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The document highlights how global climate decisions at COP27 affect local areas through three primary tools: an analysis of U.S. warming scenarios, the Global Climate Shift Index (CSI-Global) tracking daily temperature influences in over 1,000 cities, and the Picturing Our Future tool visualizing sea level rise. It emphasizes the gap between current emissions trajectories and the 1.5°C to 2°C warming limits agreed upon in 2015.

The document argues that urban climate adaptation is severely underfunded compared to mitigation, with only 9% of global urban climate investments flowing to adaptation projects as of 2017-2018. It highlights the extreme vulnerability of cities to flooding, heat, and water stress, noting that coastal cities could face annual costs of USD 1 trillion by 2050. To address this, the brief recommends that national governments declare climate emergencies, integrate local governments into national planning (NAPs and NDCs), boost technical project preparation, collaborate with development banks, mobilize private capital through PPPs and insurance, invest in early warning systems, and develop standardized adaptation metrics.

IDFC members reported a record $224 billion in green finance commitments in 2021, with climate finance accounting for 95% of the total. Mitigation finance reached $186.6 billion, while adaptation finance decreased by 24% to $20.9 billion. Biodiversity finance grew by 31% to $18.4 billion. The majority of climate finance was provided by non-OECD institutions and directed toward the East Asia and Pacific region.

In 2019/20, Ethiopia's tracked climate finance averaged USD 1.7 billion per year, representing only 7% of its estimated annual needs of USD 25.3 billion. The landscape is heavily dominated by international public finance (92%), with a strong preference for grants (70%) and a focus on adaptation (56%) over mitigation (38%). While the Agriculture, Forestry and Other Land Use (AFOLU) sector received the most sectoral finance (29%), it remains underfunded relative to its 83% contribution to national GHG emissions. Significant barriers to private investment include a highly regulated financial sector, lack of a stock market, and unfavorable collateral policies for SMEs and small-holder farmers.

Nigeria is highly vulnerable to climate change, facing risks from drought, flooding, and sea level rise that threaten food security and economic stability. While the government has established frameworks like the National Adaptation Plan, implementation at the local level is limited by poor funding, lack of skilled personnel, and a reliance on international finance. The paper advocates for Locally Led Adaptation (LLA) to ensure climate actions are inclusive and aligned with community needs.

FSD Africa is assisting the Lagos State Government (LASG) to address inadequate flood risk management by integrating private financial sector instruments into disaster risk reduction and financing. The initiative focuses on creating a Flood Resilience Finance Framework and Policy and supporting specific financial transactions for resilient infrastructure and risk transfer. The program aims to benefit 500,000 people with increased climate resilience and 50,000 people with improved employment opportunities, while attracting commercial capital for infrastructure and climate risk underwriting.

The briefing examines social vulnerability in Halmstad, Sweden, in the context of climate-driven water-related hazards. It argues that while Sweden is generally resilient, specific social groups remain vulnerable due to intersecting factors such as age, income, and disability. Using the impact chain model, the authors demonstrate how disruptions to critical infrastructure—such as water, energy, and transport—can create cascading effects that disproportionately impact the most vulnerable and can even create new vulnerable groups. The document highlights 'erosive coping' where disaster responses may inadvertently reinforce existing inequalities. It recommends that local authorities integrate social dimensions into their risk and vulnerability assessments to design more effective disaster risk reduction strategies.

The document serves as a consolidation of a flagship report examining how intersecting forms of discrimination create differentiated vulnerabilities to climate change across 10 ASEAN Member States. It focuses on integrating gender equality and social inclusion into three key sectors: renewable energy, disaster risk reduction, and agriculture, with detailed policy reviews for Cambodia, Indonesia, the Philippines, and Viet Nam.

The ALBAdapt project seeks to transform Albania's climate services value chain to address high disaster risks from floods, droughts, and heat waves. The project focuses on three components: establishing a National Framework for Climate Services (NFCS) to improve hydrometeorological data and coordination; implementing a multi-hazard impact-based early warning system (MHIEWS) to enable early action; and fostering climate-informed investments, specifically through Nature-based Solutions (NbS) and Ecosystem-based Adaptation (EbA) in the coastal zone. With a total indicative cost of EUR 49.95 million, the project targets the entire population of 2.8 million for early warning services and 400,000 people in the coastal zone for specific adaptation innovations.

The project aims to reduce the vulnerability of Indonesian populations to climate hazards by shifting from post-hoc disaster response to a proactive model of anticipatory action. It focuses on two primary outcomes: establishing a national Forecast-Based Financing (FbF) system and strengthening 'Last Mile Climate Services' (LMCS) to ensure climate information reaches local communities. The project will be implemented by the World Food Programme (WFP) over four years, with a specific local roll-out and pilot in the East Nusa Tenggara (NTT) province. Total indicative costs are USD 8,704,500, with USD 7,140,000 requested as a grant from the GCF.

Kenya's NAP 2015-2030, led by the Ministry of Environment and Forestry, seeks to integrate climate change adaptation into national development planning and budgeting to achieve a low-carbon, climate-resilient economy. The process identifies key climate impacts such as sea level rise, floods, and drought, and prioritizes sectors including agriculture, health, water, and infrastructure. Implementation is supported by the National Climate Change Action Plan (NCCAP) II (2018-2022), which serves as the vehicle for delivering both the NAP and the Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC).

The Somali National Adaptation Plan (NAP) process, led by the Ministry of Environment and Climate Change, utilizes a participatory and gender-responsive approach aligned with peacebuilding. The process is currently supported by a Green Climate Fund-funded NAP Readiness Project implemented by the UNDP. Key adaptation priorities include sectors such as agriculture, water, health, and coastal zones, addressing impacts like severe droughts, flooding, and sea level rise. Significant milestones between 2018 and 2022 include the launch of the National Disaster Management Policy, the National Climate Change Policy, and the 2021 NAP Framework.

Japan utilizes the 2018 Climate Change Adaptation Act and a revised 2021 plan to coordinate adaptation across ministries using 66 Key Performance Indicators. Domestically, the country employs local adaptation centers in 38 of 47 prefectures and the A-PLAT information platform to support municipal planning. Internationally, Japan provides technical expertise in disaster risk reduction, manages the Asia-Pacific Climate Change Adaptation Information Platform (AP-PLAT), and has committed to doubling adaptation finance to approximately $14.8 billion between 2021 and 2025.

The Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research (IAI) is launching a program to train 'Climate, Environment and Health Responders' in the Americas. The initiative focuses on a transdisciplinary (TD) approach to bridge the science-policy gap, targeting a diverse group of stakeholders including government officials, researchers, and community leaders. The program consists of a 7-week virtual mentorship and training phase, an in-person regional grant development workshop, and the awarding of seed grants for pilot studies or further grant development. A key requirement for seed grants is the procurement of co-funding, with a particular emphasis on supporting member countries with lower science and technology capacity.

Nepal faces significant climate vulnerabilities, including flash floods, landslides, and water scarcity, with temperatures projected to rise up to 1.8°C even if global warming is limited to 1.5°C. While the country has a robust set of national policies and a federal structure that empowers local governments, the implementation of climate resilience at the municipal level is hindered by a lack of technical capacity, unclear jurisdictional responsibilities, and limited financial resources. The brief recommends establishing 'resilience cells' to coordinate inter-ministerial efforts, integrating climate indicators into local budget performance measures, and adopting integrated planning that combines mitigation, adaptation, and disaster risk reduction through nature-based solutions.

Public international finance dominates Indonesia's blue finance, while commercial banks are the primary private sources. MSMEs, particularly in the fisheries sector, face significant barriers to accessing formal credit due to physical collateral requirements and a lack of credit history. While most MSME loans are concentrated in Java, the highest growth is observed in the Lesser Sunda Islands. The report recommends reducing entry barriers, investing in human capacity, and improving infrastructure to spur private investment in the blue economy.

The document examines the evolution of disaster risk reduction (DRR) from a reactive emergency response model to a proactive strategy focused on reducing vulnerability and exposure. It highlights the disproportionate impact of disasters in countries with poor infrastructure, such as Haiti compared to Chile, and emphasizes the economic benefits of proactive investment, citing Bangladesh as an example. The brief traces the international policy trajectory from the 1960s through the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015-2030, noting a growing integration between DRR and climate change adaptation. It specifically advocates for the protection of wetlands as natural buffers against water-related disasters and calls for a 'whole-of-society' approach combining top-down institutional changes with bottom-up community actions to build resilience in a climate where extreme events are becoming the 'new normal'.

The briefing argues that nature-based solutions (NbS) are often framed as apolitical, leading to the neglect of social equity and justice. It proposes five core principles: ensuring inclusive and transparent processes, tackling root causes of marginalization, limiting the unjust redistribution of risks and costs, prioritizing at-risk communities, and using valuation tools that assess social and political change. These principles are illustrated through a case study in Kaptembwa, Nakuru, Kenya, where participatory planning is used to address flooding and lack of green space in a semi-informal settlement.

The project aims to modernize Sierra Leone's hydrometeorological infrastructure and institutional capacity to reduce losses from climate-related disasters. It proposes a $11.3 million investment to establish automated decision management systems, rehabilitate observation networks with at least 50 new stations, and implement forecast-based financing (FbF). The initiative targets 7.9 million people, focusing on vulnerable populations and women, to improve disaster risk knowledge and response capabilities across the country, particularly in the Freetown peninsula.

The Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research (IAI) is seeking nominations for three vacancies on its advisory committees: two for the Scientific Advisory Committee (SAC) and one for the Science and Policy Advisory Committee (SPAC). The nominations are to be finalized during the 30th Conference of the Parties (CoP) on June 14-15, 2022. The IAI emphasizes the need for international scientific recognition, interdisciplinary experience, and a balance of gender, ethnicity, and geography, specifically noting underrepresentation in North America, Central America, the Caribbean, and the Southern Cone.