Climate Change and Urban Development in Africa Asfaw Kumssa a *, Aloysius C. Mosha b , Isaac M. Mbeche c and Enos H. N. Njeru d a United Nations Centre for Regional Development, Africa Office, Nairobi, Kenya b University of Botswana, Gaborone, Botswana c University of Nairobi, Nairobi, Kenya d College of Humanities and Social Sciences, University of Nairobi, Nairobi, Kenya Abstract Climate change poses a major threat to sustainable urban development in Africa. Changes in the frequency, intensity, and duration of climate extremes (droughts, floods, and heat waves, among others) will affect the livelihoods of the urban population, particularly the poor and other vulnerable communities who live in slums and marginalized settlements. Extreme changes in weather patterns will increase incidences of natural disasters and impact on all key sectors of the economy, including the urban economy, agriculture and forestry, water resources, coastal areas and settlements, and health. In Africa, where livelihoods are mainly based on climate-dependent resources and environ- ment, the effect of climate change will be disproportionate and severe. Moreover, Africa’ s capacity to adapt to and cope with the adverse effects of climate variability is generally weak. This Chapter examines the relations between climate change and urban development in Africa and looks at the role and effect of climate change on urban development. It also assesses the available policy options for adaptation and mitigating climate change effects in urban Africa. Keywords Africa; Climate change; Urban development; Adaptation and mitigation policies Introduction Climate change is one of today’ s emerging threats and challenges to humanity. The signs are visible, while its adverse effects are felt across both the developed and developing nations. The high incidences of flooding and intense rainfall (Trapp et al. 2007), drought and heat waves, cyclones, hurricanes, and the frequent erratic weather patterns, which have exacerbated poverty, displacement, and hunger among millions of people, are partly attributable to climate change (Pall et al. 2011). The term climate change has been defined as a statistically significant variation in either the mean state of climate or in its variability, persisting for an extended period (WMO 2012). The major causes of climate change include natural variations in sunlight intensity and human activities, which have led to an increase in greenhouse gases and a steady rise of the earth’ s temperatures. The views expressed here are the authors’ own and not necessarily those of the United Nations Centre for Regional Development. *Email: asfaw.kumssa.uncrd@undp.org Handbook of Climate Change Adaptation DOI 10.1007/978-3-642-40455-9_8-3 # Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 2014 Page 1 of 11