Namibia - Country Climate and Development Report

Overview & Synopsis

Access to water is already a challenge, and is compounded by hydroclimatic threats that feed into increased risks to the energy and agriculture sectors. For example, climate change-induced risks and shocks pose a significant threat to agricultural development, particularly among the smallholder farmers and livestock herders who are the most vulnerable to climate change effects. These factors severely hamper land productivity and increase the risk of engaging in agricultural production. Expanding mining output may also put additional pressure on water demand. Companies in the mining sector are already taking climate change adaptation measures. Given the arid environment and significant water needs of mining operations, Namibia’s mining sector actively manages water scarcity through a combination of desalination plants and the development of wellfields. Severe droughts in recent years have reduced hydropower output and increased reliance on regional electricity imports. Climate change threatens Namibians' health, livelihoods, infrastructure, and economic stability.3 It will reduce disposable income and food security, disproportionately affecting women and children. Coastal towns face inundation from rising sea levels, while flood-prone northern regions experience frequent flood damage to homes, businesses, and roads, restricting access to essential services. Poorly planned settlements will suffer heightened infrastructure damage. Water scarcity will worsen due to erratic rainfall, rising temperatures, prolonged droughts, and increased evaporation. Climate change may also escalate vector-borne diseases like malaria and waterborne illnesses like cholera. Deteriorating water quality and poor sanitation, exacerbated by floods, risk increasing disease prevalence and child mortality. Overall, climate change brings risks of stalling or even reversing Namibia’s progress on poverty reduction. Climate shocks already disproportionally affect poor and vulnerable Namibians, especially in rural areas. Social vulnerability in Namibia is shaped by a complex interplay of historical, geographic, and structural factors that leave large segments of the population ill-equipped to cope with climate shocks. The analysis for this CCDR shows that climate vulnerabilities are greatest in northern Kunene and parts of Otjozondjupa, which have both large poor populations and high drought exposure. The northeastern region, particularly Kavango East, has both a high number of poor households and high exposure to floods.