Sustainable adaptation to climate change and hydrometeorological hazards in Tropical Africa: insights and perspectives from the 2nd International GORILLA conference

Abstract

The core sustainability issues of Agenda 2030 are more pronounced in Tropical Africa. Climate change has been proven to be intensifying hydrometeorological hazards, deepening risks and undermining the resilience of communities, livelihoods and ecosystems. The biannual International Conference on Geographical Science for Resilient Communities, Ecosystems and Livelihoods Under Global Environmental Change (GORILLA) is strongly anchored in Agenda 2030 and seeks to contribute to the achievement to the resilience discourse. Drawing on insights from the 2nd of the GORILLA conference, this special issue explores how geographic science can inform sustainable adaptation in considering the uneven exposure, vulnerability and adaptive capacities in Tropical Africa. The abstracts reveal increasingly multiple and intersecting environmental risk with diverse implications on livelihood resilience in Tropical Africa settings. The five peer-reviewed articles in this issue based on case studies form Ghana and Uganda highlight how critical issues of mining, urban expansion, climate variability and livelihood interact with local ecological and social conditions to shape risk and adaptation outcomes. Collectively, the articles advance geographically grounded knowledge for climate-risk management and sustainable development and elicit key areas for policy action in Tropical Africa territories.