West Africa: COP31 - West Africa's Climate Plans Put a Price On Ruined Roads and Crops - How to Add Invisible Losses

AllAfrica · 9 Nov 2026

[The Conversation Africa] When a flood destroys a road, government officials can estimate the cost of rebuilding it. When drought ruins a harvest, lost income can be calculated. But how should a country record or measure the loss of a sacred place? Or the emotional strain that people experience when they are displaced from their homes by a climate-related disaster, the breakdown of community bonds, or a child's lost sense of safety?