulnerable to impacts from climate change through its high dependence on rain-fed agriculture, as well as the need to improve its road networks, health sector, and water resource management. In Rwanda, high levels of poverty and the low degree of development limit the capacity of poor households and communities to manage climate risk, increasing their vulnerability to climate-related shocks (World Bank, 2021).
Rwanda is at risk for numerous natural hazards, including droughts, floods, earthquakes, landslides, storms (windstorms, lightning, rainstorms and thunderstorms), wildfire, diseases, and epidemics. These events have had significant impacts on the lives and livelihoods of Rwandans. Since early 2000, the frequency and severity of disasters, particularly caused by floods, landslides and droughts, have significantly increased, resulting in rising human casualties as well as economic and environmental losses (Ministry of Disaster Management and Refugee Affairs, 2016).
- Africa
The World Meteorological Organization says that climate change increasingly threatens human health, food and water security, and socio-economic development in Africa. The worst hit is always the most vulnerable, with impacts felt through food insecurity, population displacement, and stress on water resources.
In particular, Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) is the most vulnerable region in the world to climate change and variability. Rainfall anomalies, rising temperatures, and rising sea levels are exacerbating the frequency and intensity of climate-related risks such as droughts, floods, storms, and resulting epidemics, resulting in the transformation of the region’s geography.
Recent natural disasters such as the devastating cyclones Kenneth and Idai in 2019, the flooding and ongoing locust outbreaks in Eastern Africa, the droughts in Southern and Eastern Africa, and the Sahel’s desertification have contributed to food insecurity and mass migration that have threatened millions of people and livelihoods in the region (Sono, 2021).
Undeniably, there has been considerable progress in socio-economic development in recent decades. However, the region’s ability to prepare for, respond to, and recover from disasters is limited due to broader ineffective political, economic, social, environmental, and institutional conditions (Sono, 2021).
