‘You break it, you fix it’. In retail stores, this seems common sense (as well as a source of anxiety if one is with a toddler in the shop in question). But this logic is rarely applied when it comes to responsibilities for climate change. One would assume that the highest polluters – historically the wealthiest countries – would engage to ‘fix it’ by supporting the financing of climate response for the most affected regions — which include the most vulnerable communities, those who have contributed the least to the problem. This goal unfortunately remains largely unmet, as evidenced by the recent shortcomings of COP29. To top it all, the unequal burden of climate change creates a vicious cycle: those most vulnerable to it struggle to adapt, which in turn exacerbates their vulnerability.

This is particularly evident in African countries like Burkina Faso. Located in the Sahel, its arid climate makes it highly susceptible to environmental degradation. At the same time, its limited resources—financial, material, and infrastructural—leave little room for large-scale climate mitigation efforts. The numbers speak for themselves: Burkina Faso ranked 185 out of 193 countries on the Human Development Index in 2022, with over three-quarters of its population lacking access to electricity.  But there’s always another side of the coin: in vulnerable communities, collective and cooperative solutions can offer the most viable—and often the only—path forward, however small. One remarkable example is the work of Burkinabé architect Diébédo Francis Kéré, who has pioneered climate-adapted, community-led building solutions. Thanks to the support of his community, Kéré earned a scholarship to study in Germany. Afterward, he returned to his homeland to develop affordable climate-responsive buildings merging traditional knowledge and locally available materials with modern techniques. His most famous project, the Gando Primary School built in 2001 by the entire village using clay bricks, has recently been recognized as one of the most significant architectural works of the 21st century. The school features a raised metal roof, inspired by vernacular architecture from the Persian Gulf, designed to optimize airflow and reduce indoor temperatures. This allows for natural cooling in a country where summer temperatures often exceed 40°C, and, very importantly, eliminates the need for air conditioning. A well-ventilated, comfortable learning space has had important social impacts—enhancing students’ ability to focus, and fostering a communal hub for youth engagement in a region with limited access to electricity and educational resources.

Kéré’s subsequent work ultimately made him the first Black and African person to receive the prestigious Pritzker Architecture Prize in 2022, demonstrating that sustainable design is both ecological and socially empowering. This aligns with Fab City’s path forward: one where technology serves as an enabler of both tradition and innovation, and communities retain agency over their built environments. And also one where no one ‘breaks it’ anymore.