The communities who have lived on West Africa’s coastal areas for centuries are at the greatest risk of climate change. As sea levels rise, and severe weather events increase in frequency due to climate change, the safety and wellbeing of coastal communities is at peril, with poor and marginalized populations proving most vulnerable. Without concrete measures to mitigate and adapt to the effects of climate change, West Africa’s development achievements, as well as hopes for continued growth and poverty reduction, will be severely compromised.