EFFECTIVE USE OF CLIMATE SCIENCE TO IMPROVE ADAPTATION IN AFRICA

The policy brief argues that Africa's high vulnerability to climate change necessitates 'anticipatory adaptation' driven by the effective use of climate science. It outlines seven key recommendations: improving access to historical climate data to enhance downscaling; strengthening the skills of African climate scientists and establishing regional science centres; bridging the communication gap between data producers and users through 'translators'; creating collaborative information-sharing platforms; leveraging existing local organisations; documenting successful adaptation cases; and ensuring donor aid is long-term and aligned with African priorities.

• Africa is particularly vulnerable to environmental change because of a combination of high poverty, lack of infrastructure, and a direct dependence on the natural environment for livelihoods, with vulnerability being especially high in Eastern and Southern Africa.
• To achieve 'anticipatory adaptation', there is a need to improve the quality of downscaling efforts by 'rescuing' and digitising historical climate data, as global climate models are not expected to improve significantly in the near future.
• There is a critical need to bridge the gap between climate scientists (producers) and decision-makers (users) by employing 'translators' who can convert scientific concepts into applicable language without distortion.
• Adaptation efforts should prioritise existing local organisations and networks over new interventions, as these entities possess established credibility, trust, and an understanding of local institutional constraints.
• International aid for adaptation should shift from one-off, supply-driven projects toward long-term funding that strengthens institutional capacity and integrates both 'climate-driven' and 'development-first' approaches.

APA

Ziervogel, G., Downing, T., & Shale, M. (2008). EFFECTIVE USE OF CLIMATE SCIENCE TO IMPROVE ADAPTATION IN AFRICA. Stockholm Environment Institute. https://www.sei.org/mediamanager/documents/Publications/Climate/SEI-Africa-agriculture-PB.pdf

Chicago

Ziervogel, Gina, Tom Downing, and Moliehi Shale. EFFECTIVE USE OF CLIMATE SCIENCE TO IMPROVE ADAPTATION IN AFRICA. Stockholm Environment Institute, 2008. https://www.sei.org/mediamanager/documents/Publications/Climate/SEI-Africa-agriculture-PB.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Ziervogel |first1=Gina |last2=Downing |first2=Tom |last3=Shale |first3=Moliehi |title=EFFECTIVE USE OF CLIMATE SCIENCE TO IMPROVE ADAPTATION IN AFRICA |publisher=Stockholm Environment Institute |date=May 2008 |url=https://www.sei.org/mediamanager/documents/Publications/Climate/SEI-Africa-agriculture-PB.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{ziervogel2008effective, author = {Ziervogel, Gina and Downing, Tom and Shale, Moliehi}, title = {{EFFECTIVE USE OF CLIMATE SCIENCE TO IMPROVE ADAPTATION IN AFRICA}}, institution = {Stockholm Environment Institute}, year = {2008}, month = may, url = {https://www.sei.org/mediamanager/documents/Publications/Climate/SEI-Africa-agriculture-PB.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }