Climate Change Hazard, Vulnerability and Risk Assessment for Cape Town (2018)

Partners: SAFEGE/SUEZ Consulting, funded by the French Development Agency (AFD)

A OneWorld team, led by Ms Petrie, carried out a study to assess the climate change-related sectoral hazards, vulnerabilities and risks for the City of Cape Town (COCT). The study assessed the climate change risks for each sector, including spatial mapping of vulnerable areas.

As a coastal city on the southwest coast of South Africa, Cape Town is vulnerable to various climate change impacts, including flooding and drought, amongst others.  

This led to a consolidated hazard, vulnerability and risk assessment, that analyses the impacts of overlapping and cumulative effects of different hazards, through risk ranking and spatial overlay. These findings were validated through participatory stakeholder workshops. An economic risk analysis gave insight into the potential impacts on Cape Town’s economy, as well as any potential economic opportunities.

Finally, by applying a multicriteria assessment, the team identified and documented the most important adaptation options, including an analysis of cost-effective, ecosystem-based implementation options and their costs. These options were presented in the form of a manual. The study supported an updated and renewed Climate Change Adaptation Action Plan for CCT.

This project fell under the CICLIA Framework Agreement for Studies and Technical Assistance for the Cities and Climate Change Initiative in Sub-Saharan Africa, funded by the French Development Agency (AFD), EU and the Swiss State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO)..

The project included four capacity-building workshops and two presentations with cross-cutting representation from across the City of Cape Town with a view to capacitate the City on Climate Change Risk and Vulnerability and to address cross-cutting governance and resilience investment issues

PUBLICATIONS

Read the Climate Change Vulnerability and Hazard Assessment for Cape Town.

The study also includes an Inception Report, Economic Risk Analysis Report, and the Climate Resilience Investment Manual.

Published on City of Cape Town’s website.