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This policy brief describes the process of developing the 'Guidelines for Adaptation to Climate Change in Cartagena de Indias', making Cartagena the first coastal city in South America to produce such guidelines. The initiative, supported by the Climate and Development Knowledge Network (CDKN) and coordinated by the Institute of Marine and Coastal Research (INVEMAR), aims to integrate climate resilience into municipal land-use planning and zoning policies to protect the city's socioeconomic development and vulnerable populations.

This fact sheet describes the Climate and Development Knowledge Network (CDKN), an alliance of six organizations providing research, advisory services, and knowledge sharing to help developing countries implement climate-compatible development. The CDKN focuses on four strategic themes: climate-compatible development strategies, improving access to climate finance, strengthening climate resilience through disaster risk management, and supporting climate negotiators from Least Developed Countries (LDCs).

Plan 4C is a strategic framework for Cartagena, Colombia, aiming for climate compatible development by 2040. It addresses risks such as a projected 60 cm sea level rise and flooding that could affect 27.5% of the population and 86% of the city's historic heritage. The plan proposes 5 strategies and 36 projects across three main axes: economic adaptation (ports, industry, tourism), citizen adaptation (neighborhoods), and ecological restoration. The total estimated cost for city-wide adaptation is COL$1.5 trillion, with implementation supported by the proposed Cartagena Climate Action Center and a dedicated District Climate Change Fund.

Colombia is planning an LNG import capacity of 2,500 MMcf/d by 2030, which is more than double the projected demand of 1,000 MMcf/d. This buildout, including projects like the SPEC terminal expansion and the Puerto Bahía and Coveñas terminals, risks creating stranded assets and undermining a national roadmap to reduce fossil fuel dependence by 90% by 2050. Industrial gas use has already fallen by 28% in early 2026 as users switch to cheaper alternatives like LPG and coal.

The Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research (IAI) activity plan for July 2015 to June 2016 details institutional restructuring, research initiatives focused on ecosystem services and adaptation, and a series of capacity-building seminars across Latin America and the Caribbean.

This World Resources Institute working paper examines how Bangladesh, the Philippines (specifically Malabon City), and Colombia (specifically Cartagena) have integrated climate change adaptation and disaster risk reduction (DRR) into coastal development planning to bridge the 'implementation gap' between policy and action.