Abstract/Summary

This report provides an analysis of the current and future climate risks for West Africa as well as an analysis of their impacts in the medium- to long-term. This information is aligned with national priorities that can be used to influence the programming of Official Development Assistance (ODA) resources. The synthesis report highlights the areas where ODA resources might need to be focused in the future for climate resilient socio-economic development to occur. This analysis is intended to inform the Country Development Diagnostics (CDD) process by providing information on potential climate risks and impacts and how these might interact with broader development initiatives. To support Department for International Development (DFID) country offices in their preparation of CDD, DFID has commissioned a team of scientists to outline relevant climate risks and impacts to help build the case for mainstreaming climate change into future planning. The scope of work comprises three components to deliver user-friendly information on climate risks to development in DFID target countries. Regional and National Climate Profiles and Global Impact Indicators have been collated and developed to inform seven Regional Climate Risk Reports for the Middle East and North Africa, East Africa, West Africa, South and Central Africa, South and Central Asia, East and Southeast Asia, and the Caribbean. This report summarises the current and future climate risks, provides an overview of relevant impact indicators, and distils these into a qualitative analysis of impacts to address in the medium- to long-term to limit or avoid climate risks to development. This document is intended for DFID internal use only. This extended report has been written by Hannah Young, Rosalind Cornforth and Celia Petty with additional contributions from Zakari Saley Bana. The extension is based on an original synthesis report (excluding Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali Mauritania, Niger and Senegal) produced by Heather Plumpton, Hannah Young, Rosalind Cornforth, Celia Petty and Bill Finlayson from the Walker Institute.