Vulnerability to Climate Change from the Kenyan Perspective

Vulnerability to climate change refers to the degree to which a system is susceptible to, or unable to cope with, adverse effects of climate change, including climate variability and extremes. Vulnerability is analyzed in three components: exposure, sensitivity and adaptive capacity. The assessment of vulnerability to climate change has often assumed biophysical and social approaches for the various economic sectors. In this study, we review the concept of social vulnerability to climate change. Social vulnerability is a measure of a social system’s susceptibility to adversity due to the lack of coping capacity, adaptability or recoverability from climate change impacts. The study adopted a narrative review approach in describing the concept of social vulnerability in climate change and the various perspectives in the context of Kenya. It was established that severe droughts, floods, changing seasonal patterns, and poorly distributed rainfall negatively affect agriculture, pastoralism, water resources, health, infrastructure, and loss of lives and property. To respond to the impacts of climate change, a variety of efforts were put in place to enhance adaptive capacity. These include launch of social protection programmes, adoption of improved farming technologies and livelihood diversification, and development of a policy and legal framework to enable response to climate change impacts.