Climate change-related risks in Metropolitan Accra: Is Glefe [in]visible to adaptation?

Keywords: Extreme weather events; Climate change-related risks; Vulnerable communities; Accra, Ghana
Abstract Type: Paper Abstract

Abstract

Extreme weather events intensified by climate change have increased in frequency and severity globally. In Accra, these events' harmful physical, social, economic, and health impacts are becoming more apparent and felt disproportionately by the urban poor and are magnified by existing inequalities. The increasing prevalence of climate-related risks calls for imminent and sustained action, which is contingent on city managers’ ability to size the problem, determine what is being done to address it, establish whether those measures are proving effective, and identify what more needs to be done. Yet this is easier said than done in the case of Accra’s perennial floods. This study employs a flood-induced vulnerability survey (n=1053) conducted in four peri-urban settlements in Accra. It is complemented with follow-up selected interviews to highlight the uneven use of the disaster risk management cycle, which underpins the authorities' quest to build the capacities for communities to respond to flood risks. Further, our study explores the mechanisms that facilitate or occlude the disaster risk management cycle operations at the local level and how underlying socio-economic factors interact with local contextual conditions to influence official responses. Additionally, we proffer some strategies for how decision-makers can continuously engage with vulnerable communities to promote local adaptation in the face of extreme weather events exacerbated by climate change. We hope that implementing the strategy can help decision-makers and communities-at-risk work collaboratively to best adapt to climate change-related hazards and risks.