Find the original version of the newsletter here.
The Global Adaptation Network is launching its brand new podcast, Resilience: The Global Adaptation Podcast. Coming out on October 12, we’ll be bringing you inspiring stories from people all over the world who are adapting to climate change in practical, creative and innovative ways. We'll be joined by world-renowned adaptation experts as we explore the best solutions and technologies for building resilience to the climate crisis.
We’ll discuss the green engineering feat of creating sponge cities that absorb floods and stay cool during heatwaves; the mission to 'climate-proof' our food systems; architectural solutions like floating cities; the use of mass reforestation to hold back the deserts, and much more! You can now listen to our newly released trailer here on Spotify. Join us as we adapt to climate change one conversation at a time…
Global Adaptation News
Guidelines for Integrating Ecosystem-based Adaptation into National Adaptation Plans – In September, UNEP published guidelines to show national and local officials around the world how to integrate ecosystem-based adaptation into national plans designed to counter the effects of climate change. Here's the full story. The guidelines constitute a supplement to the UNFCCC’s National Adaptation Plan Technical Guidelines.
Ecosystem-based Adaptation Tools Navigator - While there are tools and methodologies that support people to adapt to climate change using ecosystem-based approaches, limited accessibility is a barrier to wider uptake. The Ecosystem-based Adaptation (EbA) Tools Navigator, hosted by Friends of EbA (FEBA), aims to tackle this challenge and guide users through more than 200 tools that can support their work and expand EbA.
Podcast: The Fight for Climate After Covid-19 – In the latest episode of America Adapts, author Alice Hill talks about her new book, The Fight for Climate After Covid-19. The episode covers what inspired Hill to write the book; how her experiences working on climate change and biodefense during the Obama Presidency informed her thinking; why we need a national adaptation plan; and why we should ‘marry’ climate mitigation in adaptation.
New Mountain Adaptation Solutions Portal - Would you like to learn more about reducing risks from glacier lake outburst floods in the Hindu Kush Himalayas, or how Alpine ski resorts cope with less predictable snow covers? The Adaptation at Altitude programme released a new online Solutions Portal with tested climate change adaptation solutions for mountain regions. Contribute more mountain solutions, browse existing ones, and exchange with the community here.
Renewables as a Climate Change Adaptation Strategy – A new report, Bracing for Climate Impact: Renewables as a Climate Change Adaptation Strategy, has been published by the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA). The paper illustrates the opportunity that renewable energy provides for well-designed, effective, and comprehensive climate adaptation. For example, using a case study in Djibouti, the report shows the value of solar water pumping for improving water access.
Climate Justice through Urban Ecosystem-based Adaptation - The Urban EbA Working Group of Friends of EbA (FEBA), coordinated by PlanAdapt and the International Union for Conservation of Nature, has published a technical paper to provide practical examples of urban EbA, alongside six in-depth case studies, to explore how the projects link with social and climate justice principles. Find the paper here.
Report: How real estate markets respond to physical impacts of climate risk – This report from UNEP's Finance Initiative sought to better understand the variables that can feed into financial modelling and investment decision-making. The researchers reviewed published literature on the price changes and shifts in market behaviour linked to recent extreme weather events and sea level rise.
WMO Atlas of Mortality & Economic Losses from Weather Extremes – This Atlas is the World Meteorological Organization’s most exhaustive compilation to date of fatalities and economic costs from natural hazards. It provides comprehensive details of recorded disasters and their impacts, both at global and regional level, and provides statistics for a 50-year period – 1970-2019.
Nature-based Solutions: Triple Win Toolkit – A new report produced for the UK Department for Environment, Food & Affairs offers guidance to achieve a ‘triple win’ to enhance biodiversity, address climate change and reduce poverty through nature-based solutions in the context of Official Development Assistance spending. The current state of knowledge was assessed from the literature and an analysis of 2,934 projects.
News from the Regions
Africa
In Pictures: How Africa is using nature to adapt to climate change – Despite being responsible for only around 3 per cent of global carbon dioxide emissions, experts say that Africa will be the region hardest hit by climate change. For Africa Climate Week 2021 in late September, UNEP took a look at how 8 communities in Africa are using nature-based solutions to adapt to a changing world, including initiatives in Gambia, Tanzania, Djibouti, Malawi and South Africa.
Factsheet: Early Warning Climate Services in Lesotho – An adaptation project in Lesotho is reducing the vulnerability of agriculture, water systems, and livelihoods to climate change impacts across the country by establishing new Early Warning Services (EWS). EWS is an adaptive measure for climate change, using integrated communication systems to help communities prepare for hazardous climate-related events.
EBAFOSA’s Climate Action Digest – The latest issue of the Ecosystem-based Adaptation for Food Security Assembly’s (EBAFOSA) newsletter focuses on the Training of Community Actors for Drying Cassava Chips Using The Climate Acton Solution of Solar Dryers. In addition, this issue covers climate action initiatives that are driving clean energy and improving living standards of the people of Uganda.
Mobilising private sector finance for smallholder farmers - Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) are non-binding national plans for mitigating and adapting to climate change. The Government of Ghana, supported by the NDC Action project, secured an additional $250,000 of funding to take forward key adaptation finance recommendations. The technical assistance funding will be provided through the Adaptation Fund Climate Innovation Accelerator.
News from the Regions
Latin America & the Caribbean
Experts release report on human migration due to climate change - The white paper, Shelter from the Storm: Policy Options to Address Climate Induced Displacement from the Northern Triangle, examines the large-scale migration of residents from the Northern Triangle, the geographic formation made up of El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras. It analyzes the impacts of climate change on migration and its relationship to current and future migration flows.
New guides to support adaptation planning in Costa Rica – Plan A: Resilience Districts is an initiative as part of Costa Rica’s National Adaptation Plan project. The initiative has developed 3 new Planning Guides to lay out the step-by-step process municipalities can use to adapt to climate change and prioritize different solutions using the Multicriteria Analysis method. Find the guides here (Spanish)
Advancing National Adaptation Plans in Latin America – In September, a National Adaptation Plan project in Dominican Republic made significant progress in building climate resilience through the construction of new adaptation tools. Meanwhile, the National Adaptation Plan project in Honduras developed a capacity-building conference, An Introduction to Climate Financing. Find out more about the projects here (Dominican Republic) and here (Honduras).
News from the Regions
Asia Pacific
Seed grants awarded to expand EPIC Model programmes across Asia – As a result of the EPIC Asia Workshop that occurred in May this year, 11 seed grants have now been awarded to projects focusing on sustainability, climate resilience and adaptation. The EPIC Model builds partnerships between universities and their local municipalities to solve sustainability challenges. For more information on the EPIC Asia Network, contact kaynp@epicn.org
Factsheet: Ecosystem-based adaptation in 5 Asia-Pacific cities – Implemented in 5 cities from 4 countries – Thimphu (Bhutan), Kep (Cambodia), Phongsaly and Oudomxay (Lao PDR), and Mandalay (Myanmar) - this project is building the climate resilience of urban and peri-urban communities by using ecosystem-based adaptation, including the restoration of watersheds, riparian areas, and riverbanks.
Overcoming barriers to scale up ecosystem-based adaptation in Asia-Pacific - On August 18, UNEP and IUCN Asia office held a regional stakeholder dialogues webinar to share information about the Global EbA Fund, discuss catalytic and innovative EbA solutions, and gather examples and lessons learned from key stakeholders and actors in Asia Pacific. Watch the webinar here, and remember to share your EbA lessons and experiences in this survey by 31st Oct.
Saving endangered species with ecosystem-based adaptation in Central Asia – With funding from the German Environment Ministry’s International Climate Initiative (IKI), a new project is employing ecosystem-based adaptation in three Central Asian countries – Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Tajikistan. Nature-based approaches will be used, not only to protect endangered species but also to increase local communities’ resilience to climate change.
Upcoming Events
October 4-8
Adaptation Futures 2020
October 5
Report Launch: 2021 State of Climate Services
October 5-7
2021 EPIC Network Conference
October 7
Webinar: Accelerating adaptation through nature-based solutions at scale
October 11
Nature-based Solutions for Building Resilience: Geneva Nature-based Solutions Dialogues
October 18-19
Green Climate Fund Private Investment for Climate Conference 2021
October 20-23
16th ENCAC Conference
October 31 - November 12
UN Climate Change Conference: COP26
GAN Survey
Have you participated in any GAN activities? Or have you used any UNEP or GAN adaptation knowledge products? If yes, please take 10 minutes to fill out this survey! Your responses are vital to our mission of spreading knowledge and building greater ambition for climate adaptation. The deadline for completing the survey is 31st October. Thank you!
For more information, please contact Marcus.Nield@un.org
