ABSTRACT
There are strong indications that climate change will have considerable global effects on all sectors of development (Stern Review 2006; IPCC 2007). There is a widespread consensus that developing countries will bear the brunt of the adverse consequences from climate change due to high levels of poverty and weak capacity to adapt. In fact, climate change is likely to undermine many years of development efforts in developing countries (IPCC 2007; MEA 2005; Stern Review 2006). In Africa, climate-related risks are expected to intensify existing problems and create new combinations of risks, given the existing widespread poverty and dependence on the natural environment (e.g. Bele et al. 2013; Somorin et al. 2014; Sonwa et al. 2010, 2012a, 2012b). Of particular concern are communities with vulnerable livelihoods, food and environmental insecurity, under-resourced health care, gender inequalities, weak security and governance, poor infrastructure and education, and lack of access to appropriate resources and capacities to deal with extreme events. Women shoulder many of the consequences of climate change, due to gender norms that limit their asset base and make them heavily dependent on natural resources and rain-fed activities sensitive to climate change.
