Using the IPCC's Interactive Atlas to understand how Africa's climate is changing

This guide, written by Roy Bouwer of SouthSouthNorth, explains how to navigate the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Interactive Atlas, using African climate data as a primary example. It outlines a six-step process for selecting scales, datasets, variables, and socio-economic pathways to visualize climate projections and summarizes the expected temperature and rainfall trends for Africa.

• The IPCC Interactive Atlas allows users to visualize climate variables across different scales (global, continental, regional, river basin, monsoon, or small island) and uncertainty levels. Users can filter data by dataset (including CMIP6 for future changes), variables such as average temperature and rainfall, and Shared Socio-Economic Pathways (SSP), which range from low emission scenarios (SSP1-2.6 and SSP2-4.5) to high and very high 'worst case' scenarios (SSP3-7 and SSP5-8.5).
• Africa is projected to warm faster than the global average. At 1.5℃ and 2℃ of global warming relative to pre-industrial levels, average temperatures across Africa are expected to increase by 1.8℃ and 2.4℃, respectively. By the end of the century, temperatures could rise by 5℃ compared to the 1981-2010 period, with a significant increase in days exceeding 35℃, especially in the Sahara and central Africa.
• Rainfall projections for Africa are uncertain and vary by region. Annual rainfall is expected to increase in parts of the Sahara (potentially by 17% compared to 1981-2010), as well as in west, central, and east Africa, while northern and southern Africa are likely to see decreases. Extreme rainfall is expected to increase across the continent, most notably in east, central, west Africa, and the Sahara. Dry days are projected to increase significantly in northern and southern Africa.
• The combination of rising temperatures and rainfall variability is expected to negatively impact human health, wellbeing, food security, and water availability across Africa. These climate extremes increase the risk of heat waves, flooding, and drought, necessitating global efforts to limit warming to 1.5℃ and the mobilization of funding to address adaptation deficits.

APA

Bouwer, R. (n.d.). Using the IPCC's Interactive Atlas to understand how Africa's climate is changing. Climate and Development Knowledge Network. https://cdkn.org/story/feature-using-the-ipccs-interactive-atlas-africa

Chicago

Bouwer, Roy. Using the IPCC's Interactive Atlas to understand how Africa's climate is changing. Climate and Development Knowledge Network, n.d. https://cdkn.org/story/feature-using-the-ipccs-interactive-atlas-africa.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Bouwer |first1=Roy |title=Using the IPCC's Interactive Atlas to understand how Africa's climate is changing |publisher=Climate and Development Knowledge Network |url=https://cdkn.org/story/feature-using-the-ipccs-interactive-atlas-africa |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{bouwerndusing, author = {Bouwer, Roy}, title = {{Using the IPCC's Interactive Atlas to understand how Africa's climate is changing}}, institution = {Climate and Development Knowledge Network}, url = {https://cdkn.org/story/feature-using-the-ipccs-interactive-atlas-africa}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }