Climate Resilience Programs

Energy is once again dominating headlines all over the world. Gas and oil prices are volatile, key shipping routes face geopolitical pressure, and policymakers are concerned about supply risks. The renewed uncertainty is a reminder of an uncomfortable reality: the next energy crisis isn’t an if – it’s a when, and a question of how prepared we are. A defining challenge of this decade, and one that now feels more urgent than ever, is how to build a resilient energy system. One that minimises structural dependencies and is designed for rising electricity demand. The imperative of our time: The more we electrify, the less we import fossil fuels. The less we import, the more resilient we become. The course of action is clear: ▪️ Relentlessly scale renewables: Slowing the buildout will not reduce costs. Quite the opposite – delay compounds system costs for the entire economy. ▪️ Fix the grids: As fast as possible, as efficiently as possible, and at the lowest possible cost. Before they become even more of a bottleneck. ▪️ Secure 24/7 electricity supply: When the wind isn’t blowing and the sun isn’t shining, renewables need reliable backup in the form of battery storage and hydrogen-ready gas fired power plants. But gas should serve only as a backup, with renewables and batteries reducing its utilisation. ▪️ Reduce gas supply dependence with infrastructure and diversification: We must not replace old dependencies with new ones. Diversification of gas supplies is key. And the physical prerequisite is an import infrastructure with buffers. We need the planned LNG terminals, complemented by a nationally held gas reserve to help ensure secure supply in winter. ▪️ Electrify everything that makes sense: The more we can power with mostly homegrown electrons, the less dependent we become on fossil imports. Other energy import-dependent countries like Japan and China have electrification rates that are around 10 percentage points higher than Germany’s. This shows where the path forward lies. Electrification reduces reliance on imported fossil fuels, which in turn strengthens overall resilience. The time to act is now.

Europe’s response to the latest energy price shock has a familiar feel. With the escalation of conflict involving Iran, we are again seeing emergency oil reserve releases, discussions about gas price caps, and renewed political defence of the marginal pricing model in electricity markets. The International Energy Agency has brokered a record release of 400 million barrels from strategic reserves. The European Commission is revisiting the idea of price caps when gas sets the power price. State aid may return, albeit on a smaller scale than in 2022. Structural reform of the electricity market design, however, remains off the table. This sense of déjà vu is revealing. First, it underlines how limited the short term policy toolkit remains when Europe is exposed to fossil fuel volatility. Strategic reserves and fiscal support can cushion the blow, but they do not change the underlying dynamics. Second, while Europe has diversified away from Russian pipeline gas towards LNG from the US and Qatar, dependence on imported fossil fuels persists. That exposure continues to transmit geopolitical risk directly into household and industrial energy bills. Third, the countries least affected by price spikes are those with higher shares of renewables and stronger domestic generation. Spain is a case in point. When gas sets the marginal price less frequently, price volatility falls. The strategic conclusion is unchanged from the last crisis. Accelerating electrification, scaling renewables, investing in grids, storage and flexibility, and reducing overall fossil fuel demand are not climate luxuries. They are economic resilience measures. Crisis management can stabilise markets. Only structural transformation can reduce vulnerability. The question for policymakers is whether this episode will once again trigger incremental short term fixes, or finally catalyse faster progress on the long term solution.

Across the Horn of Africa, climate shocks now unfold as compound crises. The 2020–2023 drought left over 46 million people food insecure and eroded their livelihoods. Before recovery could begin, the 2023–2024 El Niño rains triggered widespread flooding, displacing hundreds of thousands of people. Drought–flood whiplash is no longer exceptional; it is the region’s operating climate. My research with the Jameel Observatory for Food Security Early Action in northern Kenya reveals that pastoralist communities are already adapting to these shifts with remarkable flexibility. From star calendars to animal behaviour and vegetation cues, herders read a rich tapestry of indicators and now complement these with radio forecasts and satellite data. They do not wait for a single forecast or a rigid trigger. Instead, they adjust grazing routes, stagger herd movements, and pool resources as signals evolve. This flexible anticipatory action challenges the dominant model of fixed thresholds and single-event triggers. It shows that forecast information only has value if it is trusted, timely, and open to renegotiation on the ground. Climate Information Services (CIS) enable this agility by translating global climate models into local, impact-based advisories. Regional centres, such as ICPAC, provide seasonal outlooks to guide rangeland management and food security planning. Communities use this information to develop innovative solutions by layering these scientific forecasts onto their own adaptive calendars. Formal Anticipatory Action (AA) frameworks can learn from this. Kenya’s 2024–2029 AA Roadmap is vital. Fundamentally, it will deliver more if it incorporates flexibility by allowing rolling triggers, locally defined indicators, and iterative decision-making, rather than treating early action as a one-off release of funds. The cost of inaction rises with every season. Investing in flexible, forecast-driven anticipatory systems is both fiscally prudent and politically essential. For governments, regional bodies, and development partners, the way forward is clear: move beyond crisis response and embed adaptive, plural, and community-grounded anticipatory action at the heart of policy and planning. In the Horn of Africa’s climate future, acting early and being flexible is the most innovative and cost-effective form of adaptation. Photo courtesy of United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR)

What works—and what doesn’t—in efforts to address land degradation in Africa? A recent study in Sustainability Science identifies key success factors and lessons learned. Efforts to reverse land degradation and improve human well-being in Africa succeed when they manage to balance competing demands and engage local stakeholders effectively. The most successful projects share key characteristics: 💵 Economic incentives matter: Tangible benefits, such as increased income or resource security, keep communities motivated and invested in long-term success. 🤝 Engaging communities is essential: Inclusive governance structures that empower local populations, including women and marginalized groups, build legitimacy and trust. 🫴 External support is crucial: Financial aid, technical expertise, and material resources reduce the risks associated with adopting new practices, particularly in low-income settings. 🌍 Governance must be adaptive: Community-based management (CBM), backed by external guidance, often delivers better outcomes than top-down interventions, which can alienate local stakeholders. 🌈 Short-term gains and long-term goals must align: Addressing immediate needs, such as food security, while building toward broader ecological and social improvements ensures sustained engagement. 💪 Commitment and flexibility are key: Projects must maintain long-term support and adapt strategies as circumstances evolve, ensuring that initial successes are not squandered. However, the path to sustainability is littered with missteps. Projects stumble when: ⚠️ Incentives are unclear: Without tangible benefits, enthusiasm wanes, and participation falters. ⚠️ Communities are excluded: Top-down approaches, conceived in distant capitals, often fail to resonate with those most affected. ⚠️ Resources are insufficient: Inadequate funding or technical support shifts the burden to impoverished communities, stalling progress. ⚠️ Local dynamics are overlooked: Ignoring traditional governance systems or social structures undermines legitimacy and fuels resistance. ⚠️ Short-termism takes hold: Premature withdrawal of funding or oversight leaves projects vulnerable to collapse. ⚠️ Risk aversion prevails: In poverty-stricken contexts, populations are understandably hesitant to adopt new practices without guaranteed benefits. ⚠️ Political instability disrupts progress: Conflicts, as seen in Tigray and Burkina Faso, can undo decades of work in a matter of months. ⚠️ One-size-fits-all solutions fail: Projects that ignore the complexities of local contexts rarely achieve lasting success. The lessons are clear: sustainable development requires patience, pragmatism, and a commitment to long-term adaptation. Striking the right balance between immediate needs and future benefits is the only way to achieve resilience in Africa’s varied and challenging landscapes. Ruth Kamnitzer reports for Mongabay News: https://mongabay.cc/STkZpj

🌍 Disaster risk reduction and climate adaptation strategies are increasingly urgent. To meet this challenge, the 𝐂𝐑𝐌-𝐍𝐛𝐒 Toolkit has been developed to help countries embed nature-based solutions. It brings together environmental knowledge, policy alignment, practical interventions, inclusive governance, and integrated planning. Through this approach, it provides a clear pathway for building resilience while safeguarding ecosystems and human well-being. 𝘌𝘢𝘤𝘩 𝘵𝘰𝘰𝘭 𝘪𝘴 𝘰𝘶𝘵𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘥 𝘣𝘦𝘭𝘰𝘸. 𝐓𝐨𝐨𝐥 1: 𝐒𝐭𝐨𝐜𝐤𝐭𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐈𝐧𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 - Countries collect and compile data on environment, climate, hazards, and vulnerabilities to build a risk profile. - Using IPCC’s risk approach and Indigenous knowledge, the stocktake highlights where NbS can deliver the strongest impact. 𝐓𝐨𝐨𝐥 2: 𝐍𝐛𝐒 𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐮𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐏𝐨𝐥𝐢𝐜𝐲 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐏𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠: - National plans and strategies are screened for NbS references through targeted keyword checks. - This process identifies entry points, exposes policy gaps, and ensures new NbS reinforce existing frameworks. 𝐓𝐨𝐨𝐥 3: 𝐆𝐮𝐢𝐝𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐍𝐛𝐒 𝐒𝐞𝐥𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 - The toolkit provides categories and options for selecting NbS tailored to hazards and ecosystems. - Selected measures balance risk reduction with co-benefits such as biodiversity, resilience, and livelihoods. 𝐓𝐨𝐨𝐥 4: 𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐤𝐞𝐡𝐨𝐥𝐝𝐞𝐫 𝐄𝐧𝐠𝐚𝐠𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐆𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐧𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞 - Countries are supported to mobilize stakeholders across institutions, sectors, and governance levels. - It promotes transparent participation that empowers communities and ensures NbS are inclusive and fair. 𝐓𝐨𝐨𝐥 5: 𝐍𝐛𝐒 𝐈𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐠𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐏𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 - Countries are guided to embed NbS within DRR strategies, adaptation plans, and cross-sector policies. - Global examples and templates illustrate how integration turns scattered efforts into coherent strategies. 𝐒𝐮𝐦𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐲 𝐂𝐡𝐞𝐜𝐤𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐭 - A checklist aligns the five tools in sequence to help countries track their progress. - It ensures a logical, stepwise approach that moves from risk profiling to policy integration. In essence, the CRM-NbS Toolkit is a structured pathway to mainstream nature-based solutions in #disaster and #climaterisk management. By moving from stocktake to integrated planning, countries can build resilience, safeguard ecosystems, and protect people’s well-being against climate change.

The Strait of Hormuz crisis has laid bare the fragility of global energy dependence. With oil flows disrupted and freight costs soaring, India’s clean energy transition emerges as the backbone of economic resilience. Even as war slows infrastructure delivery, it accelerates India’s strategic imperative to scale renewables.   Clean energy is a national security priority, anchored in three decisive levers.   1. Financing as Structural Reinforcement: The Union Budget’s 30% increase in the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) allocation, to ₹32,915 crore, is the anchor of India’s energy financing strategy. This sovereign clarity channels capital into solar manufacturing, rooftop deployment under PM Surya Ghar, and storage integration. Financial institutions are reinforcing this momentum: the Asian Development Bank (ADB)’s $1.2 billion loan adds scale to the government’s push. Its $331 million deal with ReNew last year in Andhra Pradesh underscores global confidence in India’s ability to deliver amid Asia’s energy vulnerability.   2. Storage as National Security: Storage has moved to the centre of grid resilience. Capacity is set to expand tenfold—from 507 MWh to 5 GWh in 2026—even as commodity price shocks threaten economics. This can set the ball rolling on diversification: pumped hydro as a hedge, and high fossil fuel prices tilting competitiveness toward green hydrogen.   3. Manufacturing as Industrial Strength: Supply chain delays and freight costs highlight the risks of import dependence. India’s financing push into domestic solar manufacturing reduces vulnerability. Inventory buffers provide near-term protection, while localisation ensures the 500 GW renewable target by 2030 is treated as a floor, not a ceiling.   The crisis in West Asia may slow delivery, but it paradoxically accelerates India’s strategic imperative for renewables. Clean energy is no longer ambition—it is resilience and economic strength. #EnergySecurity #ReNewTheFuture

"One of the key ways to make energy systems more reliable is by maximizing flexibility — improving how well the system can adapt in real time to changes in supply and demand. The more flexible the system, the better it can handle sudden demand spikes in the event of extreme weather, such as cold snaps or heat waves, or respond to supply disruptions such as plant outages. Improving flexibility includes upgrading aging infrastructure. Much of the U.S. grid was built decades ago under different demand patterns. Modernizing the grid — by updating substations and transmission equipment, deploying advanced sensors and incorporating advanced transmission technologies (ATTs), for example — can reduce failure rates during extreme heat and cold. These technologies help operators detect problems quicker, reroute power if equipment is damaged and restore service fast. Modernization not only improves reliability but also reduces expensive emergency interventions and lowers long-term maintenance costs. Increasing grid capacity, both through deployment of ATTs and building regional and interregional transmission lines, can reduce the risk of a local weather event turning into a widespread outage. Creating a more interconnected grid allows regions to share power during shortages. Having this greater transmission capacity also help keep prices down by allowing lower-cost electricity to reach areas facing higher demand. Demand-side management options can help ease pressure on the system during extreme weather events. These include encouraging customers and large users to reduce or shift electricity use during peak periods in exchange for lower bills or leveraging distributed energy resources to help prevent shortages. Systems that rely too much on a single fuel are more vulnerable to disruption. Diversification across energy sources and technologies helps reduce the risk of issues related to fuel shortages, infrastructure failures and localized weather impacts. Finally, policy is also critical. It’s vital that incentives are properly aligned with modern needs for flexibility and preparedness. This can help utilities make system investments that really work in extreme weather and minimize costs to consumers in both the short and the long run." Kelly Lefler World Resources Institute https://lnkd.in/e5syqXQp

The newly released UNDP–Adaptation Fund Climate Innovation Accelerator (AFCIA) Impact Report 2020–2025 is a powerful testament to what locally led climate adaptation can achieve when communities are empowered with flexible finance, technical support and partnership. Over the past five years, #AFCIA has supported 44 locally rooted initiatives across 33 countries, combining grant support with business coaching, investment brokering and tailored technical assistance. Together, these efforts have: 🌍 Reached over 2.6 million people 🌱 Restored or protected 29,000+ hectares of land 💼 Catalyzed new, locally-driven adaptation-focused enterprises 💰 Mobilized $3.86M in follow-on finance  …and demonstrated that adaptation works best when it is owned and led by the communities closest to the challenge. What stands out most to me is who is leading this change: women entrepreneurs, Indigenous innovators, youth leaders and grassroots organisations. These partners aren’t just piloting solutions. They’re creating sustainable, resilient models that can be scaled and sustained beyond grants. The lessons from this report shed light on a critical frontier in climate finance: how we bridge the “missing middle” by linking flexible capital, local innovation and durable business models. This is essential if we are serious about scaling climate adaptation in ways that uphold agency, equity and long-term resilience. I encourage policymakers, practitioners, and the climate finance community to dive into this report and explore how these lessons can inform strategies at national and global levels. Read the full report here: https://go.undp.org/5JW

𝗖𝗮𝗿𝗯𝗼𝗻 𝘁𝘂𝗻𝗻𝗲𝗹 𝘃𝗶𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻 is a stubborn beast... In this article, drawing from a scientific study (based on this science article: 👉 https://lnkd.in/eyjhnjB2 behind paywall), the authors highlight the persistence of carbon dioxide removal (CDR) as a crucial component to achieve the Paris Agreement goals, entrenched in nearly all IPCC mitigation pathways. However, the predominant focus on land-based CDR in many IPCC pathways raises concerns regarding sustainability, potentially jeopardizing human livelihoods and food security. The IPCC report lacks comprehensive evaluation of the environmental feasibility and associated sustainability risks of these scenarios. Moreover, it fails to quantify the scale of deployable CDR without triggering significant impacts. Nature-based solutions emerge as the least risky option according to this study, yet the allowable risk budget is smaller than assumed by the IPCC report. 🌱🔍 In the end, all CDRs (also nature-based) depend on good governance to avoid sustainability risks. Their recommendations: ✔ Set high integrity standards and regulations for CDR providers and purchasers, along with carbon markets and finance sources, to limit CDR use for counterbalancing residual emissions, not offsetting current fossil fuel emissions. 📜💼 ✔ Call on countries to include in their 2025 NDC renewal, net-zero targets, and domestic policy: separate emission reduction and CDR targets, maximize emissions cuts, minimize CDR usage, detail its purpose, and provide transparency and limitation of land-based CDR footprints. 🌍🎯 ✔ Harmonize climate and biodiversity governance by deploying clear bioenergy safeguards, developing a political package to finance protecting existing forests and ecosystems, and prioritizing sustainable CDR (e.g., restoration-based CDR over monoculture afforestation). 🌳🔒 ✔ Ensure land-based CDR in nationally determined contributions (NDCs) aligns with states' biodiversity conservation plans under the KMGBF. Establish a "CDR tracker" to scrutinize social and environmental impacts of current and planned CDR by states and non-state actors, contributing to accountability and integrity. 🌱🔍 ✔ Unpack and question CDR assumptions to successfully address the intertwined climate and biodiversity crises. 🔄🔍 See also the summary at Carbon Brief: https://lnkd.in/edkWjqVF

Day 23 of the conflict. Oil prices are up more than 40% since the war began.   At moments like this, it feels like the scale of the problem is bigger than the tools we have. But this is exactly when sustainability thinking matters most; not as an aspiration, but as a practical framework for building resilience.   The pathway forward looks different depending on where you are.   For 𝗱𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗹𝗼𝗽𝗲𝗱 𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗼𝗺𝗶𝗲𝘀, the priority is accelerating what is already in motion: faster permitting for renewables, grid modernisation, energy efficiency at scale, and strategic storage investment. The tools exist. The crisis has made the case for using them clearer than ever.   For 𝗱𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗹𝗼𝗽𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗼𝗺𝗶𝗲𝘀, the transition requires targeted concessional funding, technology transfer, and South-South cooperation on solar and distributed energy. Getting this right means ensuring the transition is equitable, not just fast.   Across both contexts, a few principles from sustainability thinking apply:   🔹 𝗗𝗶𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗶𝗳𝗶𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 reduces fragility. Every economy that has invested in a broader energy mix, whether through renewables, nuclear, efficiency, or storage, is more resilient to what is happening right now. This is not theoretical. It is visible in real time.   🔹 𝗟𝗼𝗻𝗴-𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗺 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 pays dividends that short-term crisis management cannot. The countries and companies that made transition investments years ago are in a structurally different position today than those that deferred them.   🔹 𝗦𝘆𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗺𝗶𝗰 𝗿𝗶𝘀𝗸 requires systemic responses. The current crisis is a reminder that 𝘦𝘯𝘦𝘳𝘨𝘺 𝘴𝘦𝘤𝘶𝘳𝘪𝘵𝘺, 𝘧𝘰𝘰𝘥 𝘴𝘦𝘤𝘶𝘳𝘪𝘵𝘺, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘦𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘰𝘮𝘪𝘤 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘣𝘪𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘺 are not separate issues. Sustainability frameworks that integrate these dependencies, rather than treating them in silos, are better equipped to identify vulnerabilities before they become crises.   The disruption we are living through is painful and the immediate human cost is real. But it also demonstrates why the transition matters and why the time to invest in it is not after the crisis, but right now. #sustainability #climateresilience #energytransition