This podcast scrutinises the financial landscape of climate change research concerning Africa. It analyses a substantial database of research grants from 1990 to 2020, revealing that a disproportionately small fraction of global climate research funding targets Africa, despite the continent's high vulnerability to climate change. Most of this funding originates from and is received by institutions in Europe and North America, with African institutions receiving only a small percentage. The research also investigates thematic priorities, noting a greater focus on climate impacts and adaptation over mitigation, and an uneven geographical distribution of funding across African nations, often aligning with former colonial ties rather than climate vulnerability. The podcast then reflects on approaches, that can help overcome these challenges, including decolonial ones.

The podcast draws on research from the Climate Risk Lab on:

• Funding flows for climate change research on Africa: where do they come from and where do they go? Climate and Development. https://doi.org/10.1080/17565529.2021.1976609
• Decolonising climate change-heritage research, Nature Climate Change. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41558-022-01279-8
• Decoloniality and anti-oppressive practices for a more ethical ecology, Nature, Ecology & Evolution, https://doi.org/10.1038/s41559-021-01460-w

This podcast discusses climate change impacts, vulnerabilities, and adaptation strategies across Africa, categorising findings by sub-regions and various sectors. It highlights how socio-economic, political, and environmental factors intersect to create multi-dimensional climate change exposure and vulnerability, particularly for those in informal settlements, women, children, and the elderly. It highlights challenges in climate finance, governance, and the integration of indigenous knowledge into adaptation planning. Furthermore, it details how climate change affects crucial areas like health, food security, migration, and infrastructure, while also discussing the potential of climate information services and robust legal frameworks to foster climate-resilient development. The podcast also explores the nexus between water, energy, and food security, underscoring the complexities and interdependencies requiring holistic solutions.

This podcast draws on work led by the Climate Risk Lab through the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change 6th Assessment Report (Chapter 9: Africa) and includes:

• Africa. In: Climate Change 2022: Impacts, Adaptation, and Vulnerability. Contribution of Working Group II to the Sixth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change [H.-O. Pörtner, D.C. Roberts, et al. (eds.)]. Cambridge University Press, https://doi.org/10.1017/9781009325844.011
• Climate change in South Africa: Risks and opportunities for climate-resilient development in the IPCC Sixth Assessment WGII Report. South African Journal of Science;118(9/10), https://doi.org/10.17159/sajs.2022/14492

This podcast gives a a comprehensive overview of research on human adaptation to climate change, primarily drawing from the Global Adaptation Mapping Initiative (GAMI). We examine where, how, and to what extent adaptation responses are being implemented globally, covering various geographical regions, sectors, and the types of climate hazards addressed. A significant focus is placed on the involvement of diverse actors, from individuals and households to governments and civil society organizations, and the policy tools that support or hinder adaptation efforts. Furthermore, the sources critically assess the consideration of social equity in adaptation, the feasibility of different adaptation options, and the presence of constraints and limits to effective adaptation, including instances of maladaptation and the potential for transformational change. The podcast draws on research from the Climate Risk Lab including:

• A systematic global stocktake of evidence on human adaptation to climate change. Nature Climate Change. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41558-021-01170-y
• A global assessment of actors and their roles in climate change adaptation. Nature Climate Change. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41558-023-01824-z
• Adaptation to compound climate risks: a systematic global stocktake, iScience, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.isci.2023.105926
• Dichotomy or Continuum? A global review of the interaction between autonomous and planned adaptations. Ecology & Society, https://doi.org/10.5751/ES-15335-300118
• Progress and gaps in climate change adaptation in coastal cities across the globe. Nature Cities. 10.1038/s44284-024-00106-9. https://doi.org/10.1038/s44284-024-00106-9
• Human adaptation to climate change in the context of forests: a systematic review. Climate Risk Management, 100573. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.crm.2023.100573
• Between tinkering and transformation: A contemporary appraisal of climate change adaptation research on the world's islands. Frontiers in Climate. 4. https://doi.org/10.3389/fclim.2022.1072231
• Tradeoffs and Synergies Across Global Climate Change Adaptations in the Food-Energy-Water Nexus, Earth's Future, https://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1029/2021EF002201
• Feasibility assessment of climate change adaptation options across Africa: An evidence-based review. Environmental Research Letters (Special Issue on Evidence Synthesis for Climate Solutions). https://doi.org/10.1088/1748-9326/ac092d
• What climate change adaptation is happening in conflict-affected areas? Discover Sustainability. 2(42) https://doi.org/10.1007/s43621-021-00052-9
• A global assessment of policy tools to support climate adaptation, Climate Policy, https://doi.org/10.1080/14693062.2021.2002251
• Closing the Adaptation Gap in Mountains, Mountain Research and Development, 41(3):A1-A10. https://doi.org/10.1659/MRD-JOURNAL-D-21-00033.1
• Equity in human adaptation-related responses: A systematic global review, One Earth, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.oneear.2021.09.001
• Global evidence of constraints and limits to human adaptation, Regional Environmental Change, 21(85), https://doi.org/10.1007/s10113-021-01808-9
• The effects on public health of climate change adaptation responses: a systematic review of evidence from low- and middle-income countries, Environmental Research Letters, (16) 073001, https://doi.org/10.1088/1748-9326/ac092c
• Climate change adaptation to extreme heat: A global systematic review of implemented action, Oxford Open Climate Change. https://doi.org/10.1093/oxfclm/kgab005