Maryam Nastar

The growing vulnerability of cities to extreme heat underscores the urgency of effective urban adaptation policies. Despite the progress in developing urban climate policies and strategies, there remains a significant disparity between intended goals and actual outcomes. This could entrench social and climate vulnerabilities that are costly and challenging to address, potentially resulting in reinforcing inequalities, and thus maladaptation. This paper examines the potential risks of maladaptation to extreme urban heat in Accra, Ghana. To identify the risks, we draw on the literature on maladaptation to climate change and examine the extent to which the drivers of maladaptation are addressed in existing heat-related policies and initiatives. We use policy analysis and 10 semi-structured interviews with key organisational actors involved in urban governance and climate adaptation in the city. Our findings reveal three areas of concern about maladaptation to extreme heat in Accra: First, there is a lack of coherent strategies for ensuring the inclusion of vulnerable communities in urban planning and implementation. Second, green initiatives do not take into account the historical green inequality, complex land tenure arrangements and the impacts on water resources. Finally, the existing institutional silos and misalignments between short-term actions and long-term goals could lead to maladaptive outcomes, benefiting certain places and people at the cost of others. To tackle the foregoing issues, the paper identifies key areas for intervention and offers recommendations to avoid maladaptation.