The land use/cover of the district of Cocody,
Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire is undergoing, regardless to climate change
induced warm days, high pressure linked to a fast urbanization process.
This current study seeks to better understand the dynamics of the land
use/cover in Cocody and the impacts of an increasing temperature trend
for human security by assessing Cocody inhabitants’ vulnerability to
climate change.
The approach is based on integrated methods,
including satellite images processing, forty years daily temperature
analysis, people’s perception to warm days, field observation, and
population data. The results reveal that Cocody is experiencing a fast
land use/cover change dominated by a rapid growth of the buildings and a
noticeable decrease in the natural environment.
A significant
increasing trend of the maximum temperature, minimum temperature, and
mean temperature were also high-lighted. Three climatic periods ranging
from colder (1972-1986), moderate (1987-2002) and hotter (2003-2012)
were differentiated. Cocody was concluded to be highly vulnerable to
climate change induced extreme heat condition which could be aggravated
due to its increasing population and the percentage of children and
elderly.
Creating more green spaces is, therefore, recommended
in the more susceptible areas to counter the harmful effects of the
climate.
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