Climate change and its impact on education completion rates across four sub-Saharan African countries: A non-parametric approach at the community level

Abstract

Climate change is a leading barrier for SDG4 progress, particular across poorer regions which are more affected by it. This study estimates the impact of climate change on communities’ completion rates across the life-course in four sub-Saharan African countries. Our analysis is based on 2524 communities of four countries (i.e., Cameroon, Ethiopia, Guinea and Nigeria) using a non-parametric approach to account for heterogeneity of climate change-education linkage. We find that raising temperatures, lower rainfall, aridity and modifications on the quality of vegetation are all related to lower completion rates, with these impacts being more prominent in contextual disadvantaged communities, suggesting the urgent need for mitigating policies.