About Us
We strive to include voices which are frequently overlooked in discussions of environmental change, including displaced herders and farmers and local community activists—many of them women—who have been addressing issues of sustainable livelihoods, alternative energy sources, and household displacements.
About Us
This pilot project aims to build a network of scholars and practitioners who are engaged in documenting, analyzing, and addressing local manifestations of climate change in the Horn of Africa (Somalia, Somaliland, Ethiopia, Eritrea, Djibouti, Kenya). While a handful of dedicated naturalists and activists in each country have been reporting on the impacts of environmental change at ground level, the results have not been assembled and compared across the region nor incorporated systematically into global discussions of mitigation strategies. We will host a series of virtual workshops which will put local African experts in dialogue with international scientists working on environmental issues in multiple disciplines. We expect the workshops to stimulate fresh thinking and to assist in developing a collective research agenda that integrates indigenous knowledge with regional and international expertise. Additionally, we hope to promote joint research projects that involve scholars and students both at the University of Pennsylvania and in the Horn of Africa.
Our Activities
Past
September 2022, we gathered as a virtual workshop of around 60 researchers, students, and practitioners, and announced our intention of building a network of scholars, students, and practitioners engaged in documenting the short- and longer-term effects of climate change in local communities across the Horn.
October 2022, we hosted a workshop at the Hargeisa Cultural Center to discuss the project’s goals and learn what environmental studies were currently underway or being planned. The workshop was attended by 22 researchers, educators, and local environmentalists (including 3 from Jigjiga University in Ethiopia), and follow-up discussions were held with the directors of SORADI, the Somaliland Biodiversity Foundation, and UN rangeland experts.
Spring 2023, Professor Cassanelli directed a UPenn seminar on ‘African Environmental History’ for undergraduate students. It included substantial readings on climate history and environmental challenges in the Horn.
Ongoing
August 2023, Penn Global extended the project’s funding through June 2024. Funding was granted to support a few qualified proposals for limited travel and field work expenses, including for individuals or small teams of local researchers.
October 2023, we established this website to facilitate the sharing of research and funding opportunities within the group.
October 2023, we are creating a working paper series, to be hosted on the project website, for colleagues to learn more about each others’ work.
Future
January 2024, the Project Director, Professor Cassanelli, will travel to Somaliland to meet with researchers who have requested travel and fieldwork funds.
May 2024, colleagues at universities in Hargeisa and Jigjiga are hopeful about the possibilities of hosting a region-wide workshop on Climate Change in the Horn.
Fall 2024, another rendition of the undergraduate seminar on ‘African Environmental History’ with participation by students in the Horn via Zoom
A Note on Translation and Photos
We are experimenting with a widget that makes the site accessible in multiple languages. Given funding limitations, we are limited to one language beyond English at a time. Please know that translations of the website into languages other than English are not our own. We welcome your feedback on this tool via our email.
Most images on this site are stock images from the Horn of Africa, as defined by the scope of this project. A few are photos from investigators. Images on this site are meant to represent the vast diversity of urban and rural spaces in the region—to feature the broadest experiences of climate change in the Horn. If you have photos you would like to see included on this site, please email us at climatechangeinthehorn@gmail.com