Population Dynamics, Climate Change, and Sustainable Development in Sub-Saharan Africa

Elizabeth Costenbader, Family Health International
Clive Mutunga, AFIDEP
John A Mushomi, Makerere University

We assessed and visualized the nexus of population dynamics, climate change, and sustainable development indicators in sub-Saharan Africa. We searched for recent quantitative measures and indicators/datasets available across all or most African countries. We demonstrate how population dynamics both impact and are impacted by climate change. We argue that policies designed to plan for and adapt to climate change often don’t consider the potential of voluntary family planning programs to decrease fertility rates and slow population growth. The deadline for attaining the SDGs is less than a decade away. For Africa to continue progressing towards those goals, robust plans of action that simultaneously support resilience and adaptations for climate change and include right-based policies designed to augment access to voluntary family planning and reproductive health are needed.