Nairobi has ranked among the world’s 10 most climate-resilient large cities, placing 10th in a global assessment of major urban centres’ ability to withstand and adapt to climate-related risks.

🇰🇪 Breaking It Down

The assessment by geospatial artificial intelligence firm AlphaGeo examined 72 of the world’s largest cities through its Climate Risk and Resilience Index , measuring both physical exposure to climate hazards and the capacity to adapt to them.

AlphaGeo assessed risks including inland and coastal flooding, extreme heat, drought, wildfires, and strong winds. It also considered adaptation measures such as infrastructure, governance, and other systems that can reduce the impact of climate-related disasters.

Nairobi emerged as the second-highest ranked African city after Addis Ababa, which took second place globally, while Chicago topped the overall ranking.

📌 What You Need to Know

The other cities in the top 10 were Melbourne in third place, Barcelona fourth, Ankara fifth, Buenos Aires sixth, Paris seventh, Istanbul eighth and Bogotá ninth, with Nairobi completing the list.

According to AlphaGeo, Nairobi recorded a resilience-adjusted risk score of 13, placing it among the cities with the lowest residual climate risk in the assessment.

The ranking comes at a critical time for Nairobi, with Kenya preparing for an enhanced October-December short-rains season that is expected to bring above-average rainfall across much of the country.

The Kenya Meteorological Service Authority (KMSA) has forecast above-average rainfall over about 80 per cent of Kenya, with prolonged wet spells and occasional isolated storms expected during the season.

Nairobi is among the counties expected to receive above-average rainfall, with the rains forecast to begin between the second and third weeks of October.

The strengthening El Niño, together with an emerging positive Indian Ocean Dipole, is expected to bring wetter-than-normal conditions during the October-December period, increasing the risk of heavy rainfall, flooding and damage to infrastructure.

📰 Source: Kenyans.co.ke