Africa is a continent particularly at risk from climate change. Temperature increases during the 21st century are expected to be in the range 3–4 °C – about 1.5 times larger than the projected increase in global mean temperatures (Christensen et al., 2007 and Gualdi et al., 2013). Furthermore, by 2035, around 50% of Africa's population is expected to live in urban areas (United Nations, 2012). Rates of urban development are still outpacing those of economic growth and infrastructure development in many urban areas. This, coupled with high levels of unemployment and inadequate standards of housing and services, means that those living in African cities are among the most vulnerable to climatic extremes and natural disasters such as heat waves, droughts, flooding, erosion and sea level rise.