When record-breaking rainsraged across the coastal city of Durban in South Africa in April 2022, theresulting floodsdamaged roads, bridges, and houses. The impoverished, lower-lying areas of Durban suffered the most, as inhabitants lost both their homes and their lives.
The setting would have been recognizable to people living in several other rapidly expanding cities across Africa.Some, such as Lagos, Cairo, Cape Town, and Durban, have already had to adjust to a shifting climate and its increasing dangers like flooding, dry spells, or extreme temperatures.
Cities require innovative approaches to cope with the impacts of climate change. The existing framework of social, economic, and political systems upon which cities are built is rooted in a market-driven capitalist structure and globalization. This approach has led to urban development patterns that increase the exposure of economically and socially marginalized communities to climate-related risks.
For example, numerous low-income residents are only able to construct weak houses orlive in flood-prone areasnear rivers. When larger floods occur due to climate change, it is these areas that suffer the most.
The typical reaction from most urban authorities is to implement minor adjustments, such as reinforcing flood defenses or enhancing drainage systems. These measures seek to minimize climate-related risks while maintaining the existing social, economic, and political structure. This method is referred to as incremental adaptation.
However, the impacts of climate-related disasters reveal that this method is ineffective. The answer lies in transformative adaptation. This involves advocating for courageous, comprehensive changes that address the underlying reasons for vulnerability and create a society that is more fair, just, sustainable, and welcoming for all.
The method to achieve this in real-world applications is still under investigation.
Read more: How urban areas can restructure informal neighborhoods following catastrophes
Alongside our co-authors, Rudo Mamombe and Patrick Martell, we study climate risks and urban adaptation strategies.
We set out to understandhow Durban, South Africa and Harare, Zimbabwe – cities dealing with significant spatial and economic disparities – might implement effective adaptation strategies in reality.
Read more: Cities in Africa designed to handle climate challenges – specialists detail the requirements
The study focused on regional water-related climate hazards: unpredictable precipitation, flooding, and dry spells.
We formed learning labs– forums where we could engage in discussions about intricate matters with local governments, non-profit entities, civil society groups, and academic institutions. Here,we distilled six principlesfor a reimagined adaptation. We subsequently evaluated these principles through five practical, water-related initiatives.
The six guidelines provide a useful framework for urban administrators, neighborhood advocates, and funders to implement climate adaptation strategies that promote social, economic, and political equity.
Six elements for more profound transformation
Here are the six principles we have recognized:
Major shifts in mindset and action, which need to be long-lasting:significant alterations to the current standards, beliefs, and methods of operation.
Inclusivity:numerous and varied groups who all have genuine power in determining and implementing decisions.
Challenges to power imbalances:social equity arises from challenging established systems of power.
Demonstrability: tangible, visible benefits.
Responsiveness and flexibility:the ability to react and adapt as local priorities, circumstances, and insights develop.
Holistic, complex systems thinking:acknowledging that numerous factors influencing global transformation, climate risk, and susceptibility are interrelated. These connections span across sectors, regions, time periods, and levels of governance
Where we applied these principles
Durban’s Sihlanzimvelo Stream Cleanup Initiative, managed by the local government, utilizes groups of local residents to remove non-native plants and debris from nearly 300 kilometers of waterways.
This leads to fewer clogged drains, reduced flooding, more secure public areas, and local employment opportunities. These are all advantages that individuals (including those providing funding) can clearly observe. This meets the demonstrability criterion of transformative adaptation. Nevertheless, our study revealed that decision-making authority remained primarily with city officials. Therefore, the project did not meet the principle of addressing power disparities.
The Harare Wetlands Advocacy Project, a venture of theHarare Wetlands Trust, highlights the importance of wetlands to inspire locals to become caretakers of these areas, and educates them on ways to ensure government responsibility. It has also assisted communities in legal actions.
By promoting the involvement of the community and residents in managing the wetlands, this initiative aligns with the concept of involving more individuals in issues that impact them. It also addresses existing power disparities. However, assessing ecological improvements—like increased water volume or better quality—requires time, which makes it difficult to demonstrate immediate successes.
Read more: How people living in African cities are developing responses to climate change
Three smaller Durban projects – thePalmiet Catchment Rehabilitation Project, Aller River Pilot Project and Wise Wayz Water Care– gather various stakeholders and impacted individuals, organizations, and local communities to revitalize the river’s well-being.
All three initiatives feature highly inclusive procedures and provide opportunities for learning and creativity, yet aligning on common goals and achieving initial outcomes proves to be a slower and more challenging process. These projects have discovered the importance of remaining adaptable. They adjust their actions as new partners, insights, and financial support become available.
Our study discovered that noticeable enhancements, like a cleaner river, and financial prospects can attract funding for a project and influence people’s perspectives and actions. This can create opportunities for more significant changes in governance.
We also discovered that genuinely involving more individuals in developing solutions is effective, as it addresses power disparities, results in moreholistic, systems thinking, and can lead to essential (and lasting) transformations in thought and action. However, inclusivity demands time and attention. Reaching agreements takes more time, and occasionally, project financiers desire quicker results.
Our study revealed that hands-on learning surpasses the pursuit of perfection. Groundbreaking initiatives are trials that demand exploration into uncharted areas. All participants must recognize that they are engaging in an experiment that may not yield success. Regular reflection meetings where projects can realign and document insights for future stages are essential.
Why this is significant beyond Durban and Harare
Urban centers in Southern Africa grapple with significant challenges stemming from fast urban growth, historical spatial imbalances from the colonial period, deteriorating climate risks, and existing economic systems.
Gradual climate adaptation that involves minor, limited actions will fail to meet the demand for deep changes. The six principles we discovered can assist.
Nevertheless, it is improbable to adhere to all principles simultaneously. It is more feasible to begin with small actions while keeping a grand vision in mind. Therefore, transformative adaptation requires a process of strategic steps that start modestly and gradually expand, building upon one another and evolving over time—becoming more extensive in scope and more courageous in its goals. These steps should shift power dynamics, reconsider development focuses, and revive ecosystems.
The task for municipal officials and financiers is to support these trials, gain insights from them, and expand successful initiatives, ensuring that African cities are more equipped to handle upcoming crises.
This piece is reprinted fromThe Conversationa non-profit, independent news organization providing you with facts and reliable analysis to help you understand our complicated world. It was written by:Lorena Pasquini, University of Cape Town; Alice McClure, University of Cape Town; Anna Taylor; Chipo Plaxedes Mubaya, Chinhoyi University of Technology, and Lulu van Rooyen (born Pretorius), University of KwaZulu-Natal
Read more:
- Here are three methods through which urban areas can adjust to evolving weather conditions
- The Batwa people of Uganda are susceptible to the impacts of climate change, yet they are excluded from decision-making processes related to adaptation efforts.
This research was funded by the LIRA 2030 Africa Programme, managed by the International Council for Science (ICSU) in collaboration with the Network of African Science Academies (NASAC) and the International Social Science Council (ISSC), with backing from the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (SIDA) (grant number LIRA2030-GR08/18).
Alice McClure is supported by the International Science Council, GIZ, UKRI, UK FCDO, IDRC, and the Wellcome Trust.
Anna Taylor is supported by the International Science Council, GIZ, UKRI, UK FCDO, IDRC, AFD, and the Water Research Commission.
Chipo Plaxedes Mubaya and Lulu van Rooyen (formerly Pretorius) are not employed by, advise, own stock in, or receive financial support from any corporation or entity that would gain from this article, and have not revealed any pertinent affiliations aside from their academic positions.
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