Kaleigh Harrison
Africa is facing a sharp convergence of climate risks and security threats—and it’s forcing a rethink of how development strategies are designed and funded. With nine of the ten most climate-vulnerable nations and over half of the world’s active conflict zones, the continent sits at the intersection of environmental instability and humanitarian crisis.
In 2024, climate-related disasters displaced nearly 10 million people across Africa, underscoring the links between extreme weather events, forced migration, and local conflict. Erratic rainfall and growing water scarcity are disrupting agricultural patterns and pastoralist routes, creating flashpoints in regions from the Sahel to Ethiopia and northern Kenya. Development institutions now see environmental degradation as both a cause and consequence of conflict—accelerating fragility in already vulnerable states.
The message coming out of COP30 in Belém is clear: climate adaptation and peacebuilding can not be approached in isolation. Investment in resilience infrastructure, economic recovery, and basic services won’t succeed unless communities are stable and governance is strong. As development leaders put it, peace is becoming a prerequisite—not a byproduct—of climate action.
New Financial Tools Link Climate Resilience to Stability and Growth
The African Development Bank (AfDB) is restructuring its approach around this emerging climate-security nexus. Through a suite of financing tools—including the Transition Support Facility and its Strategy for Addressing Fragility and Building Resilience—the Bank is targeting support to 37 low-income countries facing conflict, instability, or post-crisis recovery.
Its Climate Action Window, launched under the African Development Fund, deployed nearly $386 million in its first year, supporting 59 climate-related projects across fragile states. Of these, 70% prioritized adaptation—ranging from drought-resilient agriculture to climate-smart water systems—while the remainder focused on mitigation. The strategic shift is clear: adaptation is now seen as an economic enabler, not just emergency relief.
The AfDB’s Green Growth Strategic Framework for 2030 embeds fragility and climate risk analysis directly into project design. This means vulnerability assessments and resilience metrics are no longer tacked on after the fact—they guide planning from day one. Financial institutions are also making the case that every dollar spent on climate adaptation generates long-term value by protecting livelihoods, reducing conflict triggers, and building investor confidence.
Building resilience goes beyond finance; development actors stress that progress hinges on partnerships across peacekeeping, climate science, civil society, and local governments. Grassroots organizations in affected regions are demanding a more active role in shaping climate-security policy. Excluding them, experts warn, risks reinforcing the very grievances that fuel instability.
As the global spotlight turns toward climate financing and carbon markets, African leaders are drawing attention to a deeper, structural challenge: without peace, climate adaptation won’t scale. And without adaptation, peace may not hold.