ghana climate change vulnerability and adaptation assessment

Indicator DescriptionData source andyearImpact onvulnerabilityread or write in English,any Ghanaian language,or any foreign language.MalnourishedchildrenThe percentage of all 0-59 month old children,within a district, that areconsidered underweightfor their age. Childrenare consideredunderweight if theirweight is more than twostandard deviationsbelow the United StatesNational Center forHealth Statistics’standard weight for age.CWIQ II High percentageincreasesvulnerabilityPovertyPerceptionThe percentage of totalhouseholds within adistrict that self identifiedas either “poor” or “verypoor”CWIQ II High percentageincreasesvulnerabilityRoad Accessibility The percentage ofhouseholds within adistrict that can accesstheir homes by roadthroughout the yearCWIQ II High percentagedecreasesvulnerability122 GHANA CLIMATE CHANGE VULNERABILITY AND ADAPTATION ASSESSMENTRelevance for climate change socialvulnerabilitymore on climate-sensitive forms of employment (likeagriculture and fishing). They are also less likely tohave a political voice and their welfare may be a lowpriority on a national level (Adger et al., 2004)Illiteracy serves as a barrier to facilitatingunderstanding of the complex nature of hazards andappropriate responses to them (Brooks et al., 2005).People in poor health, and those who areundernourished, will be more vulnerable to theimmediate and secondary impacts of extremeevents, whether this takes the form of directphysical injury or a more complex impact such asfood shortage or famine. A population in poorgeneral health is less likely to be prepared for adisaster, and less likely to be able to cope with theimpacts of a disaster in the short term. Familiescaring for sick or malnourished members have lesstime, money, and energy to invest in activities thatmight mitigate the impacts of external hazards,recover from hazard events, or prepare for thefuture (Adger et al., 2004).Poor people often lack the education, skills, financialresources, and networks that are increasinglynecessary to procure income or diversify away froma failing livelihood (Eriksen et al., 2007). Poorcommunities often face greater levels of risk thanmore affluent populations (United Nations, 2001).Poor people are more likely to live in hazard-pronelocations, but will be less likely to invest inadaptation measures as they have more immediatepriorities (Adger et al., 2004).The existence of a reliable transportation network,year round, increases the ability of rural populationsto access markets to sell excess produce orlivestock or engage in other entrepreneurialactivities in times of crisis (Adger et al.,2004). Awell-developed transportation system also enables amore efficient system of aid delivery and increasesOther studies usingthis (or somethingsimilar) as anindicator of climatechange socialvulnerabilityBrooks et al., 2005Haan et al., 2001O’Brien et al., 2005Eriksen et al., 2007Brooks et al., 2005Eriksen et al., 2007Haan et al., 2001Adger et al., 2004Global EnvironmentalRisk, 2001Brooks et al., 2005Eriksen et al., 2007Brooks 2003Adger et al., 2004Global EnvironmentalRisk, 2001Brooks et al. 2005Haan et al., 2001Eriksen et al. 2007Adger et al. 2004