Building resilience: how the urban poor can drive climate adaptation

Opinion paper
, 2 pages
PDF (196.28 KB)
17043IIED.pdf
Language:
English
Published: November 2008
Sustainable Development Opinion Papers
Product code:17043IIED

Adaptation – preparing for and coping with climate impacts – is now a key issue in climate negotiations. This is real progress from a decade ago, when mitigation alone dominated the climate agenda. But adaptation itself needs to move on. The 900 million urban dwellers living in poverty worldwide will likely be among the worst affected by climate change, yet they hardly feature in adaptation policies and practices. These people, most living in the world’s poorer countries, urgently need efficient, cost-effective solutions. Community-based adaption is one.Now widely used in rural areas, CBA allows local people to identify and address adaptation issues, building a lasting legacy of skills and ownership. But for CBA to work in urban areas, adaptation funding needs to reach the grassroots organisations and city governments that will initiate and deliver it.

Cite this publication

Swalheim, S. and Dodman, D. (2008). Building resilience: how the urban poor can drive climate adaptation. .
Available at https://www.iied.org/17043iied