Climate Crisis is a Daily Reality for Many African Communities: How to try and Protect Them
For many African communities, the climate crisis is not a future scenario – it is a daily emergency. Irreversible losses, destroyed homes, failed harvests, vanishing ecosystems and lack of access to clean water are already happening.
I’m a researcher in how to manage the risks of climate change and protect communities against climate disasters. I work with the International Water Management Institute, a non-profit organisation that works to improve water and land management to enhance food security, livelihoods and climate resilience.
My research into drought-tolerant crops, efficient irrigation and community-based water management has shown how early investment in these water-smart solutions saves lives. When water is managed well and is always available, food can still be grown during drought and small-scale farmers can still earn a living. Managing water flows can prevent flood damage.
My research shows that Africa can turn water into a powerful tool to protect communities when disaster strikes. An immediate opportunity is for South Africa to use its G20 presidency to insist on greater investment in community-driven, water-smart approaches.
Four key actions are needed:
• investment in climate data, water monitoring and early warning systems
• involvement of citizen scientists and community leaders in setting these up
• building infrastructure that withstands disasters
• shifting funding from disaster recovery to prevention.
This matters because when disaster strikes, it’s not only governments that respond. It’s families, farmers and frontline workers who have to pitch in to repair damage and help each other survive. As disasters ripple across borders, they disrupt food supplies and economic stability. Local crises can become a global problem, and need a shared response.
How the G20 can improve Africa’s disaster preparedness
Firstly, South Africa, as 2025 G20 president, can push for investment in systems that store climate data, water monitoring and early warning systems.
- Climate data: This involves analysing historical and real-time information on rainfall and temperature to forecast changes. For example, data can predict a high likelihood of drought in the Horn of Africa or across southern Africa, prompting early response.
- Water monitoring: This means tracking water levels in rivers, lakes and groundwater in real-time. Monitoring the Zambezi River basin, for example, provides critical lead time before floods hit downstream communities.
- Early warning systems: Warnings of storms issued just 24 hours in advance can reduce damage caused by a disaster by up to 30%. This gives people time to evacuate, protect their homes, and safeguard their fields and livestock.
For example, I’m part of a team that is building anticipatory action platforms. These are digital tools, often accessible via mobile phones, that integrate satellite data, climate forecasts and local knowledge to help decision-makers and farmers act before disaster strikes.
These tools are already making a difference and with the right investment and policy support, they could protect millions more.
Secondly, local voices and citizen science need to be put at the centre of disaster risk reduction. Disaster response works best when communities have access to water monitoring, early warning systems and planning tools. Citizen science, where local people actively collect, share and interpret data, strengthens these systems by making risk information accessible, trusted and actionable.
Working with communities to identify risks, co-develop solutions and lead response efforts will ensure that local knowledge and voices of women, youth and other vulnerable groups are treated as a vital asset.
Thirdly, infrastructure must be built to withstand disasters. Every rainy season, roads collapse, schools flood and water systems fail across sub-Saharan Africa. Rebuilding after each storm is costly and often leaves people vulnerable once again because it recreates the same fragile systems.
The solution is not just about building more infrastructure – it is about building smarter. This includes creating new types of roads designed to withstand floods, establishing drainage systems for heavy rainfall, and making sure that power and water systems keep working during extreme weather. It also involves combining engineering with nature-based solutions, such as restoring wetlands to absorb floodwaters or creating green spaces to cool cities.
Fourth, there needs to be funding for prevention – not just recovery. Right now, most disaster response financing in Africa comes after a crisis. For example, governments issue emergency appeals, donors respond and help slowly arrives. This approach is reactive, inefficient and often too late to prevent the worst impacts.
The key is to shift resources from expensive post-crisis response to proactive investments that reduce risks before disasters strike. Successful examples exist, such as forecast-based financing in Bangladesh, where funds are released based on weather forecasts before a flood hits.
What needs to happen next
Firstly, South Africa must use its G20 presidency to insist on greater investment in community-driven, water-smart approaches.
Africa also needs predictable, flexible funding to act early. South Africa can use the G20 platform to support tools like contingency funds, forecast-based financing and regional risk pools. These are systems that enable governments to respond before disasters spiral out of control. Development banks and donor nations must shift to this kind of financing.
Other measures include linking disaster finance to social protection programmes – like food aid or cash transfers – which can also help people recover faster and reduce the long-term cost of disasters.
Africa is home to some of the world’s most innovative community-led and nature-based climate adaptation strategies, yet they remain underfunded. South Africa’s G20 presidency is a rare opportunity to change this.
The question is whether South Africa will use its platform to secure concrete commitments, not just expressions of solidarity.
