Climate change adaptation

Least Developed Countries launch 2050 Vision for a climate-resilient future

The world’s least developed countries have launched a long-term strategy for climate resilience and net zero emissions by 2050

IIED and partner events at the 2019 UN Climate Action Summit

This page summarises the activities of IIED, its researchers and partners around the United Nations Climate Action Summit in New York in September

Leading from the front: responding with urgency to the climate emergency

Representatives of the least developed countries, grassroots community organisations and climate action leaders will attend an IIED-organised series of high-level debates during London Climate Action Week in July

‘Participatory’ adaptation plans aren’t working for migrants in cities

A paper in the latest issue of the journal Environment and Urbanization highlights how urban plans for adapting to climate change often leave out migrant populations living in informal settlements. Guest bloggers Eric Chu and Kavya Michael call for a rethink.

Author Q&A: Resilience – the science of adaptation to climate change

Saleemul Huq discusses a new book exploring the term ‘resilience’ – one of today’s hottest buzzwords in climate and development. The book includes a chapter he has co-authored with researchers Yousuf Mahid and Nadine Suliman from the International Centre for Climate Change and Development

Delivering climate finance at the local level: the Gungano Urban Poor Fund

The Gungano Fund provides loans to low income urban households that cannot access other financial services. The fund aims to develop a scalable and replicable housing finance model and partner with central and local government to upgrade informal settlements

LDC Initiative for Effective Adaptation and Resilience (LIFE-AR)

The LDC Initiative for Effective Adaptation and Resilience (LIFE-AR) aims to develop an over-arching least developed countries (LDC) vision for adapting towards a climate resilient future by 2050. The vision will be LDC led and driven, driving forward climate action in line with LDC needs and priorities

Call for evidence: long-term effective adaptation

The Least Developed Countries Group is inviting submissions on effective long-term adaptation to climate change. The submissions will contribute to a major new initiative that seeks to develop a long-term vision for climate resilience up to 2050

As climate changes, Himalayan farmers return to traditional crops

Traditional crops and innovations are offering Himalayan farmers a way to deal with the challenges of climate change, but there is much work to be done for this to become a truly viable alternative

Supporting national monitoring and evaluation systems to enable adaptation assessment and reporting

IIED is working on a programme to improve and share understanding about  monitoring and evaluation (M&E) for climate change adaptation planning and reporting. 

EbA Evidence and Policy: Peru

In Peru IIED, IUCN and ANDES are using practical experiences of ecosystem-based adaptation (EbA) in mountain ecosystems, learning and reflecting on their effectiveness, and contributing to the ongoing country efforts to position and mainstream EbA into national climate change and development policies. 

Consensus grows on nature-based solutions to climate change, but challenges remain

Experts point to growing awareness of the potential of nature-based solutions to climate change – but say work must be done to improve understanding and policy take-up

Webinar: What does successful adaptation look like, and what do we want to measure in the context of adaptation, national development and SDGs?

IIED organised a webinar on 28 June 2018 to discuss how developing country governments can assess adaptation actions to inform national planning and international reporting. 

Sharing knowledge on climate change adaptation in Brazil

The AdaptaClima online knowledge platform supports effective adaptation to climate change in Brazil by allowing users to share information and tools online

Responding to climate change in Tanzania by strengthening dryland governance and planning

District governments in Tanzania are improving their capacity for effective adaptive planning by strengthening planning processes and establishing local adaptation funds. With support from a consortium of government and non-government stakeholders, they are testing a devolved climate finance mechanism for building resilience, which could inform policy and action in other drylands

Book summary: Financial Inclusion for Poverty Alleviation – Issues and Case Studies for Sustainable Development

Essam Yassin Mohammed, of IIED, and Zenebe Bashaw Uraguchi, co-edit 'the book Financial Inclusion for Poverty Alleviation: Issues and Case Studies for Sustainable Development'

Negotiators from developing countries get skills boost ahead of UN climate talks

More than 40 climate negotiators from vulnerable developing countries were briefed on key issues and negotiating strategies at a workshop just before the opening of the Bonn climate talks

Fieldnotes from two cities in India: learning about social learning and climate uncertainty

How can urban planners deal with the unpredictable future impacts of climate change? IIED researchers visited two Indian cities to see how a learning-based approach can help

Can we transform our cities?

Can cities prosper while meeting their responsibilities for acting on climate change? This is the focus of a new book by IPCC authors, co-edited by IIED's David Satterthwaite

The Paris Agreement – a framework for local inclusion

The Paris Agreement commits governments to climate action. To deliver this agenda successfully, they must engage with all sectors of society, including indigenous peoples, and recognise traditional knowledge

Local climate finance mechanism helping to fund community-prioritised adaptation

County and local governments in the drylands of Kenya, Mali, Senegal and Tanzania are establishing local-level climate adaptation funds with technical support from IIED and government and non-government organisations. These funds improve their readiness to access and disburse national and global climate finance, supporting community-prioritised investments to build climate resilience

Climate finance from the aid budget must also deliver on poverty

The UK has promised to increase funding for climate finance up to 2020, but if this money comes from the aid budget, how can we be sure that climate spending will also deliver on poverty eradication and the sustainable development agenda?

Ecosystem-based approaches to climate change adaptation

Ecosystem management and restoration can be a very important part of climate change adaptation, and communities can play a central role in the process, but the evidence base needs strengthening. IIED and partners are working in 12 countries to promote effective EbA and sustainable development.

Sharing knowledge to climb the adaptation ladder

When it comes to climate adaptation, the Least Developed Countries have the greatest expertise and other countries may benefit from learning from what they have done

The economics of local adaptation in the dryland ecosystems of Isiolo County

Investments to support pastoralists in Northern Kenya to adapt to the changing climate pay immediate dividends – but the benefits are even greater if the indirect impacts can also be taken into account

Financing urban resilience

Cities need to adapt to climate change: but how it be financed? IIED is working to build the case for more direct control of funding for resilience by urban residents and local governments

How do we measure adaptation?

How do we effectively measure and enhance adaptation? Saleemul Huq looks at possible answers which will be discussed at the 9th International Conference on Community Based Adaptation (CBA9)

Developing nations strengthen ability to demonstrate effective climate change adaptation

A tool for developing countries to provide evidence of effective adaptation to climate change, allowing them to access international climate funds, will be launched today (27 February) after three years of development by IIED and partners

Recognising the risks – what do people in Lima think about climate change?

While heads of state, ministers and negotiators met in Lima, Peru, to try to negotiate a global deal at the UN climate talks, local people have been developing their own adaptation strategy – and seem to find it equally difficult to face up to the scale of the problem

Why the private sector must be included in efforts to curb deforestation

Making the links between green supplies chains, zero deforestation and the private sector at COP20 in Lima

How are Rwanda, Ethiopia and Bangladesh preparing for climate change?

Ethiopia, Rwanda and Bangladesh are developing their national low carbon climate resilient strategies. The public policy team within the Climate Change Group at IIED have just finished 18 months of research into these planning processes. The research helped clarify what is motivating countries to become more climate resilient. It also highlighted some ways these processes could be better supported and brought together.

The IPCC and an urbanising planet

The IPCC's Fifth Assessment gets the importance of understanding and acting on urbanisation

Who should use Tracking Adaptation and Measuring Development (TAMD)?

A key benefit of the TAMD framework is that it can be used by many different types of organisations for both evaluation and planning

The Tracking Adaptation and Measuring Development (TAMD) framework

The TAMD framework uses two key measures to measure adaptation success

Climate-related 'loss and damage' in cities: exploring a new urban frontier

Highlighting and assessing the urban impacts of climate change can help cities find a more consistent, multi-level approach to climate adaptation

A marriage to save the earth: Farmers and researchers innovate to conserve biodiversity

Traditional knowledge combined with the latest science could increase food production while safeguarding biodiversity, new research shows

Climate change and urban health

As well as increasing loss of life and injury from extreme events, climate change will exacerbate health risks from diseases that are among the main causes of premature death in informal settlements

Indigenous farmers from Peru, China and Bhutan agree to share seeds for climate adaptation

In the spirit of the International Year of Family and Peasant Farming, indigenous mountain farmers from China, Bhutan and Peru have agreed to share seeds in an effort to cope with global climate change

Kenya's new climate fund listens to community ideas for building resilience

"Climate consists of so many things to us," says Ibrahim Shone, a pastoralist in Isiolo County in Northern Kenya. "It's not only weather, it's also about how we prepare for droughts and diseases, and find enough grass for our animals. These things change with the seasons."

IIED statement on Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change report

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change has today published its latest report on the impacts of climate change and how to adapt to them

Least developed countries take climate adaptation to next level

While many policymakers in the world's richest nations continue to deny the urgency of action on climate change, governments in the 48 least developed countries are pushing ahead with plans to adapt – or at least trying to

Kenyan local climate fund's success heralds expansion to 29% of nation

A pilot project to support adaptation to climate change at the local level in Kenya's Isiolo County has been such a success that it is being replicated in four more counties, to cover a combined 29 per cent of the nation. The move is significant as it shows how county governments could access global climate finance, which is set to rise to US$100 billion a year by 2020.

Typhoon Haiyan shows why COP19 must deliver on loss and damage

Even the best of efforts to adapt to climate change may not be enough to prevent loss and damage, and that's why the UN climate talks need to agree a mechanism to handle this new issue, says Saleemul Huq.

To build climate resilience cities must assess diverse drivers of vulnerability

Three new studies from Vietnam show how research can help governments devise solutions that help their citizens adapt to the effects of climate change.

Least developed countries lead on low-carbon resilience

Some of the least developed countries are at the forefront of an approach that combines efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, adapt to climate change and achieve economic and social development.

Smallholder innovation for resilience (SIFOR)

IIED worked with partners in China, India, Kenya and Peru to revitalise traditional knowledge-based – or 'biocultural' – innovation systems of smallholder farmers in order to strengthen food security in the face of climate change. Traditional farmers continually improve and adapt their crops and farming practices in response to new challenges, using local knowledge and biodiversity, generating new technologies and practices.

8 points on financing climate change adaptation in urban areas

As the urgency for governments and international agencies to address climate change increases, an expert meeting identified eight key points on finance priorities.

CBA7: Highlights from day three

Missed our live blog and webcast? Here are some highlights from the third day of the 7th International Conference on Community-Based Adaptation

Challenging inequality is at the heart of climate change adaptation

People won’t become more resilient to the impacts of climate change unless the underlying causes of their vulnerability are analysed and addressed.

Vulnerable communities tackling climate change are our best teachers

The poorest communities (and poorest countries) are leading the world in learning about and practising adaptation to climate change. The rich would do well to learn from them.

Rwanda: test case on international commitment to financing climate change adaptation?

Rwanda hopes climate change will provide an opportunity to secure additional climate finance. Will its new finance mechanism succeed?

How do we tell whether climate change adaptation is making headway?

IIED and its partners are developing tailored frameworks to help developing countries evaluate their climate adaptation investments.

New fund to help Kenyan communities adapt to climate change

On 29 October, the government of Kenya will launch a new fund to help communities in the north of the country adapt to climate change and other development challenges.

Analysing the cost of adapting to climate change

How do you estimate the cost of adapting to the impacts of climate change on vulnerable communities, and involve stakeholders in identifying the costs and benefits of the approaches identified?

CBA6: tweet by tweet and blog by blog

Given that the theme of the 6th International conference on community-based adaptation to climate change was communications, it's only fitting that participants embraced social media with open arms.

Where honey means money and climate means change

Ngan lives in a village called Ri in the remote highlands of Vietnam's Thanh Hoa province. It's beautiful. Everywhere you look is green-green-green, from the forested limestone mountains that look like the humps of long dead dragons to the flat sheets of emerald rice fields that shimmer in the sun.

Vietnam: Mangroves break waves and help the people of Dai Hop Commune break even

Well-fed women smile out from under their hats as they pull in their catch of fish, shrimp and crabs from the mangrove forest. The simple images are in an educational booklet on the benefits of mangroves, with tips on how to grow seedlings.

Taking the long view on adaptation

The impacts of climate change do not happen overnight but play out over decades. Funders looking to support people to adapt to those impacts must take the long view and accept that their investments may not provide measurable outcomes for ten years or more.

UN climate negotiations video update: Trying to find "common ground"

This is the last video update from Saleemul Huq, Senior Fellow of IIED's climate change group, from Durban, South Africa where high-level Ministers have arrived and are making statements.

Consensus grows behind the scenes at the UN climate negotiations

It’s too early to talk about the end-game in the 17th conference of parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) talks that are underway in Durban. But amid the shifting diplomatic sands of talks and texts, there are signs that some of the ground is starting to solidify.

Five-nation study sheds light on costs of adapting agriculture to climate change

Research in Africa and Asia has shown that efforts to assess the costs of adapting agriculture to a changing climate often fail to reflect the diversity of the sector.

Multi-billion dollar climate change fund hits barrier

Plans for a multi-billion dollar fund to help developing countries deal with climate change hit a big barrier this week when countries could not agree on the design of the fund.

Responding to climate change in the Caribbean

How can air travel contribute to the costs of adapting to climate change?

Climate change negotiators are still meeting this week in Bonn to try and find a way forward on, amongst many other subjects, climate change mitigation, adaptation and finance. Sources of ‘innovative’ finance, such as taxes on international transport, have been proposed. Might these provide a way to break the deadlock on finance and prove to be sources of significant and stable financing to address the impacts of climate change?

VIDEO: Saleemul Huq on new research into how communities adapt to climate change

In this short video Dr Saleemul Huq — senior fellow in IIED's Climate Change Group — talks about an international research project that is looking at how communities can adapt to the impacts of climate change.

The opportunities of climate change

It's not always a great idea to acknowledge that bad things can create opportunities – but they can. Bad things cause suffering and tragedy, but they can also destabilise the status quo, open space for new discussions, and give an impetus to groups looking for positive change.

Better science and communication needed to help vulnerable adapt to climate change

A major international conference in Bangladesh has ended with strong recommendations on how to help communities in developing countries to adapt to the impacts of climate change.

Tiny flight tax could raise billions to protect people from climate change

A small tax on international airline tickets could raise US$10 billion a year to help people to adapt to the impacts of climate change, say economists at the International Institute for Environment and Development.

Adapting to climate change in Bangladesh

Climate adaptation: old wine in new bottles?

Reality check: climate change and the poor

Hannah Reid reports on a field trip to a site in Manikganj District, about three hours from Dhaka city in Bangladesh, to see how vulnerable people are coping with climate-change related impacts

Lessons from vulnerable communities show how to adapt to climate-change

The Prime Minister of Bangladesh, Sheikh Hasina, will next week open an international conference at which more than 250 delegates will share the latest knowledge on how vulnerable communities can adapt to the impacts of climate change.

Afloat: Bangladesh adapts to climate change

'Afloat', a film from IIED and Panos, shows how in Bangladesh they are combining tradition and innovation to adapt to climate change

Storm watch for Cancun climate talks

Striking a deal at this month’s UN climate talks in Cancun, Mexico will largely depend on negotiators’ ability to settle stormy disputes, particularly between the developed and developing world, over six key issues.

Adaptation finance: Why not just give it to the poor?

A new book argues that the best approach to reducing poverty is the simplest: giving money to the poor. In Just Give Money to the Poor, Hanlon, Barrientos and Hulme argue that cash transfers put money directly in the hands of those that need it, and that the poor are both willing and capable of using the money to benefit themselves and their families. Given the uncertainties and pitfalls of spending money on climate change adaptation, could we do worse than simply giving money to the poor themselves?

4th International Conference on Community-Based Adaptation (CBA4)

The 4th International Conference on Community-Based Adaptation (CBA4) to climate change took place in February 2010 in Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania

Road to recovery: mapping a sustainable economy

THE WORLD has a unique but brief opportunity to tackle several major challenges together. Evidence of the linked causes of financial, energy and climate crises – and not just their symptoms – is on the table.

Expert Group Meeting on Population Dynamics and Climate Change

London. June 09 Papers from this meeting are now available as downloadable pdfs.

Least Developed Countries

Least Developed Countries (LDCs) are the poorest countries in the world. A number of criteria determine this status. As of May 2009, LDCs number 50. Roughly 65 per cent are in Africa; a number of others are known as Small Island Developing States (SIDS). Many SIDS are low-lying and located in parts of the world already prone to extreme weather events, factors that make them highly vulnerable to climate change impacts such as sea level rise and fiercer and more frequent tropical storms.

Q&A: Admit

Highlights the key elements about this ethical and effective new way to compensate your carbon emissions and support adaptation, now in its pilot phase.

Just the beginning

Yvo de Boer, who runs the UNFCCC secretariat, laid out clearly where we are with agreement on the text in his inimitable laconic style: ‘We are near to the end of putting things in and near to the beginning of taking things out.’

Supporting Adaptation to Climate Change: What role for Official Development Assistance?

The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change has instigated several funding mechanisms in an attempt to meet adaptation needs in developing countries, however these funds have been heavily criticised by both the development and academic communities for being both fiscally and technically inadequate.