Africa’s Sahel region is “ground zero” for countries trying to cope with climate change, but sufficient investment in adaptation measures and greater cooperation between neighbouring States means this does not have to lead to conflict, a senior United Nations official has said. Jan Egeland, the Secretary-General’s Special Adviser, held talks with officials in Burkina Faso, the first stop on a five-day, three-country mission aimed at spotlighting the effects of climate change, the proliferation of small arms and light weapons and other challenges facing the countries of the Sahel.