Mapping Heat Risk Awareness in Abidjan
By Dely Iba Dieudonné
Researcher, Centre Suisse de Recherches Scientifiques en Côte d’Ivoire (CSRS)
Understanding Heat Through Public Perception
Dely Iba Dieudonné, a postdoctoral researcher at the Centre Suisse de Recherches Scientifiques en Côte d’Ivoire, led a HE²AT-supported pilot project focused on developing an early warning system for extreme heat in Abidjan. With a background in environmental and health geography, Dieudonné’s work explores how people perceive and respond to environmental risks, particularly heat, in urban West Africa.
The project began with a key question: how do residents of Abidjan experience and adapt to extreme heat? To answer this, the team cross-referenced real-time temperature data with public discourse gathered from social media platforms and household surveys. This approach helped identify “behavioral thresholds”—key points when people begin to adjust their behavior in response to heat. These thresholds are now informing the design of a locally relevant early warning system that better reflects how people understand and respond to risk.
How HE²AT Made a Difference
In Francophone West Africa, limited research has examined how people perceive or adapt to heat in urban environments. Without this insight, designing effective communication or public health responses remained a challenge. With HE²AT support, Dieudonné’s team brought together climate data, social media analysis, and household surveys to build a more detailed picture of public understanding and behavior during heat events.
They analyzed 30 years of temperature records (1994–2024) for Abidjan, identifying two major shifts in 2005 and 2011 and documenting a clear increase in both daily maximum temperatures and the frequency of heatwaves. Heatwaves were defined as three consecutive days with a temperature of 32.8°C or higher, and the analysis showed that both their intensity and duration have increased since 2011. These findings aligned with community perceptions of rising heat stress.
Survey responses from over 1 000 households showed that fans are the most commonly used cooling method, though many residents face financial barriers that limit their use. Air conditioning is rare due to cost. Discomfort was reported to peak around midday on Mondays—a detail that could help inform the development of future heat alert systems.
These insights are now being used to define heat thresholds and guide future heat alerts in Abidjan.
In addition, the team is analyzing social media content to understand how people talk about heat as it happens. With support from the University of Michigan and their SOMAR platform, this analysis is helping to identify patterns in how heat is experienced and discussed online.
“This project has shown that local knowledge is essential for building early warning systems that people trust and use.”
Collaborators and Partnerships
The project was shaped by contributions from several national institutions, including Agence Nationale du Service Universel des Télécommunications (ANSUT), Autorité de Régulation des Télécommunications (ARTCI), the Ministry of Digital Transition, and the Ministry of Communication. Collaboration with these stakeholders has helped ensure that the findings are both policy-relevant and grounded in local contexts.
The project’s early results will be shared at the International Association of Climatology, an international climate conference, and included in its forthcoming publication.
Looking Ahead
This project is now informing heat alert planning and risk communication in Abidjan. As climate extremes increase, the team hopes to expand this approach to other West African cities. By grounding heat alerts in how communities experience and respond to heat, this work can help improve adaptation efforts and public health strategies.
