Impacts of Climate Change in the Northwest of Côte d’Ivoire

The northwest of Côte d’Ivoire is a savannah entity rich in physical, human and economic components. It has a rich and varied biodiversity and a fairly dense hydrographic network. The soils are everywhere favorable to agricultural activity. This region has a mostly young, dynamic and diversified population. The economic activities are certainly varied, but they are dominated by agriculture. The latter remains strongly subjected to the hazards of the local climate. This vast area is unfortunately influenced by current climatic changes. From 1951 to 2008, the deterioration of the local climate has resulted in a downward trend in rainfall and water balance and an increase in temperature. This phenomenon has been steadily increasing since 1973. Anthropic actions also leave their mark. This causes real impacts on the physical and socio-economic environment. The result is an increasingly advanced degradation of hydrological resources, soils and biodiversity. Local economies are becoming more fragile; all this to the detriment of an increasingly vulnerable population.