Publication: Climate Change and the Blue Economy in Africa
Loading...
Date
2025-03-26
ISSN
Published
2025-03-26
Author(s)
Editor(s)
Abstract
Climate change impacts the planet overall, and the Blue Economy is not exempt from these effects. On the contrary, the ocean is a major regulator of global and regional weather, and ocean acidification is a fundamental influencer of coastal and marine ecosystems. Climate change is already affecting the Blue Economy in various ways. Sea-level rise is causing havoc on shorelines due to geomorphological processes. Changes in precipitation are causing floods and droughts in unpredictable patterns. Rising sea temperatures are starting to change patterns of ecosystem productivity, which will, in turn, reduce the availability of fish for human consumption. If climate change continues unchecked, extreme weather, such as storm surges, could conceivably combine with normal lunar tides to overwhelm the ability of coastal countries to safeguard their residents and infrastructure. Preparing for these outcomes by developing Africa’s Blue Economy could help reduce the potential impacts of climate change while improving the resilience and adaptation of the continent’s coastal communities.
Link to Data Set
Citation
“World Bank. 2025. Climate Change and the Blue Economy in Africa. Blue Economy for Resilient Africa Program. © World Bank. http://hdl.handle.net/10986/42999 License: CC BY-NC 3.0 IGO.”
Associated URLs
Associated content
Other publications in this report series
Journal
Journal Volume
Journal Issue
Collections
Related items
Showing items related by metadata.
Publication Getting a Grip on Climate Change in the Philippines : Executive Report(Washington, DC, 2013-06)The Philippines already experiences and will continue to face impacts from climate change. In the decades ahead, the most serious consequences will be felt in coastal and urban areas. Severe hardships are expected in agriculture and fisheries, leading to negative impacts on jobs and the economy. With these risks in mind the Philippine Government has initiated significant climate reforms, establishing a basis for transformation. To assess gaps and accelerate implementation of the climate reform agenda, in 2012 the Department of Budget and management and the climate change commission sought advisory services from the World Bank to carry out a Climate Public Expenditure and Institutional Review (CPEIR). Carried out at mid-term of the first phase of the national climate change action plan, the Philippine development plan (2011-2016), and the current administration, this review comes early enough to help guide the finalization and operationalization of the first phase of the climate reform agenda. This executive report summarizes the findings and recommendations of the CPEIR, including an analytical snapshot of the policies, institutions, and expenditures for undertaking climate action in the Philippines, and recommendations to contribute to a successful implementation of the Philippine climate reform agenda.Publication Getting a Grip on Climate Change in the Philippines : Extended Technical Report(Washington, DC, 2013-06)Philippines currently experience and will continue to face significant impacts from climate change. To ensure climate resilience, build a low-carbon economy, and increase its role in the global climate change dialogue, the Philippine government has launched strong climate policy and institutional and financing reforms, supported by a clear rationale for no-regrets action. However, transformative progress toward a more climate resilient society and low carbon economy remains limited. Carried out at mid-term of the first phase of the National Climate Change Action Plan (NCCAP), the Philippine Development Plan (2011-2016) and the current Administration, this review is an opportunity, and comes early enough, to ensure that first phase reforms are finalized and the groundwork for the second and third phases put in place. Recommendations consolidate the strategic direction of the NCCAP and set the stage for scaling up action over the next two phases. Specific activities are proposed to support eight objectives organized around three pillars: (i) strengthening the planning, execution, and financing framework for climate change; (ii) enhancing accountability through monitoring, evaluation, and review of climate change policies and activities; and (iii) building capacity and managing change.Publication Responding to Threats of Climate Change Mega-Catastrophes(2009-11-01)There is a low but uncertain probability that climate change could trigger "mega-catastrophes," severe and at least partly irreversible adverse effects across broad regions. This paper first discusses the state of current knowledge and the defining characteristics of potential climate change mega-catastrophes. While some of these characteristics present difficulties for using standard rational choice methods to evaluate response options, there is still a need to balance the benefits and costs of different possible responses with appropriate attention to the uncertainties. To that end, the authors present a qualitative analysis of three options for mitigating the risk of climate mega-catastrophes - drastic abatement of greenhouse gas emissions, development and implementation of geoengineering, and large-scale ex ante adaptation - against the criteria of efficacy, cost, robustness, and flexibility. They discuss the composition of a sound portfolio of initial investments in reducing the risk of climate change mega-catastrophes.Publication Berlin Workshop Series 2010 : Climate Governance and Development(World Bank, 2011)This volume, Berlin workshop series 2010, contains a selection of papers presented at the 11th International Policy Workshop, held in Berlin, September 28-30, 2008. The workshop was jointly organized by Inwent-Capacity Building International, Germany, and the World Bank in preparation for the World Bank's World Development Report 2010. It provided a forum for an exchange of ideas and viewpoints that contributed to the development of the report. The report will accordingly have six parts, each describing, explaining, or drawing lessons from the climate change that have been observed in both developed and developing countries. Part one looks at climate change as a challenge to development policy. Part two highlights the role of technological innovation and alternative energy sources in promoting sustainable development. Part three examines natural resource governance for adaptation, mitigation, and development. Part four examines the role of the private sector and nongovernmental organizations in addressing climate change. Part five explores financing mechanisms for climate change mitigation and adaptation. Part six and last addresses the capacity and governance of developing countries in mitigating climate change.Publication Economics of Adaptation to Climate Change : Vietnam(Washington, DC, 2010)This report provides a synthesis of key findings of sector studies undertaken in Vietnam in the context of the EACC study. The sector studies were on agriculture (Zhu & Guo 2010), a separate computable general equilibrium [CGE] analysisbased on agriculture findings (Adams et al. 2010), aquaculture (Kam et al. 2010), forestry (Phuong). At the global level, the EACC study estimates that it will costbetween $70 and $100 billion each year to adapt to climate change over the period 2010 to 2050. The study was funded by the governments of the UnitedKingdom, Netherlands, and Switzerland. Further details may be found at: www.worldbank.org/eacc. In addition, the synthesis report from Vietnam and the six underlying national sector reports can be downloaded from the Environment site of the World Bank s web site for Vietnam: www.worldbank.org/vn/environment.et al. 2010, Almeida et al. 2010), social (McElwee et al. 2010), and coastal ports (VIMARU 2010). Further details can be found in the individual sector reports prepared by teams of national and international experts.
Users also downloaded
Showing related downloaded files
Publication Global Economic Prospects, January 2025(Washington, DC: World Bank, 2025-01-16)Global growth is expected to hold steady at 2.7 percent in 2025-26. However, the global economy appears to be settling at a low growth rate that will be insufficient to foster sustained economic development—with the possibility of further headwinds from heightened policy uncertainty and adverse trade policy shifts, geopolitical tensions, persistent inflation, and climate-related natural disasters. Against this backdrop, emerging market and developing economies are set to enter the second quarter of the twenty-first century with per capita incomes on a trajectory that implies substantially slower catch-up toward advanced-economy living standards than they previously experienced. Without course corrections, most low-income countries are unlikely to graduate to middle-income status by the middle of the century. Policy action at both global and national levels is needed to foster a more favorable external environment, enhance macroeconomic stability, reduce structural constraints, address the effects of climate change, and thus accelerate long-term growth and development.Publication Pathways for Peace(Washington, DC: World Bank, 2018)The resurgence of violent conflict in recent years has caused immense human suffering, at enormous social and economic cost. Violent conflicts today have become complex and protracted, involving more non-state groups and regional and international actors, often linked to global challenges from climate change to transnational organized crime. It is increasingly recognized as an obstacle to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals by 2030. This has given impetus for policy makers at all levels – from local to global – to focus on preventing violent conflict more effectively. Grounded in a shared commitment to this agenda, Pathways for Peace: Inclusive Approaches to Preventing Violent Conflict is a joint United Nations and World Bank study that looks at how development processes can better interact with diplomacy and mediation, security and other tools to prevent conflict from becoming violent. To understand ‘what works,’ it reviews the experience of different countries and institutions to highlight elements that have contributed to peace. Central to these efforts is the need to address grievances around exclusion from access to power, opportunity and security. States hold the primary responsibility for prevention, but to be effective, civil society, the private sector, regional and international organizations must be involved. Enhancing the meaningful participation of women and youth in decision making, as well as long-term policies to address the aspirations of women and young people are fundamental to sustaining peace.Publication Global Economic Prospects, June 2025(Washington, DC: World Bank, 2025-06-10)The global economy is facing another substantial headwind, emanating largely from an increase in trade tensions and heightened global policy uncertainty. For emerging market and developing economies (EMDEs), the ability to boost job creation and reduce extreme poverty has declined. Key downside risks include a further escalation of trade barriers and continued policy uncertainty. These challenges are exacerbated by subdued foreign direct investment into EMDEs. Global cooperation is needed to restore a more stable international trade environment and scale up support for vulnerable countries grappling with conflict, debt burdens, and climate change. Domestic policy action is also critical to contain inflation risks and strengthen fiscal resilience. To accelerate job creation and long-term growth, structural reforms must focus on raising institutional quality, attracting private investment, and strengthening human capital and labor markets. Countries in fragile and conflict situations face daunting development challenges that will require tailored domestic policy reforms and well-coordinated multilateral support.Publication Poverty, Prosperity, and Planet Report 2024(Washington, DC: World Bank, 2024-10-15)The Poverty, Prosperity, and Planet Report 2024 is the latest edition of the series formerly known as Poverty and Shared Prosperity. The report emphasizes that reducing poverty and increasing shared prosperity must be achieved in ways that do not come at unacceptably high costs to the environment. The current “polycrisis”—where the multiple crises of slow economic growth, increased fragility, climate risks, and heightened uncertainty have come together at the same time—makes national development strategies and international cooperation difficult. Offering the first post-Coronavirus (COVID)-19 pandemic assessment of global progress on this interlinked agenda, the report finds that global poverty reduction has resumed but at a pace slower than before the COVID-19 crisis. Nearly 700 million people worldwide live in extreme poverty with less than US$2.15 per person per day. Progress has essentially plateaued amid lower economic growth and the impacts of COVID-19 and other crises. Today, extreme poverty is concentrated mostly in Sub-Saharan Africa and fragile settings. At a higher standard more typical of upper-middle-income countries—US$6.85 per person per day—almost one-half of the world is living in poverty. The report also provides evidence that the number of countries that have high levels of income inequality has declined considerably during the past two decades, but the pace of improvements in shared prosperity has slowed, and that inequality remains high in Latin America and the Caribbean and Sub-Saharan Africa. Worldwide, people’s incomes today would need to increase fivefold on average to reach a minimum prosperity threshold of US$25 per person per day. Where there has been progress in poverty reduction and shared prosperity, there is evidence of an increasing ability of countries to manage natural hazards, but climate risks are significantly higher in the poorest settings. Nearly one in five people globally is at risk of experiencing welfare losses due to an extreme weather event from which they will struggle to recover. The interconnected issues of climate change and poverty call for a united and inclusive effort from the global community. Development cooperation stakeholders—from governments, nongovernmental organizations, and the private sector to communities and citizens acting locally in every corner of the globe—hold pivotal roles in promoting fair and sustainable transitions. By emphasizing strategies that yield multiple benefits and diligently monitoring and addressing trade-offs, we can strive toward a future that is prosperous, equitable, and resilient.Publication World Development Report 2024(Washington, DC: World Bank, 2024-08-01)Middle-income countries are in a race against time. Many of them have done well since the 1990s to escape low-income levels and eradicate extreme poverty, leading to the perception that the last three decades have been great for development. But the ambition of the more than 100 economies with incomes per capita between US$1,100 and US$14,000 is to reach high-income status within the next generation. When assessed against this goal, their record is discouraging. Since the 1970s, income per capita in the median middle-income country has stagnated at less than a tenth of the US level. With aging populations, growing protectionism, and escalating pressures to speed up the energy transition, today’s middle-income economies face ever more daunting odds. To become advanced economies despite the growing headwinds, they will have to make miracles. Drawing on the development experience and advances in economic analysis since the 1950s, World Development Report 2024 identifies pathways for developing economies to avoid the “middle-income trap.” It points to the need for not one but two transitions for those at the middle-income level: the first from investment to infusion and the second from infusion to innovation. Governments in lower-middle-income countries must drop the habit of repeating the same investment-driven strategies and work instead to infuse modern technologies and successful business processes from around the world into their economies. This requires reshaping large swaths of those economies into globally competitive suppliers of goods and services. Upper-middle-income countries that have mastered infusion can accelerate the shift to innovation—not just borrowing ideas from the global frontiers of technology but also beginning to push the frontiers outward. This requires restructuring enterprise, work, and energy use once again, with an even greater emphasis on economic freedom, social mobility, and political contestability. Neither transition is automatic. The handful of economies that made speedy transitions from middle- to high-income status have encouraged enterprise by disciplining powerful incumbents, developed talent by rewarding merit, and capitalized on crises to alter policies and institutions that no longer suit the purposes they were once designed to serve. Today’s middle-income countries will have to do the same.