Climate change and state fragility in the Sahel

The Sahel is a hotspot for global climate change, with temperatures having risen by nearly 1ºC since 1970, at a rate nearly twice the global average. The region also faces increasingly variable rainfall, and more frequent droughts and storms, while its highly fragile states have limited ability to adapt to climate-related shocks. Moreover, the region’s weak institutions, political instability, poverty, inequality and historical grievances have the potential to combine with climate change to exacerbate existing tensions and trigger new conflicts. International actors can help states across the Sahel address their interrelated climate and conflict challenges by supporting peacebuilding interventions that help build resilience to climate change and climate change responses that help avoid conflict.