Climate Landscape Analysis for Children in Cameroon
September 2024
1. Introduction
The Climate Landscape Analysis for Children, developed by UNICEF Cameroon together with partners[1], highlights the impact of climate change on children and identifies priority interventions on climate, environment, and disaster risk reduction (CEED). The analysis is an important step in implementing the UNICEF Sustainability and Climate Change Action Plan 2023–2030[2] and in providing a basis for the UNICEF Climate Action Plan for Children in Cameroon.
UNICEF Sustainability and Climate Change Action Plan (SCAP) 2023–2030
The SCAP has three objectives: Protect, Empower and Reduce.
Objective one aims to improve children’s health and wellbeing and build their communities’ resilience by adapting essential social services to climate change. The second objective focuses on ensuring that every child has the necessary developmental opportunities, education and skills to become an advocate for the environment. Objective three strives to reduce the emissions and environmental footprint within UNICEF, support its global network of partners to do the same and advocate for the fulfilment of ambitious international sustainability and climate change agreements.
2. The climate and environmental situation in Cameroon
According to the UNICEF Children’s Climate Risk Index, Cameroon ranks among the ten countries globally where children are the most exposed to climate and environmental hazards, shocks and stresses.[3] The country assembles within its territory many climates and ecosystems of tropical Africa, with its territories in the Sahelian zones severely affected by drought and desertification, its territories in the coastal zones threatened by the acceleration of coastal erosion and rising water levels and its territories in the Congo Basin affected by deforestation and depletion of biodiversity.
Climate-induced disasters include droughts, heavy rains and floods, land- and mudslides, bushfires, dust, thunder and windstorms, and the rising of water levels. In recent years, Cameroon has faced a significant increase in the frequency, severity, and impact of these disasters. These devastating events have resulted in substantial human and socio-economic losses, impacting the well-being of thousands across the country, especially children. The Government of Cameroon estimates that an average of 3 million people (out of a population of about 28 million) are affected by climate change and weather-related hazards annually, about 1.6 million of them children.[4] Climate change has a direct impact on more than 70 per cent of the population whose livelihoods depend directly on agriculture.[5] Floods have often destroyed houses, health facilities, and infrastructures depriving children of education, shelter, quality healthcare and food.
Climate change and related disasters have led to socio-economic and environmental losses, negatively impacting the country’s economic growth and the development of human capital. Cameroon has a Human Capital Index (HCI) of only 0.4.[6][7] Furthermore, only 92 out of 100 children born in Cameroon survive to age five, compared to 96 out of 100 across low and middle-income countries (LMICs).
Another key feature of climate change in Cameroon is its propensity to exacerbate competition over limited natural resources aggravating latent inter-community tensions. Access to land and water have been the major causes of inter-community conflicts for the past four decades in the East, Adamawa, North and Far North regions. Climate change is impacting the frequency and magnitude of these conflicts; which are causing more casualties than in the past (see text box).
All 10 regions of Cameroon are exposed to and have been impacted by climate change-related hazards. However, the driving factors and impacts of climate change vary widely from one region to another.
Far North and North (Sahelian zone) — In the Northern regions, heavy rainfall alternates with a six- to seven-month dry season from October to April, leading to sporadic but significant floods and droughts. The average daily high temperature is 36 degrees Celsius. Extended periods of hot weather can lead to significant harm to both crops and human health. The duration of the rainy season is decreasing, with more rain falling during shorter periods, negatively affecting farming and other livelihood activities. Over the past 60 years, the surface of Lake Chad, which provides water and fishing opportunities to more than 30 million people in Chad, Niger, Nigeria, and the Far North of Cameroon, has decreased by as much as 95 per cent. In the Far North region, recurring heavy rains and floods can lead to deaths, loss of homes and livelihoods, and displacement.[8] Local livelihoods rely heavily on already degraded natural resources; climate-induced disasters and recurrent locust infestations have contributed to alarming rates of food insecurity. The new conditions of the environment are more conducive to mosquitoes and the spread of malaria, with pregnant women and children under five most at risk.
Coastal areas — The coastal areas are vulnerable to rising water levels, floods, coastal erosion, landslides, and violent winds. The sea level rising is expected to cause the permanent flooding of residential areas, the loss of vital mangrove areas, coastal erosion, sedimentation and increase salinity, negatively impacting local livelihoods such as shrimp fisheries and the agricultural sector more broadly. Douala is especially exposed. From 1980 to 2014, more than 300 flood events struck the city, claiming an estimated 700 lives. Flooding and mudslides are also frequent in the South-West (SW) region, leading to damage to property and WASH infrastructure, and raising the risks of waterborne diseases such as cholera. For example, floods and mudslides affected over 3,000 people in March 2023 in Buea, the capital of the SW region. Similarly, 5 people lost their lives and approximately 2,000 people were affected by flooding and landslides in Limbe, a coastal town in the SW region, in July 2023.
Congo Basin — Cameroon is part of the Congo Basin, which is one of the three largest green forests in the world. Tropical forests cover almost 40 per cent of Cameroon and provide an estimated eight million rural people with traditional staples including food, medicines, fuel, hunting and construction materials.[9] Forests play important roles in supporting Cameroon’s national economy, generating rainfall and regulating surface water flows important for agricultural production, hydroelectric power generation and municipal water supplies. Meanwhile, worrisome deforestation is reported in the Congo Basin, with Cameroon taking the seventh place on the list of the world’s top deforesters in [10] Migration, population growth, poaching, increased demand for firewood, the expansion of agriculture and the lack of alternative sources of employment and income for the population are other factors that threaten the ecological, economic, and social functions of forest ecosystems. Forest loss is also increasingly driven by climate change through increased exposure to longer droughts, fires, and[11] Deforestation has a profound effect on rural and indigenous communities’ livelihood, puts biodiversity at risk and contributes to greenhouse gas emissions. Additionally, animal conflicts, such as elephant attacks, destroying settlements and livelihoods, are increasing.
Urban areas — In urban areas, especially big cities, against the background of landownership insecurity, the development of precarious[4] and often illegal housing, and the occupation of areas exposed to floods and landslides by vulnerable families affected by multidimensional poverty, lead to high levels of exposure to extreme weather events. For example, in October 2019, a landslide in Bafoussam led to the death of 47 people and landslides caused by heavy rains killed at least 30 people and injured 16 in the country’s capital Yaounde in October 2023. Furthermore, air and water pollution are increasingly becoming a preoccupation for city dwellers living in swampy areas.
3. The impact of climate change on children
The climate crisis is a child rights crisis in Cameroon
Climate-induced disasters and public health emergencies disproportionately affect the most vulnerable girls and boys.
Children are disproportionally impacted by climate-related hazards, due to many factors, starting with their specific developmental needs and physiology. The most direct, obvious impacts of climate change on children are on their physical integrity, through death or injury. Children are less able to physically protect themselves from immediate dangers in a flood or storm. Examples in Cameroon include children drowning during floods and child deaths due to landslides and mudslides. Climate hazards negatively affect the mental health and social development of children, often irreversibly. Climate change can also harm the availability of dependable and life-saving services, with the most vulnerable often lacking access to vital services such as healthcare, water, and education.
Children living in hazard-prone areas and/or living in poverty, children living with disabilities, Indigenous children, girls and adolescent girls, newborns and children aged under five are among the most vulnerable groups.
Health, including Mental Health, Nutrition and Water, Sanitation and Hygiene
Children are more susceptible to changes in temperature: children are less able to regulate body temperature and more prone to heat stroke, which is particularly dangerous to children suffering from malnutrition or illnesses. During a drought or in areas of high water scarcity, children are at a greater risk of dehydration, malnutrition and water-borne diseases.
Climate-related disasters disrupt health services, including by damaging or destroying health infrastructure and medication, including vaccines that rely on a consistent temperature. Rising temperatures lead to an increase in heatwaves which in turn contribute to exhaustion and the spread of vector-borne diseases such as malaria. Floods result in an increased susceptibility to waterborne diseases such as cholera, caused by the contamination of the water points by waste and sewage. During floods, children often no longer have access to safe drinking water, and sanitation services due to contamination, thus further increasing their exposure to disease.
There is anecdotal evidence that children affected by natural hazards, especially in Cameroon’s rural areas, are experiencing increased levels of stress, anxiety, and depression.[12] Many children fear the loss of their household income and/or are exposed to their parents’ anxiety. Climate-induced disasters resulting in conflict expose children to violence, adversely impacting their mental well-being.
Climate change has a direct impact on the rise of food insecurity and child malnutrition. The importance of natural resources and a stable climate are both crucial in supporting food production, supply, access, price stability, and income generation for rural communities. Environmental degradation and climate change directly impact stunting and severe acute malnutrition (SAM) in children. Communities dependent on natural resources in low-productivity, high-risk locations such as in the North and Far North regions of Cameroon are particularly vulnerable to the effects of climate change. The struggle to survive in climatically harsh environments exacerbates poverty and desperation, ultimately fueling insecurity and conflict.
Children, especially displaced children, are particularly vulnerable to dehydration caused by the water shortage. Adolescent girls encounter challenges in maintaining proper hygiene during menstruation due to inadequate access to clean water.
Education
Floods have repeatedly led to a disruption of education services due to the destruction of school infrastructure and materials, difficulties commuting to school, forced school closure and/or displacement of children and their families. For example, the floods in September and October 2020 left more than 18,000 students out of school in the Logone-et-Chari and Mayo-Danay divisions in the Far North region of Cameroon.[13] The projected increase in temperature, especially in the Far North region, will make it increasingly difficult for children to learn during heatwaves. Deforestation is increasing the multidimensional poverty of Indigenous people and reducing the likelihood of Indigenous children attending school. The struggle between education and economic recovery has been the primary catalyst for intergenerational poverty. The negative impact of climate change on school enrollment, attendance and/or retention, especially for girls due to the unavailability of safe drinking water in schools or households’ coping mechanisms can lead to child labour and/or child marriage.
Child Protection
Floods and/or climate-related displacement can expose children to violence and abuse, including gender-based violence (GBV), forced displacement, inequality, poverty, a loss of civil status documentation, and negatively affect their mental health and psychosocial wellbeing. Furthermore, the impact of climate change can lead to the disruption of child protection services.
The loss of livelihoods and climate displacement/related economic migration led to an increase in child labour as children ought to support their families to survive. For example, in the East and Adamawa regions, children become a large part of the workforce in sectors such as timber, agriculture and mining because of the lack of skilled labour and modern farming technology and equipment.[14] Consequently, children perform hazardous tasks and are out-of-school. Between 2017 and 2019, at least 115 children and adults drowned or were buried alive by landfalls in mostly abandoned pits[15].
Climate change can exacerbate conflicts, increasing the risk of sexual violence. Overall, an increase in children’s vulnerability to Gender-based violence (GBV), including Sexual Exploitation and Abuse (SEA), is observed during humanitarian situations. Women and girls are disproportionately vulnerable to GBV. Due to the associated stigma, GBV survivors seldom seek medical care and are not accessing necessary treatment, often leaving them with lifelong physical and psychological damage.
Girls and Women
The lack of economic resources often prevents women from making decisions about food and education. Women are more severely hit by the impacts of climate change as they are accounting for 75 per cent of the workforce of the informal agricultural sector.[16] Cameroonian women play a crucial role in household’s food security. Yet, they are less involved in managing household income and assets, and face enormous difficulties accessing land, land ownership, agricultural inputs, financial resources (credit, subsidies, donations, etc.) and modern agricultural techniques.[17]
4. Government priorities on and responses to climate change
Climate Change is integrated into the National Development Strategy 2020–2030 (NDS30), thus considered a priority for Cameroon. The Government plans to: (i) strengthen actions relating to sustainable management of natural resources (soil, flora, fauna, water); and (ii) take adequate measures to adapt to and mitigate the effects of climate change. In addition, to address the noticeable consequences of climate change, the Government is committed to: (i) ensuring that climate change concerns are taken into account in sectoral strategies and policies, both in formulation and implementation; (ii) building the capacity of institutions responsible for climate surveillance (iii) operationalize the system for monitoring, preventing and responding to the effects of climate change; (iv) develop and implement a national waste management strategy while promoting corporate social responsibility.
There are several Ministries in Cameroon working directly on sustainability and climate change:
• Ministry of Environment, Protection of Nature, and Sustainable Development (MINEPDED)[18]
• Ministry of Forestry and Wildlife (MINFOF)[19]
• Ministry of Water Resources and Energy (MINEE)[20]
• Directorate of Civil Protection (DPC) of the Ministry of Territorial Administration[21]
The Government has also initiated the development of a new Disaster Risk Reduction Strategy in 2020, with the support of the Economic Community of Central African States (ECCAS) and the World Bank. The strategy, which is still under review at the time of this writing, aims to complement the National Plan for Adaptation to Climate Change (PNACC)[22] communicated to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) in 2015, which presents climate trends for 2030, 2060 and 2090, based on the climate profile of Cameroon drawn up by the UN Environment Programme (UNEP). Finally, there is an Action Plan for the National Framework for Climate Services (CNSC) under the coordination of the Meteorology Directorate (DM) and the National Observatory on Climate Change (ONACC), presenting the strategic direction for improving climate services.
Progress has been made towards building resilience and adapting to the effects of climate change as illustrated by the implementation of actions at the national and local levels, as well as the development of technical and institutional capacities in the relevant ministries. These include the development of a National Action Plan on combating desertification, the creation of an enabling institutional framework for restoring soil in degraded lands in critical areas, the implementation of the national contribution to the Paris Agreement on Climate Change through the operationalization of the National Observatory on Climate Change to support climate services and the establishment of a system of Measurement, Reporting and Verification of greenhouse gas emissions. The country’s commitment to biodiversity conservation is reflected in the development of integrated tools to monitor the state of biodiversity and its services to inform strategic development policies.
However, there remains a lack of a comprehensive legal and regulatory framework governing climate reforms. Climate considerations are yet to be effectively integrated into the Public Financial Management (PFM) framework, including in fiscal planning and public investment management. The Government also faces capacity constraints, lacks an effective coordination mechanism, and has yet to operationalize its institutional and governance frameworks to respond to climate challenges.[23]
Main Climate and Environment Actors
Several national and international organizations in Cameroon are working on nature and environmental protection. The fourth priority of the UN Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework for Cameroon (2022–2026) is dedicated to environmental sustainability and management of climate risks and disasters. 15 UN agencies are implementing climate change-related projects and activities in Cameroon.[24] UN agencies are pooling their efforts to ensure that “[b]y 2026, populations, in different agro-ecological zones, including youth, women and socially vulnerable groups, live in a healthier environment, sustainably manage environmental resources, including biodiversity, and are more resilient to disaster and climate change shocks (SDGs 5, 11, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17).”
Numerous Civil Society Organizations, such as Jeunes Volontaires pour l’Environnement — JVE Cameroon, Jeunes Voix du Sahel Cameroun, The World We Want (3W), The Foundation for the Environment and Development in Cameroon (FEDEC), Centre pour l’Environnement et le Développement (CED), Green Horizon, and Association pour la Forêt et l’Education à l’Environnement (AFEE), are also working on environmental protection.
5. CEED policies, strategies and programming addressing children’s needs
Apart from the NDS30, the needs of children are not included in any other national climate, environment, energy and disaster risk reduction policies and strategies in Cameroon.
The National Determined Contribution (NDC) to the Paris Agreement on Climate Change is also not considered child-sensitive, given that it does not take into account the particular situation of children. .[25] However, the NDCs are only one of the many climate- and environment-focused policies and plans that are needed to reduce short and long-term impacts on children and young people, including at all levels of Government and across sectors. UNICEF is working with the Government to ensure all policies and strategies are climate transformative considering the specific impacts on children but also the opportunities that the protection of the environment and climate change mitigation and adaption provide to uphold children’s rights.
6. UNICEF Cameroon’s Commitments and Recommendations
CROSSCUTTING
Data and evidence
• Continue using data and undertake risk and vulnerability analyses to focus on the risks climate change is posing to children in Cameroon. Work with the Government of Cameroon in prevention, preparedness, early warning, mitigation and response to climate-related risks.
Advocacy
• Develop and promote advocacy materials on how climate change is impacting children including adolescents.
• Identify national climate change champions (including youth champions) to do awareness raising on national and social media and to support policy processes and community mobilization work.
• Support the development and implementation of a Climate Change Youth Engagement Strategy through the creation of meaningful opportunities for children/ adolescents and youths to advocate and take action on climate change, and the amplification of their voices and actions.
Engagement with children and communities
• Consult children on their opinions on the environment and climate change and ensure these consultations inform national climate change policies and the Youth Policy under development.
• Conduct a study on green skills for adolescents (10–18 years) to identify the most promising green skills for Cameroon allowing adolescents to take climate action whilst earning a living.
• Engage with communities particularly at risk of climate-induced disasters to build their resilience and preparedness and providing social protection schemes for community members affected by climate-induced disasters
Collaboration with the relevant ministries
• Advocate for the consideration of children’s special needs, vulnerabilities and capacities in all climate, environmental and disaster risk reduction strategies, policies and plans to ensure children’s rights are appropriately protected.
• Engage relevant ministries during the mid-term review of the National Development Strategy (NDS30), to include child-focused activities and climate-related child-sensitive indicators.
• Support the finalization of the new Disaster Risk Reduction Strategy and the update of the National Climate Change Adaptation Plan (PNACC — Plan National d ’Adaptation aux Changements Climatiques du Cameroun) to include child-related climate-sensitive analysis, activities and indicators.
• Advocate for sector-specific plans to ensure the equitable delivery of social services and to consider the imperatives for absorbing, adapting to and addressing the impacts of various climate- and environment-related shocks and stresses. Sector-specific plans should also maximize the opportunities to meet national mitigation, adaptation, and environmental protection goals.
• Engage with relevant stakeholders during the revision of the Nationally Determines Contributions (NDC) in 2024 to ensure the NDC is child sensitive.
Capacity building
• Offer support in the design and implementation of clean energy for schools, health care facilities and water pumps; promote water harvesting/recharge technologies and climate-smart infrastructure.
• Strengthen local capacity in the design and implementation of climate-smart solutions such as clean energy, water recharge/flood control technologies and community mobilization, all of which are critical in mitigating and minimizing climate’s impact on children.
SECTORAL
Health
• Continue providing solar power to healthcare centres, which will also support small, neighbouring communities with electricity for lighting and other basic needs.
Nutrition
• Advocate for sustainable and local food production.
• Prioritize local production of supplemental nutrients taking into account the capacity of the farmers/producers.
• Prioritizing indigenous and local knowledge for climate change mitigation efforts and agricultural production.
WASH
• Continue rolling out climate resilient and sustainable WASH services, to ensure climate resilient facilities for safe drinking water and adequate sanitation are available in vulnerable regions.
• Continue to support the development of innovative decentralized water supply systems through the construction and management of climate resilient water points such as solar-powered water networks and boreholes .
Education
• Support review of the Education curriculum to reinforce climate and environment elements to allow children to take climate action and support life-skills training for children on environment and climate change risks.
• Invest in the integration of climate resilience in school development plans to help support the integration of climate and environmental protection and risk reduction in schools.
• Redesign schools:
o Construct climate-resilient school infrastructure and adapt schools to the different climatic contexts of Cameroon (including using local materials) — eg. in areas that will be increasingly affected by heat waves, classrooms can be adapted to enhance air ventilation and circulation.
o Scale-up the use of solar powered water systems in schools, including installing sufficient panels to support basic lighting and cooling (e.g., fans) in schools.
o Support the greening of schools, including the reuse of wastewater and encouraging the planting of school gardens.
Protection
• Explore how child friendly spaces and child protection programmes can be used to sensitize children and caregivers to climate change.
• Ensure water sources are placed strategically near schools and households, to minimize the distance that girls, boys and women have to travel to access water sources, to free up time for education and play and to prevent GBV related risks.
[1] This Climate Landscape Analysis has greatly benefitted from, and incorporated elements of, the analysis carried out for the Child Risk and Impact Analysis for Cameroon, led by David Knaute for UNICEF Cameroon in 2021. Several key stakeholders in and outside Cameroon have further enriched this analysis.
[2] https://www.unicef.org/documents/sustainability-climate-change-action-plan
[3] The ten countries with the highest Children’s Climate Risk Index are the Central African Republic (1), Chad (2), Nigeria (2), Guinea (4), Guinea-Bissau (4), Somalia (4), Niger (7), South-Sudan (7), Democratic Republic of the Congo (9), Angola (10), Cameroon (10), Madagascar (10), and Mozambique (10). The climate crisis is a child rights crisis. Introducing the children’s climate risk index. UNICEF, 2021.
[4] Government of Cameroon, Elaboration des Plan Régionaux de Développement, 2021. In comparison, the 2015 National Adaptation Plan for Climate Change estimated 320,000 people affected annually.
[5] Country Climate and Development Report, World Bank Group, 2022
[6] Calculated from the Human Capital database in World Bank (2021).
[7] meaning that a child born in Cameroon today can expect to achieve only 40 per cent of the potential she would have achieved if she had enjoyed complete education and full health
[8] For example, exceptional floods affected over 313,000 people in the Far North in 2022, causing at least 23 deaths and displacing over 113,000 people. An estimated 31,000 houses, 48,000 hectares of fields and 6,700 animals were destroyed or damaged, 151 primary and secondary schools were flooded, and more than 200 water points and 2,620 latrines submerged. A dozen health facilities were completely flooded and rendered non-operational.
[8] Country Climate and Development Report, World Bank Group, 2022.
[9] Country Climate and Development Report, World Bank Group, 2022, based on data made available by Dr Eba’a Atyi (CIFOR-ICRAF), Editor of the Congo Basin Forests–State of the Forests (2021).
[10] Country Climate and Development Report, World Bank Group, 2022.
[11] According to the Government of Cameroon, in 2021, half of the country’s population is estimated to live in precarious housing.
[12] Mbuli, C.S.; Fonjong, L.N.; Fletcher, A.J (2021). Climate Change and Small Farmers’ Vulnerability to Food Insecurity in Cameroon. Sustainability 2021, 13, 1523.
[13] Humanitarian Needs Overview Cameroon 2021.
[14] Mbebi, O., E. (2018). Determinants of Child Labour in Cameroon: The Role of Area of Residence and Gender.
[15] Ezekiel, a gold mining child.. Ezekiel, 12, a Central African refugee… | by UNICEF Cameroon | Medium
[16] Cameroon: Development news, research, data | World Bank
[17] Cameroon Country Gender Profile, MINPROFF and UN Women, November 2020.
[18] Ministère de l’Environnement, de la Protection de la Nature et du Développement durable : https://minepded.gov.cm/
[19] Ministère des forêts et de la faune : http://www.minfof.gov.cm/
[20] Ministère de l’eau et de l’énergie : https://minee.cm/en/
[21] Direction de la Protection Civil, Ministère de l’administration territoriale : https://minat.gov.cm/departements-directions-du-minat/direction-de-la-protection-civile/
[22] https://unfccc.int/sites/default/files/resource/NAP_Cameroon_2015.pdf
Synergizing climate change mitigation and adaptation in Cameroon: An overview of multi-stakeholder efforts | Emerald Insight, International Journal of Climate Change Strategies and Management Vol. 11 №1, 2019 pp. 118–136.
[24] FAO, FIDA, IOM, UNDP, UNDRR, UNESCO, UNEP, UNFPA, UN-Habitat, UNHCR, UNICEF, UNIDO, UNODC, UNOPS, WFP.
[25] Making-Climate-Policies-for-and-with-Children-and-Young-People.pdf (unicef.org)
