This profile provides an overview of climate risks in Guinea, including how climate change will potentially impact five key sectors in the country: water resources, agriculture, human health, coastal resources, and forests and biodiversity. The brief also includes an overview of historical and future climate trends in Guinea, the policy context outlining existing climate risk strategies and plans, and a list of ongoing programs that focus on building resilience to climate variability and change.
Guinea’s highlands are home to the headwaters of the Gambia, Niger and Senegal River systems. Already prone to flooding events during the rainy season, changing rainfall patterns are likely to exacerbate this issue, stress agricultural livelihoods, and threaten water quantity and quality. Warming oceans and sea level rise, combined with non-climate stressors such as pollution and overfishing threaten Guinea’s coastal communities and fishing industry. Rising temperatures are expected to expand the range and transmission period for disease vectors to higher elevations. Pressure on Guinea’s agriculture and water supply due to rainfall variability and increased drought conditions may increase dependence on forest resources, threaten climate vulnerable species, and prolong fire seasons in the montane and lowland forests.