Africa must prove climate adaptation is saving lives, not just spending money
Dr Richard Munang suggests that Africa should measure climate adaptation progress through human impact rather than financial spending. Floods often make roads impassable and contaminate water supplies, causing children to fall ill. These events lead to disrupted lives and lost household incomes. The Director of the United Nations University Institute for Natural Resources in Africa argues that these realities should shape how success is measured.
When floods leave roads impassable, water supplies become contaminated and children fall ill, the consequences of climate change are measured in more than damaged infrastructure or financial losses. They are measured in lives disrupted, household incomes lost and families struggling to cope. For Dr Richard Munang, Director of the United Nations University Institute for Natural Resources in Africa (UNU-INRA), these are the realities that must shape how Africa measures progress on climate adaptation.