eprintid: 10204658
rev_number: 7
eprint_status: archive
userid: 699
dir: disk0/10/20/46/58
datestamp: 2025-02-11 16:37:38
lastmod: 2025-02-11 16:37:38
status_changed: 2025-02-11 16:37:38
type: article
metadata_visibility: show
sword_depositor: 699
creators_name: Boafo, YA
creators_name: Amankwaa, EF
creators_name: Spataru, C
creators_name: Carvalho, P
title: "It is getting too hot lately": Urban households' knowledge, experiences and governance of extreme heat events in Accra, Ghana
ispublished: pub
divisions: UCL
divisions: B04
divisions: C04
divisions: F34
keywords: Extreme Heat, Urban Resilience, Climate Adaptation, Governance, Greater Accra
Metropolitan Area, Ghana
note: This version is the author accepted manuscript. For information on re-use, please refer to the publisher’s terms and conditions.
abstract: As climate change accelerates, extreme heat events have become one of the most pervasive and dangerous threats to urban populations worldwide, disproportionately affecting vulnerable communities. This study investigates household awareness, experiences, and governance responses to extreme heat in the Greater Accra Metropolitan Area, Ghana. A mixed-methods approach, involving household surveys (n = 413) and focus group discussions (n = 3), was used to assess three neighbourhoods: Dansoman, Osu, and Ashaley Botwe. The findings show high levels of awareness of extreme heat across all neighbourhoods, but Ashaley Botwe reported the greatest disruption to daily life, driven by rapid urbanisation and economic vulnerability. Health concerns, discomfort, and sleep disruptions emerged as the most common impacts. Further analyses revealed that age, generation group, and income significantly influenced household awareness and adaptive responses to extreme heat. Older residents and higher-income households were more likely to invest in cooling systems, while education positively correlated with increased awareness of extreme heat risks. Despite the clear recognition of extreme heat as a major issue, government-led strategies and local engagement in heat governance were found to be largely absent, highlighting a governance gap. This study highlights the necessity for targeted, community-specific climate resilience strategies that consider demographic and socio-economic vulnerabilities. The findings advocate for the integration of localized climate adaptation measures into urban planning frameworks to mitigate the adverse effects of extreme heat in fast-growing cities like Accra.
date: 2025-02
date_type: published
publisher: Elsevier BV
official_url: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.uclim.2025.102287
full_text_type: other
language: eng
verified: verified_manual
elements_id: 2356428
doi: 10.1016/j.uclim.2025.102287
lyricists_name: Spataru, Catalina
lyricists_name: Carvalho, Priscila
lyricists_id: CSPAT02
lyricists_id: LAPAV95
actors_name: Carvalho, Priscila
actors_name: Zahnhausen-Stuber, Petra
actors_id: LAPAV95
actors_id: PMZAH20
actors_role: owner
actors_role: impersonator
funding_acknowledgements: [Belmont Forum's Disaster Risk, Reduction and Resilience initiative under the Collaborative Research Action]; [Ministry of Science and Technology (MOST) of Chinese Taipei and other international funders including FAPESP (Brazil)]; [JST (Japan)]; [QNRF (Qatar)]; [UKRI (UK)]; [NSF (US)]; [CNR (Italy)]; EP/V002945/ [UKRI grant]
full_text_status: restricted
publication: Urban Climate
volume: 59
article_number: 102287
issn: 2212-0955
citation:        Boafo, YA;    Amankwaa, EF;    Spataru, C;    Carvalho, P;      (2025)    "It is getting too hot lately": Urban households' knowledge, experiences and governance of extreme heat events in Accra, Ghana.                   Urban Climate , 59     , Article 102287.  10.1016/j.uclim.2025.102287 <https://doi.org/10.1016/j.uclim.2025.102287>.      
 
document_url: https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/10204658/1/Carvalho_EH_Manuscript_Main_with%20author%20details-Resub_FINAL_minor-FINAL.pdf