Synthesis teams

Synthesis Teams

ASCEND synthesis teams drive solution-oriented research to tackle climate change challenges across Africa and globally.

Policymakers, researchers, and practitioners work together to generate actionable insights that enhance wellbeing for people and ecosystems.

Current teams

A connected portfolio of climate synthesis work

Each team brings together existing data, evidence, and knowledge to answer urgent questions for climate and development decision-making.

3 teams

Ensuring vital services, education, and public infrastructure can withstand the shocks of a changing climate.

BICRES
Building Climate-Resilient Education Systems
This team will synthesise literature on the impact of climate change, analyse geospatial data to assess the climate vulnerability of schools across sub-Saharan Africa, and examine case studies of climate-proofing interventions.
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Climate-resilient Systems and Infrastructure
HOSPITAL
This research team investigates the health impacts of extreme heat in African cities, examining how rising temperatures and heatwaves affect hospital admissions and mortality, and assessing the extent to which these outcomes can be attributed to human-driven climate change.
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Climate-resilient Systems and Infrastructure
Emergency Vehicle Call Out
This research investigates whether climate change has increased the demand for emergency vehicle call outs by worsening climate-related health risks, and assesses the extent to which these changes are attributable to human influence on the climate.
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3 teams

Protecting vulnerable human populations from the direct physical, environmental, and epidemiological impacts of a warming planet.

Health, Heat and Wellbeing
Indoor Heat
This research team investigates how climate change influences indoor heat exposure and related health risks in low-income settlements across Africa, where poorly cooled housing can amplify heatwaves and intensify vulnerability to heat stress and heat-sensitive illnesses.
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METS
Modeling the Epidemiologic Transition Study
This research team studies cardiometabolic health in African-origin populations across multiple countries, examining how physical activity, diet, and environmental factors influence obesity and disease risk over time.
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Health, Heat and Wellbeing
Sustainable, Healthy and Resilient Animal Source Food Systems in Southern Africa
By using systems mapping and expert input, the project seeks to provide actionable recommendations to enhance the resilience and sustainability of animal source food systems across the Southern African Development Community (SADC) in response to climate variability.
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3 teams

Synthesising ecological, oceanic, and terrestrial data to preserve the continent's rich biodiversity and support coastal economies.

Nature, Biodiversity and Marine Ecosystems
Blue Africa
The Blue Africa team seeks to ensure carbon storage efforts in African coastal and marine ecosystems are aligned with the needs of African people.
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Nature, Biodiversity and Marine Ecosystems
Green Resilience Africa
The Green Resilience Africa team will synthesise available data to generate evidence-based recommendations to support forest landscape restoration practices in countries including Ethiopia, Togo, and Madagascar.
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Nature, Biodiversity and Marine Ecosystems
Guidance for Conserving African Biodiversity in a Changing Climate
This synthesis team examines how climate change is shaping biodiversity conservation in Africa and identifies which conservation actions are most effective for reducing climate-related risks.
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3 teams

Centering human rights, fair resource allocation, and traditional knowledge in the response to climate hazards.

Climate Justice, Policy and Livelihoods
Climate Justice Centred-Approach to Environmental Impact Assessment in Rural Southern Africa
This climate justice synthesis team will develop a climate justice-centred approach to environmental impact assessments (EIAs), ensuring that community concerns about land tenure and environmental health are centred.
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Climate Justice, Policy and Livelihoods
Climate Vulnerabilities, Conflicts, and Livelihood Dynamics in the Sahel
This research team investigates the complex links between climate change, conflict, and agricultural livelihoods in the Sahel, where extreme weather events and resource scarcity intensify socio-economic vulnerabilities.
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Climate Justice, Policy and Livelihoods
Understanding Non-Economic Loss and Damage in Africa
This project aims to synthesize data on non-economic loss and damage (NELD) over the past decade, identifying key risks, and informing policy responses.
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