Redefining Extremes: Women Resident's Experiences of the Impacts of Weather Events in Informal Settlements in Nairobi, Kenya

Background and Purpose: Climate change and related extreme weather events (EWEs) are expected to have a profound impact on health and wellbeing. Residents of informal settlements are especially vulnerable to the effects of climate change because these settlements are often located in ecologically sensitive areas (e.g., floodplains, waste dumps, areas with limited to no vegetation) that are more susceptible to EWEs (e.g. floods, heatwaves, and cold spells). In addition, residents in these communities face a number of barriers to adaptation including political and social marginalization, government disinvestment, poverty, and exclusion from formal and consistent essential services and legal land tenure. Approximately one billion people, globally, reside in informal settlements; yet, scientific definitions of “extreme” weather and related climate change adaptation strategies are limited by their dependence on data from general populations and often not these communities that are most vulnerable and have the fewest resources to cope with events. The purpose of this study was to explore types and impacts of weather events, defined as “extreme,” for women living in informal settlements in Kenya.

Methods: We combine meteorological data with responses from six monthly surveys collected between September 2022 and March 2023 from a probability sample of 800 women participating in a longitudinal study investigating the effects of climate on health and wellbeing in two large informal settlements in Nairobi, Kenya. Data was collected through community-engaged, participatory research. We compare women’s identification of extreme weather events with meteorological data provided by the Kenya Meteorological department and the impact those events have on residents’ economic, health, emotional, social, and environmental wellbeing.

Results: Impacts identified by women included: houses and belongings being damaged or destroyed, disruption and loss of jobs, illness and injuries, pain, stress, social isolation, and exposure to and/or navigation of uncomfortable or sometimes hazardous environments. We call attention to a critical gap between what is “extreme” for women living in these settlements and what the scientific community has defined as “extreme” based on meteorological thresholds (e.g., maximum and minimum temperatures and accumulated precipitation) associated with impacts for general populations.

Conclusion and Implications: While much of the climate change literature has focused on the health and mental health impacts of the most extreme of weather events, findings from this study suggest women in informal settlements are experiencing both mild and severe impacts to changes in weather that, by scientific standards, would not be considered “extreme,” but are extreme to the women who have to cope with the effects. These findings highlight the importance of centering the experiences of residents living in informal settlements—especially women who are likely to suffer more and/or worse health outcomes than men and have more limited access to services—when developing climate adaptation policies and strategies. The findings also point to a critical need to re-define notions of “extreme” and explore new, context- and population-specific scientific thresholds that support those most likely to be affected by climate change and related weather events to prepare and cope.