Ethiopia, a country already under the threat of droughts, faces a future of even longer and more intense dry spells and droughts due to climate change. The country faced 110 climate-related events in the past 58 years, including floods and droughts. The regions of Afar and Somali, located in the eastern and south-eastern lowlands of Ethiopia, are particularly vulnerable. The predominantly agro-pastoral population in these regions is at an increasing risk, along with their livestock and livelihoods.

In this context, the Economics of Climate Adaptation (ECA) methodology benefits policy and decision-makers in determining their portfolio of adaptation measures, prioritizing according to cost-efficient criteria. This ECA study assesses the distribution of damages associated with drought risk in the Afar and Somali regions. It also assesses different adaptation options, including infrastructure, ecosystem, and community-based measures. Therefore, stakeholders can make better-informed decisions regarding their climate adaptation strategies. The ECA is a decision-making support framework that integrates climate vulnerability and risk assessments with economic and sustainability impact studies to determine the portfolio of optimal adaptation measures for diverse climate risks.

A total of 26 measures (13 options of measures in each region) were identified following the ECA framework. Those include nature/ecosystems-based solutions, technical and engineering solutions (grey measures), measures drawing from both categories and risk transfer/ insurance solutions.

Results of the study can be found here in the Executive Summary