Locating climate insecurity: where are the most vulnerable places in Africa?

This paper which was presented at the conference on Climate Change, Social Stress and Violent Conflict in Hamburg, Germany, CCAPS researchers, led by Dr. Joshua Busby, identifies the confluence of vulnerabilities in African regions by using Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and multi-layered mapping. The study identified four main processes that encompass different aspects of vulnerability namely: (1) physical exposure to climatological disasters, (2) household and community vulnerability, (3) governance and political violence, and (4) population density. Each of these areas of vulnerability was given equal weight in the final vulnerability analysis. Within three of the four areas, a number of different indicators were identified that contribute to that dimension of vulnerability. Indicators within each area were assigned equal weight unless there were missing data for an indicator. Full paper available on :http://www.strausscenter.org/system/pdfs/34/original/Busby_Locating_Climate_Insecurity.pdf?1279815141