Risks of adverse impacts from climate change in Southern Africa

Abstract

In this chapter, the terms hazard exposure, sensitivity (or biophysical vulnerability), adaptive capacity (or its opposite - social vulnerability) and risk are introduced (see Box 4.1 for key definitions). Whether or not climate change is likely to have an adverse impact, or the extent to which the change will cause a problem (or indeed an opportunity) depends on the interaction of these concepts in any one place, and at any one time. The chapter also looks at sectors in the southern Africa region where negative impacts are likely to be high, using a number of case study illustrations.