Africa Climate Security Risk Assessment Report by adelphi, August 2024.
The Africa Climate Security Risk Assessment (ACRA) is the first comprehensive study of climate security across Africa. It identifies climate security pathways across the African Union’s five regions and explores responses, good practices and recommendations, to inform the first Common African Position on climate change, peace and security.
The ACRA is the most comprehensive effort to date to understand climate change risks on African peace and security. Based on the ACRA, the African Union is currently developing a Common African Position on climate change, peace and security.
This comparative analysis is based on regional assessments for Northern Africa, Western Africa, Central Africa, Eastern Africa and Southern Africa. An additional focus is put on transregional geographies, in particular African island states, the Congo and Lake Chad Basin, transboundary waters, and the Sahel. The report outlines:
11 insights on climate change, peace and security in Africa, these are as follows:
- Natural resource management conflicts are an increasing and complex challenge
- Livelihoods, and food, water and energy security are under pressure
- Climate-induced human mobility creates opportunities and risks
- Non-state armed groups are actively exploiting climate security risks and governance issues
- Climate-related security risks in Africa have a geopolitical dimension
- Climate-related security risks are intersectional
- Early warning and early action systems are well developed, but key challenges remain in integrating the climate-conflict nexus
- Nature-based solutions and integrated natural resource management approaches have proven effective in addressing climate related security risks
- Local, traditional and indigenous knowledge and solutions are key success factors for addressing climate-related security risks
- Africa is leading in institutional innovations and cross-sectoral cooperation to address climate-related security risks
- Responses are lagging behind risks
The report also provides regional climate security risk pathways, existing responses and good practices and 6 key recommendations:
- African challenges need African solutions
- Financing climate security action is key to addressing climate security risks
- Preventive action is essential
- A strong civil society is at the forefront of addressing climate-related security risks and achieving resilience
- Intersectionality is key to addressing vulnerability
- Addressing climate-related security risks is closely linked to ensuring climate justice.
These are extracts from the Africa Climate Security Risk Report by Lukas Rüttinger (adelphi), Lucas Destrijcker (adelphi), Héctor Morales Muñoz (adelphi), Adrian Foong (adelphi), Jakob Gomolka (adelphi) and Lisa Binder (PIK), August 2024. It explores the impact of climate change on climate security on the African continent and explores responses, good practice and recommendations to address this. The full report can be accessed through the link here.