Introduction The book that is currently under review is a publication by the UN Habitat by the title "Promising Practices on Climate Change in urban Sub-Saharan Africa". Its authors are R. Goodwin, E. Ngongo, K. Buyana, A. Akindoyen, H. Baguian, L. Fairhurst, S. Ramanantsoa, D. Uushona, S. Faal, A. Banya, J. Mulandi, D. Niang, G. Nyabutsits, and S. Magaia. It consists of 4 different sections describing a promising practice to deal with climate change. These 4 sections are separated and grouped by similarities of the practices. They are the following: 1. Major roles for gender, youth and business 2. Adaptation: infrastructure, slums and deserts 3. How coastal cities face up to climate change 4. Enhancing/spreading awareness of climate change The main goal of the book is to portray good practices and examples of cities dealing with climate change, under the UN Habitat's Cities and Climate Change Initiative that was launched on 2008 and attracted 30 cities (in Africa, Asia and Latin America) by the time the book was written. This initiative brought the cities and the urban areas in front of their problems and tried to show the connection between the city and climate change. As it is stated in the book's introduction: "Since the cities contribute so much to climate change, they must also provide a large part of the solution". The importance of the book lies in the fact that sub-Saharan areas bear today some of the worst effects of climate change and over the coming years, despite their small contribution to greenhouse gas emissions, these areas will be even more affected. So any good or promising practice from these areas is to be taken seriously under consideration. Main Text In this review I will comment following the 4 sections of the book because the practices described are so different and what really is important is the fact that today cities have many options and solutions when facing climate change. So in the first section the first project is about and integrated model - software for climate change - proof water utilities for Lake Victoria, the world's second largest freshwater body. The second project refers to a youth initiative to sustain mangroves, that are the traditional crop of the area, together with livelihoods, in Mombasa. The third practice is also socially important because it refers to mobilizing women in Kampala for climate change adaptation mainly via practices such as urban agriculture. The 4rth project focuses on Nigeria's building sector’s decision to cope with climate change and put efforts towards mitigating its effects. Practices through raising awareness (training, enforcement of urban planning etc) and proposing green building techniques would provide a bigger example for countries south of the Sahara. Nigeria as one of the most populated and urbanized country of the sub-Saharan area tries to become also a pioneer in governmental involvement. The common issue in this section is a social way of raising awareness for climate change and the fact that all citizens play a special role in dealing with these changes. The goal always is sustainability but every social player, such as young people, women, men, elderly, private and public sector, play a special role in dealing with the new data and problems of climate change. In the second section of the book the main issue is infrastructure, slums and deserts. The first practice’s title is “rooting sustainable development and desert prevention in local communities” in Bobo-Dioulasso which is the second largest city and the economical capital of Burkina Faso. In the Sub-Saharan area there is a big number of drylands facing the threat of desertification, water shortage and deforestation. The practice described refers to the efforts made by the municipality in order to adapt its planning to climate change. The national policies were a pilot waste collection scheme and fighting the desert with forests. For this purposes there was a need for leveraging of local traditional cultures. In the second practice the fulfillment of the need for low income housing for an expanding slum – dwelling population is combined with the notion of sustainability. The practice focuses on the implementation of ceilings and insulation in an effort ameliorate health and energy issues in Mamre of Cape Town. The third practice refers to an effort in Antananarivo to respond to climate change through infrastructure after socio economic changes. In general community mobilization substitutes ineffective utilities and participatory governance provide the local basis for sustainable projects. Projects such as a multifunction sanitation block in a vulnerable neighborhood and a risk and disaster management across conurbation function towards a sustainable living. In general the second section of the book raises the issue of local authorities’ and participatory governance’s power not only to mainstream environmental concerns but also to implement rules and planning routines in order to mitigate climate change effects. In the third section the book describes efforts of coastal cities vis a vis the climate change. In the first practice one reads about integrating biodiversity in Walvis Bay in Namibia. This harbor city lies next to a fish-rich stretch and faces important problems because of climate change (coastal erosion, salination of water supplies and raised water tables) that are expected to increase. The importance of biodiversity conservation was underlines in municipal policies. Also stakeholder’ s participation was needed. The second project of this section is located in Banjul, Gambia’s capital, which is one of Africa’s most vulnerable areas to climate change because of flooding risks due to the topography and poor compliance with planning regulations and inadequate drainage infrastructure. The project mainly refers to mainstreaming The Ramsar Convention on Wetlands, institutional coordination and mobilization of communities together with changes in culture in order to create a safer environment that would secure socio economic development. The third and last project of the third section refers to urban agriculture as a secure tenure to mitigate climate change and reduce poverty in Freetown of Sierra Leone. Summarizing the third section of the book one finds efforts of coastal cities to cope with climate change effects and improve living standards. The fourth and last section of the book is all about enhancing the awareness of climate change. In the first practice one finds Maputo (the capital of Mozambique) and its municipal council trying to develop policies and plans with regard to climate change adaptation and mitigation. The main tools are GIS systems and also participatory systems. The second practice is in Saint-Louis, a major port in the Atlantic Ocean, that for years is facing environmental, demographic and economic problems. The city set out a Local Agenda with three areas for priority action: sanitation and wastewater treatment, public health and waste management and the impact of fisheries on the urban environment. The third project is in Rwanda and is about mainstreaming the climate change in policies and procedures through a green economy. The last practice is in Mozambique and south Sudan where the inhabitants needed to adjust their housing and their living conditions to the increased threat of extreme weather events (changes in construction, building handbook and a card game!). Conclusion Climate change calls for local action which finds many African local authorities ill – prepared. In this book good practices are described in order to raise awareness and provide information to help other African cities in their effort to promote sustainable living conditions and protect their environmental resources. Urban areas in that sense could offer many opportunities to develop cohesive mitigation and adaptation strategies with the help of international knowledge and participatory governance.