Southern Africa climate risk report

Climate risk report for the Southern Africa region

The climate risk report for the Southern Africa region is part of a series of regional climate risk reports the Met Office has produced in collaboration with ODI and commissioned by FCDO to provide evidence to the UK Government in support of adaptation and resilience planning and investments.

The Climate Risk Reports are provided by CLARE Climate Risk Services. CLARE is a flagship research programme on climate adaptation and resilience, funded mostly (about 90%) by UK Aid through the Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO). CLARE is bridging critical gaps between science and action by championing Southern leadership to enable socially inclusive and sustainable action to build resilience to climate change and natural hazards. More information is available on the CLARE website here.

Climate risks for this region were identified by considering the current and future climate from the present day to the 2050s and their interactions with regional socio-economic vulnerabilities. Climate risks were explored by evaluating their impact to six socio-economic themes: agriculture and food security, water resources and water-dependent services, environment (terrestrial forests, ecosystems, and biodiversity), infrastructure and settlements, health, and coastal fisheries and the marine environment.

The Climate Risk Report includes an executive summary, country summaries, current and future climate information, and extensive climate risk information for regionally-relevant socio-economic themes. The report’s purpose is to present a top-level regional overview of potential risks to development associated with climate change out to the 2050s and can be used to provide evidence on climate risk in support of adaptation and resilience planning.

The Technical Reference Document provides accompanying information to the main report providing further detail such as methodology, plots, and statistics. This document should be used to supplement the main report if additional technical details are desired.

The report’s executive summary and country reference tables has been translated into regional languages:

The key findings from the report are summarised in two infographics. The Summary Infographic contains standalone statements on the region’s key climate related risks by thematic area.

The Climate Infographic contains standalone statements on the region’s current and future climate and can be used to identify key climate messages for temperature, rainfall, and ocean variables.

These infographics have been translated into regional languages:

For more information about the content of the Climate Risk Reports, please contact FCDO RED here and for more information about the methodology, please contact the Met Office team at [email protected].