Managing Climate Extremes and Disasters in Africa: Lessons from the IPCC SREX report
The Special Report on Managing the Risks of Extreme Events and Disasters to AdvanceClimate Change Adaptation(SREX) was commissioned by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC)in response to a recognised need to provide specific advice on climate change, extreme weather and climate events(‘climate extremes’). The SREX report was written over two and a half years, compiled by220 expert authors, 19 review editors and taking account of almost 19,000 comments. It went through three rigorous drafting processes with expert and government review. The findings were approved by the world’s governments following a four-day meeting, where theSummary for Policy Makers was agreed. It thus provides the bestscientific assessment available to date. It comprises a policy summary released in November2011 and the full report released in March 2012 (available online at http://ipcc-wg2.gov/srex).This summary highlights the key findings of the SREX report from an African perspective,including an assessment of the science and the implications of this for society and sustainable development.
