The European Commission has officialized that the ClimAfrica project will be funded by FP7 and it will start in 2010, after a short phase of negotiation.

ClimAfrica is an international project with an Italian guide, coordinated by the Prof.  Riccardo Valentini with the partnership of the Centro Euro-Mediterraneo per i Cambiamenti Climatici (CMCC). The project will be realized through the cooperation of 18 scientific institutes (9 European and 8 African institutes) and the FAO ( Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations).

The project will develop and apply models of climate forecast on a regional and ten-year scale, for the Sub-Saharan Africa. The results of the project will be used to evaluate the climate change impact on the African water and agricultural resources, and the vulnerability of the ecosystems together with the African population to climate change. ClimAfrica will also propose and analyze new specific strategies of adaptation for the local interests of Africa. The economic impacts of climate change will be also considered and the efficacy of the proposed strategies of adaptation will be analyzed.

Africa and climate change are two of the main priorities for the European Commission, and the Italian leadership for this project will be a chance of great visibility for our country.