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Climate change likely intensified heavy monsoon rain in Pakistan exacerbating urban floods that impacted highly exposed communities
An event attribution study by World Weather Attribution found that human-induced climate change, primarily from fossil fuel combustion and deforestation, has increased the intensity of 30-day maximum rainfall in northern Pakistan by approximately 15%. The study highlights that while the event had a return period of about five years, the resulting high death toll—300 fatalities nationwide as of August 3, 2025, including 140 children—was exacerbated by rapid urbanization, informal settlements, and poor building code enforcement. The report emphasizes a significant funding gap for adaptation, noting that Pakistan requires US$152 billion for adaptation between 2023 and 2030, much of which remains unfinanced.
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Document type: Research paper
Advancing Health Equity Through Building Emissions Performance Standards in Toronto
The document examines the intersection of climate change, housing quality, and health in Toronto, proposing that an equity-focused Building Emissions Performance Standards (BEPS) policy can mitigate health risks for marginalized communities. It highlights how retrofits—such as switching from gas to electric heating and stoves, improving insulation, and adding mechanical ventilation—can reduce asthma risks, protect against extreme temperature events, and lower outdoor air pollution. The brief warns against the risks of tenant displacement and 'renovictions' and recommends strong tenant protections, the creation of Community Accountability Boards, and the integration of health metrics into BEPS monitoring to ensure benefits are shared equitably.
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Document type: Policy brief
The Cape Coast Metropolitan Assembly Climate Adaptation Plan: Ghana
The Cape Coast Metropolitan Assembly Climate Adaptation Plan (CCMA-CAP) provides a comprehensive roadmap for building resilience against climate hazards such as tidal flooding, coastal erosion, and extreme heat. Based on a vulnerability assessment, the plan prioritizes interventions across eight sectors, including water, health, agriculture, and tourism. It introduces a multi-criteria decision-making approach to rank adaptation options and proposes a diverse funding strategy involving government, international, and private sources, supported by a detailed monitoring, evaluation, and learning (MEL) framework.
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Document type: Report
Indian Cities Pioneer Nature-based Solutions and Inspire National Climate Action
WRI implemented over 30 nature-based projects in Mumbai, Kochi, and Jaipur, including urban farming and water-body restoration, to combat climate risks like urban flooding and extreme heat. These initiatives, which included a school-based gardening project in Mumbai scaling to 250 schools and an urban farm at Jaipur Central Jail, led to the establishment of India's first national-level forum on urban nature-based solutions to share best practices and scale these approaches across Indian cities.
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Document type: Case study
BUILDING RESILIENT CITIES: ASSESSING GHANAIAN LOCAL AUTHORITIES MANAGEMENT OF FLOODING IN SELECTED CITIES
The report investigates the management of urban flooding in selected cities in Ghana, specifically focusing on the Greater Accra and Greater Kumasi areas. It examines the extent to which Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies (MMDAs) prioritize green infrastructure and engage residents in flood-prone communities to enhance city resilience. While local authorities generally recognize the importance of green spaces for flood control, the study finds that many residents do not prioritize green spaces on their own properties due to concerns about waste dumping, crime, and economic pressure to build shops. However, there is a strong overall willingness among residents to participate in decision-making processes if they trust the governance system and see their input implemented.
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Document type: Report
Flood Vulnerability and Climate Change
The study uses geospatial and quantitative analysis in Windsor, Ontario, to demonstrate that combining flood hazard exposure with a neighbourhood deprivation index reveals 'hot spots' of risk that traditional physical assessments miss. It finds that marginalized and racialized populations, particularly Black households, are disproportionately exposed to pluvial (surface water) flooding, while no such significant disparity was found for fluvial (riverine) flooding. The authors argue that integrating socioeconomic vulnerability into risk management allows for more equitable allocation of resources and targeted social programs to reduce overall vulnerability.
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Document type: Case study
After Idai: Insights from Mozambique for Climate Resilient Coastal Infrastructure
The document examines the impacts of Cyclone Idai, Tropical Storm Chalane, and Cyclone Eloise on Mozambique, specifically the city of Beira. It analyzes the role of green and grey infrastructure in disaster mitigation, evaluates the 'Building Beira Back Better' (BBBB) strategy, and highlights the critical need for improved early warning systems and sustainable waste management to maintain urban drainage functionality.
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Document type: Policy brief
Ecosystem-based Flood Management
The report examines urban flooding in five cities across Ghana, South Africa, and Kenya, highlighting the vulnerability of informal settlements to climate-exacerbated rainfall and poor urban planning. It compares the maturity of South African cities in integrating EbA into policy against the more response-oriented, 'grey' infrastructure bias in Kenyan cities. Key findings emphasize that collaborative, whole-of-society governance and the integration of green and grey infrastructure are most effective for long-term resilience.
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Document type: Report
Fighting for the water that sustains us
The author argues that environmental racism and a decline in federal funding since the 1970s have created severe disparities in water access for Latino, Black, and Indigenous communities in the US. The text highlights the vulnerability of these populations to climate-driven disasters, such as hurricanes and wildfires, and calls for Congress to implement water affordability protections, prohibit shutoffs, and invest in green infrastructure and wastewater system repairs, prioritizing areas like the San Joaquin Valley, Puerto Rico, and the Navajo Nation.
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Document type: Statement
The Integration of Climate Data into the SAVi model
The document details how climate indicators from the Copernicus Climate Data Store (CDS) are integrated into the SAVi tool to improve the analysis of infrastructure resilience. It covers a literature review of climate impacts on energy, irrigation, wastewater, buildings, roads, and nature-based infrastructure, providing specific equations to link climate variables to asset performance. The report includes simulation results for Johannesburg, South Africa, demonstrating how climate variables like temperature and precipitation affect load factors, thermal efficiency, and maintenance costs, ultimately impacting the economic viability and societal costs of these assets.
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Document type: Report
A research into slums and informal settlements development towards making Ghana's cities resilient
The report examines the development of slums in Ghana, specifically within the Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA) and Sekondi-Takoradi Metropolitan Assembly (STMA). It identifies key drivers such as rural-urban migration, poverty, and systemic policy failures in housing. The study highlights the negative impacts of slums on child development, public health, and urban security, while also noting the potential for economic contributions through informal recycling and food services. It argues that the Ghana National Housing Policy is weak and fails to specifically address slums or cultural norms. The report recommends against forced evictions, calling instead for coordinated stakeholder collaboration, the upgrading of existing settlements, and a comprehensive revision of national housing policy to foster urban resilience.
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Document type: Report
Combatting Canada’s Rising Flood Costs: Natural infrastructure is an underutilized option
The document asserts that natural infrastructure is an underutilized tool for mitigating flood risk in Canada. It highlights that flood risks are increasing from fluvial, pluvial, and coastal sources and calls for a framework to guide the assessment and selection of natural infrastructure over traditional grey infrastructure.
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Document type: Report
Review of Current and Planned Adaptation Action in Bangladesh
Bangladesh is highly vulnerable to sea level rise, flooding, and cyclones, leading the government to establish early adaptation frameworks like the National Adaptation Programme of Action (NAPA) and the Bangladesh Climate Change Strategy and Action Plan (BCCSAP). While the country has created dedicated institutions and funds, such as the Bangladesh Climate Change Trust Fund (BCCTF), adaptation efforts have predominantly focused on large-scale infrastructure in coastal urban areas, often neglecting sectors like livestock and regions prone to drought. Despite being a major recipient of international climate finance, disbursement remains fragmented, and there is a significant gap between planned budgets and actual leveraged funds.
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Document type: Research paper
Economic Assessment of the Impacts of Climate Change in Uganda
The report examines climate variability and projections for Kampala, finding that while annual rainfall has remained stable, temperatures rose by approximately 1ºC between 1979 and 2005. Future projections suggest temperature increases of 1.5ºC (RCP 4.5) to 3ºC (RCP 8.5) by 2095. The study highlights that flooding is the most significant climate impact, exacerbated by the encroachment of human settlements into wetlands and poor urban drainage. Economic estimates indicate that annual flood damages could rise from US$1.3–7.3 million in 2013 to US$33.2–101.7 million by 2050 under a business-as-usual scenario. The cost of climate-proofing buildings and roads between 2015 and 2050 is estimated at US$3.2 billion (RCP 4.5) to US$3.7 billion (RCP 8.5), with residential buildings accounting for 72% of these costs. A cost-benefit analysis of drainage improvements in four catchments showed mixed results, with only two projects yielding a positive net present value. The report recommends revising building codes and the Kampala Physical Development Plan, strengthening the enforcement of Environmental Impact Assessments to protect wetlands, and integrating informality into climate resilience strategies.
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Document type: Case study
URBAN DIAGNOSTIC FOR BANGALORE
The report assesses Bangalore's vulnerability to climate change, water scarcity, and rising carbon emissions, highlighting that rapid, unplanned urbanisation has degraded natural resources and increased the vulnerability of the urban poor. It identifies fragmented governance and limited operational capacity as key barriers to resilience, recommending priority action in water and energy systems.
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Document type: Report
Overcoming Institutional Instability in Cartagena de Indias
The case study describes how Cartagena de Indias has insulated its climate change agenda from political instability through the creation of interinstitutional structures, the integration of adaptation guidelines into municipal planning, and the involvement of diverse public, private, and academic stakeholders.
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Document type: Case study
lac-06-sofia-front-back-67863fa381a9a184.pdf
The document outlines a character profile for a 62-year-old retired agricultural worker living in the marginal urban neighbourhood of Barrio Inundado. The persona is designed to highlight the specific vulnerabilities of elderly, less mobile residents during floods, noting that flooding ruins "furniture and food supplies" and cuts off "freshwater supplies". It emphasizes the social barriers to participation, stating that "people are prejudiced against an older peasant woman", while expressing interest in an "organised network of volunteers" to provide and receive practical help during future flood events.
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Document type: Guide
Nature-Based Solutions in Sub-Saharan Africa for Climate and Water Resilience
The document outlines a methodology for tracking nature-based solutions (NBS) investments in sub-Saharan Africa by scanning multilateral development bank portfolios. Between 2012 and 2021, the World Bank and African Development Bank led 85 NBS-related projects with combined total budgets of $12.1 billion, of which $4.5 billion was specifically for NBS components. The research identifies Ethiopia, Ghana, Malawi, Tanzania, Uganda, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo as the countries with the highest project counts and notes that NBS are being used to address urban flooding, coastal flooding, and water security while providing co-benefits for biodiversity and carbon sequestration.
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Document type: Report
Urban Blue-Green Conundrum: A 10-City Study on the Impacts of Urbanization on Natural Infrastructure in India
The study analyzes the impact of urbanization on natural infrastructure in 10 major Indian cities from 2000 to 2015, finding significant increases in built-up areas and a corresponding loss of surface water and groundwater recharge potential. It advocates for an integrated urban blue-green approach to planning to mitigate risks like urban flooding and water scarcity.
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Document type: Research paper
Heavy Precipitation in the U.S. and the Climate Change Connection
Since the late 1950s, the United States has experienced an increase in heavy precipitation driven by human-caused climate change, which allows the atmosphere to hold more moisture. These events, exacerbated by aging infrastructure and non-permeable land surfaces, increase the risk of urban and flash floods, damage agriculture through soil erosion and crop loss, and disrupt transportation systems.
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Document type: Fact sheet