About the project

Climate change is widely acknowledged as one of the greatest threats that humanity will face in the 21st century. Africa is not immune to the challenges, and in some ways will be more greatly affected by them. Climate change models are currently using AI to improve accuracy, but these are largely developed outside of Africa, and may not take into account the specific nuances of culture, geography, and populations in Africa. We seek to know whether African developers are using AI to assist the region with climate change adaptation and impact mitigation.

The African Handbook of Climate Change Adaptation

The African Handbook of Climate Change Adaptation is part of the “Climate Change Management Series,” published by Springer. With over 100 chapters covering the whole African continent, it provides a robust and long-lasting contribution to the literature. The publication is fully peer-reviewed by a panel of editors and reviewers and is coordinated by the International Climate Change Information and Research Programme (ICCIPR). We have contributed a chapter on the use of AI to address climate change in Africa.

Chapter title: Use and impact of artificial intelligence on climate change adaptation in Africa

Abstract

Although Climate Change is a global phenomenon, the impact in Africa is anticipated to be greater than in many other parts of the world. This expectation is supported by many factors, including the relatively low shock tolerance of many African countries and the relatively high percentage of African workers engaged in the agricultural sector. High-income countries are increasingly turning their focus to climate change adaptation, and Artificial Intelligence (AI) is a critical tool in those efforts. Algorithms using AI are making better predictions on the short- and long-term effects of climate change, including predictions related to weather patterns, floods and droughts, and human migration patterns. It is not clear, however, that Africa is (or will be) maximally benefitting from those AI tools, particularly since they are largely developed by highly-developed countries using data sets that are specific to those same countries. It is therefore important to characterise the efforts underway to use AI in a way that specifically benefits Africa in climate change adaptation. These efforts include projects undertaken physically in Africa as well as those that have Africa as their focus. In exploring AI projects in or about Africa, this chapter also looks at the sufficiency of such efforts and the variety of approaches taken by researchers working with AI to address climate change in Africa.