Tools and Frameworks to Assess Climate Change Impacts

The report examines the vulnerability of Kenya's private sector to climate change, specifically highlighting risks to hydropower, agriculture, and tourism. It evaluates fifteen risk assessment tools based on cost, complexity, and applicability, recommending four specific frameworks for Kenyan businesses. The document also identifies gaps in private sector adaptation, such as lack of specific geographic data and cost-benefit information, and suggests the development of a Kenyan-specific climate risk assessment tool.

• Climate change poses significant economic risks to Kenya, with the Stockholm Environment Institute estimating that climate risks cost the economy approximately 2.0 percent of GDP annually, potentially rising to 2.6 percent by 2030.
• Several Kenyan business sectors are already experiencing negative climate impacts, including agro-processing, manufacturing, and tourism.
• Kenya's energy sector is particularly vulnerable because a large portion of its electricity is generated via hydropower, which is susceptible to droughts and reduced rainfall; for example, droughts between 1998 and 2000 resulted in industrial production losses of Ksh 110 billion.
• The tourism sector faces risks from coastal inundation, erosion, the bleaching of coral reefs, and the potential loss of the snowcap on Mount Kenya, as well as disruptions to wildlife migration patterns.
• The report identifies four tools as most promising for the Kenyan private sector due to their low complexity and high applicability: 'Adapting Climate Change: A Business Approach' (Pew Centre), 'Building Business Resilience in a Changing Climate: Business Primer – Facing the Elements' (NRTEE), 'Business ADAPT' (Oxfam and Acclimatise), and 'Climate Change Adaptation and Mitigation in the Tourism Sector' (UNEP and University of Oxford).
• Despite general awareness, most Kenyan businesses have not developed formal adaptation strategies, often taking a 'wait-and-see' approach or acting based on immediate cost considerations rather than a comprehensive risk management strategy.
• Key barriers preventing Kenyan businesses from assessing and responding to climate impacts include a lack of cost-benefit information, uncertainty regarding the timing of impacts, and a lack of specific geographic data.

APA

Murphy, D., Parry, J.-E., Harris, M., & Dion, J. (2014). Tools and Frameworks to Assess Climate Change Impacts. Climate and Development Knowledge Network. https://cdkn.org/sites/default/files/files/Tools-for-Climate-Assessment_Feb.pdf

Chicago

Murphy, Deborah, Jo-Ellen Parry, Melissa Harris, and Jason Dion. Tools and Frameworks to Assess Climate Change Impacts. Climate and Development Knowledge Network, 2014. https://cdkn.org/sites/default/files/files/Tools-for-Climate-Assessment_Feb.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Murphy |first1=Deborah |last2=Parry |first2=Jo-Ellen |last3=Harris |first3=Melissa |last4=Dion |first4=Jason |title=Tools and Frameworks to Assess Climate Change Impacts |publisher=Climate and Development Knowledge Network |date=February 2014 |url=https://cdkn.org/sites/default/files/files/Tools-for-Climate-Assessment_Feb.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{murphy2014tools, author = {Murphy, Deborah and Parry, Jo-Ellen and Harris, Melissa and Dion, Jason}, title = {{Tools and Frameworks to Assess Climate Change Impacts}}, institution = {Climate and Development Knowledge Network}, year = {2014}, month = feb, url = {https://cdkn.org/sites/default/files/files/Tools-for-Climate-Assessment_Feb.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }