Working Paper

Poverty and Exposure to Climate Change in Sub-Saharan Africa

This study provides a framework for examining the effects of climate change on poverty in sub-Saharan Africa. It presents and combines the most recent data on poverty and climate projections at the subnational level, and finds that, i) current levels of poverty and current climate are not correlated in any meaningful way, ii) poorer districts are exposed to larger projected increases in temperatures and precipitation than richer areas when looking at within-country variation. While this exposure will likely amplify the effects of climate change on poverty, overall vulnerability to climate change decreases through poverty reduction.