Developing a Composite Adaptive Governance Index (AGI) for Egyptian Cities to Confront Climate Change Hazards

Cities susceptible to climate change hazards need to adjust their economic, social, environmental, and urban capabilities, and they must strive to reduce existing risks and enhance government readiness for emergencies. According to reports from international institutions such as the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), the World Bank, and the Notre Dame Global Adaptation Initiative (ND-GAIN), countries should develop indexes matching the specificity of cities unique models. Accordingly, the research aims to develop a composite adaptive governance index (AGI) that fits the Egyptian cities exposed to different risks using a set of methods in applying the index; normalization techniques were based on the min-max method, and the normalized indicator scores were aggregated and weighted by the AHP method. Data analysis for 105 sub-indicators is collected to represent four main indexes (exposure, sensitivity, adaptive capacity, and governance). The online questionnaire was used to get suggestions from twenty experts in different fields. The concluded index was applied to nine cities; five of them are at risk of land submergence (Alexandria, Rashid, Burlus, Damietta, Port Said), three are at risk of flash floods (Aswan, Assiut, Sohag), and one is at risk of desertification and drought (ELKhargaa). The AGI shows positive values in one city, "Alexandria," while the rest have negative values. Assiut and Sohag are the worst due to their high level of poverty and low level of participation. The AGI value will rise in cities like Damietta and Port Said if more is done to improve crisis management techniques and governance efficacy.