From November 11–13, 2025, the conference “Climate Crisis Adaptation, Local-Level Resilience, and Conflict: Dynamics, Trends, and Patterns” took place at the University of Ghana in Accra. 26 scholars from 18 countries discussed experiences, obstacles, and opportunities for effective climate crisis adaptation, the forms of resilience at the local level, and conflicts related to climate change. The extensive event was made possible through funding awarded under the DFG Point Sud program, for which Abosede Omowumi Babatunde (University of Ilorin, Nigeria), Samuel Aniegye Ntewusu (University of Ghana), and Sabine Mannitz (Head of the Research Department on Glocal Junctions at PRIF) successfully secured the necessary support in the 2024 competition.
Following welcome remarks by the organizers and Issa Fofana (Co-Director of the Point Sud Institute in Bamako, Mali), Abosede Omowumi Babatunde and Sabine Mannitz introduced the conference theme. The opening lecture was delivered by Tobias Ide, who will head the Research Department on Transnational Politics at PRIF starting in December 2025, on the topic “Climate Change Adaptation: Geopolitical Competition, Political Instability, and Prospects for Peace.” In five subsequent panels, the researchers discussed various aspects of the climate crisis, including its impact on power relations and conflict dynamics, environmental and resource-related risks, as well as social vulnerabilities and resilience. A World Café, designed and led by Samantha Ruppel (AFK/RPTU Landau), provided an opportunity for intensive exchange among all participants.
The program concluded with a public panel discussion featuring Volahery Andriamanantenasoa (Madagascar), Esther Appah (Ghana), Tobias Ide (Australia), Miles Larmer (USA), and Armel Sambo (Cameroon), who responded to guiding questions from moderator Abosede Omowumi Babatunde. The conference theme of climate change adaptation was sharpened here with a focus on planning effective measures.
A publication following the conference is currently in preparation.