EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
TO
THE
Success Stories and Strategies for Achieving
Climate Adaptation and Resilience
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Contents
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS 4
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 7
Climate change and extreme events are increasing, as are their impacts 8
Development, adaptation, and resilience are inseparable 9
Countries have not mainstreamed adaptation and resilience in their economic and
development policies 12
Private and public actors are stepping up A&R action and investments 15
REFERENCES 19
3
Acknowledgments
The preparation of this report was led by Jia Li, Esther Naikal, and Thomas Kerr under the
overall guidance of Stéphane Hallegatte. The core team comprises Jia Jun Lee, Francisna
Fernando, Chloé Desjonqueres, Nisan Gorgulu, Camilla Knudsen, Penny Mealy, Ammara Shariq,
and Jichong Wu.
The case studies were prepared by teams from the World Bank and the International Finance
Corporation (IFC), including: Paolo Avner, Anam Basnet, Sarah Coll-Black, Jana el-Horr,
Habiba Gitay, Mohammad Rafiqul Islam, Bramka Jafino, Melanie Kappes, Camilla Knudsen,
Jia Jun Lee, Nancy Lozano Gracia, Olivier Mahul, Sean Michaels, Tevi Obed, Ashley Pople, Anja
Robakowski, Evelyn Sanchez Hernandez, Jun Rentschler, Varun Shankar, Tatiana Skalon,
Vladimir Stenek, and Sara Turner. David Carlin of UNEP FI, Anne Chataigne and Mahesh Roy of
IIGCC, Lori Collins of GARI Group, Marie Diron and Swami Venkataraman of Moody’s Ratings,
Caitlin Drake and Felicity Spoors of Gold Standard, Irene Heemskirk of the European Central
Bank, Jane Jamieson of PPIAF, Alexander Kennedy of Standard Chartered Bank, Ariane
Pevide and and Michael Keane of Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group, Ujala Qadir of Climate Bonds
Initiative, and Nicola Ranger of University of Oxford contributed input and review of private
sector and related case studies. Neven Fučkar of the University of Oxford provided input on
climate risk and vulnerability contexts.
The country adaptation and resilience readiness assessments were prepared by many
colleagues across the World Bank Group, some as part of the Country Climate and
Development Report process. The team is grateful for support and methodological and data
input from Julie Rozenberg, Thomas Farole, Stavros Papageorgiou, Ellysar Baroudy, Ahmed
Al Qabany, Craig Meisner, David Groves, Giovanni Ruta, Kai Kaiser, Elena Golub, Paola Agostini,
Juan Jose Miranda Montero, Tao Wang, Katherine Stapleton, Andrea Liverani, Julian Lee,
Sophie de Vries Robbé, Natalie Weigum, Serge Mandiefe Piabuo, Melanie Kappes, Ashley
Pople, Yurani Arias Granada, Diji Chandrasekharan Behr, Raffaello Cervigni, Rangeet Ghosh,
Wanli Fang, Philippe Ambrosi, Jun Rentschler, Phearanich Hing, and Zoran Kapor.
4
RISING TO THE CHALLENGE: SUCCESS STORIES AND STRATEGIES FOR ACHIEVING CLIMATE ADAPTATION AND RESILIENCE
The team gratefully acknowledges the invaluable comments and advice provided by peer
reviewers: Chiara Bronchi, Kevin Carey, Jana el-Horr, Nathan Engle, Forhad Shilpi and
Vladimir Stenek. We are also thankful for comments and insights received from: Seth Ayers,
Doerte Doemeland, Verena Fritz, Elisabeth Huybens, Sebastian Molineus, Franziska Ohnsorge,
Julie Rozenberg, Sandhya Srinivasan, Asmita Tiwari, and Wei Zhang.
The report would not have been possible without the communications, editorial, and
publishing teams. Ferzina Banaji led the communications strategy and engagement with
support from Lucy Buckley and Joana Lopes. Pascal Saura also provided invaluable support.
The report was skillfully edited by Lucy Southwood and designed by Fiorella Gil (ULTRA
Designs).
This work was conducted with guidance from Renaud Seligmann (Director for Strategy and
Operations of the Planet Vice Presidency), Jennifer Sara (Director of the Climate Change
Group), and Hania Dawood (Practice Manager of Climate Finance and Economics in the
Climate Change Group), and under the overall direction and leadership of Juergen Voegele
(Vice President of the Planet Vice Presidency).
5
Contents
6
RISING TO THE CHALLENGE: SUCCESS STORIES AND STRATEGIES FOR ACHIEVING CLIMATE ADAPTATION AND RESILIENCE
A girl returning from school wades
across a flooded street after heavy
In Ahmedabad, India, the extreme heat warnings established as part of the
rains, in Guwahati, India. first heat-health action plan in a South Asian city saved thousands of lives in
Credit: © D. Talukdar/istock.com
its first two years of implementation. Vanuatu, a highly vulnerable Small Island
Developing State, has embarked on a journey to reform its institutions and
integrate climate adaptation and disaster risk management into development
policies, land use plans, and infrastructure projects, ensuring that the country
and its communities are better prepared for a future with accelerating climate
impacts. At the same time, a commodity broker is helping to implement large-
scale agroforestry programs in Côte d’Ivoire, aimed at restoring ecosystems,
sequestering carbon, and improving soil fertility, while also supporting farmers’
livelihoods. Private electricity utilities are increasingly including climate risks in
their business decisions and investing in resilience, and the financial sector is
developing new strategic partnerships and innovative fund structures to channel
more capital into resilience solutions for vulnerable populations and regions.
In the context of increasingly visible climate scaled up to build resilient communities,
change and disaster impacts, and the widely businesses, and economies.
recognized need to do more to adapt and
Building on what can be learnt from these
prevent them, these success stories of
initiatives, this report aims to frame the
private actions, locally-driven solutions, and
adaptation and resilience (A&R) imperative in
government interventions offer a vision of
the context of global development challenges,
what can be done. As well as contributing to
and to offer examples of successful and
faster, better, and more resilient development,
replicable actions that can accelerate progress
these actions are replicable with appropriate
toward more resilient development and poverty
adjustments in other contexts, and can be
reduction.
7
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Climate change and extreme 2017). Children are particularly vulnerable
events are increasing, as are to climate risks, with long-term impacts on
their impacts economic and human capital development
(UNICEF 2023).
As the climate changes, countries,
businesses, and communities must adapt. About one-fifth of the world’s population is at
The earth’s climate system is experiencing an high risk from climate-related hazards. A new
unprecedented rate of warming that has already analysis to inform the World Bank scorecard
led to record-breaking heatwaves, droughts, overlays spatial data of key climate hazards
storms, floods, and wildfires. There is evidence (heatwaves, droughts, floods, and cyclones)
that climate impacts are undermining progress with household data to count people who are
toward the Sustainable Development Goals both exposed and highly vulnerable due to their
(WMO 2023). Vulnerable countries, people, and propensity to be adversely affected or their
communities are disproportionately affected. inability to cope with the impacts (Hill et al.,
Warming has slowed down the convergence in forthcoming). Estimates from 103 countries,
income between countries in recent decades which comprise 86 percent of the global
(Diffenbaugh and Burke 2019); and within population, show that 1.2 billion people are
countries, the expected impacts of climate both exposed to at least one climate-related
change on the bottom 40 percent are, on hazard and highly vulnerable (figure ES.1). While
average, 70 percent higher than those on the high-income countries have large populations
average population (Hallegatte and Rozenberg exposed to climate-related hazards, most
FIGURE ES.1. SHARE OF POPULATION THAT IS EXPOSED AND HIGHLY VULNERABLE BY REGION, 2021
Europe & Central Asia
North America
South Asia East Asia & Pacific
Middle East & North Africa
Latin America & Caribbean
Total population
Sub-Saharan Africa
Population exposed
Population exposed
and highly vulnerable
Source: World Bank staff calculations using World Bank Group Scorecard indicator data on percentage of people at high risk from climate-related hazards
(https://scorecard.worldbank.org/); Hill et al. (forthcoming)
8
RISING TO THE CHALLENGE: SUCCESS STORIES AND STRATEGIES FOR ACHIEVING CLIMATE ADAPTATION AND RESILIENCE
people at high risk are in South Asia and Sub- crucial for enhancing adaptive capacity and
Saharan Africa; this is a consequence of lower the resilience of people and communities.
income levels and a lack of access to the basic There is a wealth of evidence demonstrating the
infrastructure and social services people need to interconnectedness of development progress
cope with and recover from shocks. and adaptation. Adaptation interventions
alone cannot make people and households
resilient; they also need to have access to basic
Development, adaptation, and
infrastructure services (such as energy and
resilience are inseparable
improved water), financial instruments (such
KEY MESSAGE #1 as saving accounts and borrowing), and critical
services (such as health care).
Reducing climate and disaster impacts
on people, communities, and economies Thanks to economic development, the share
requires more rapid development, more of people at high risk from climate-related
resilient development, and targeted hazards has halved within a decade. Increased
adaptation interventions. Only a whole- gross domestic product (GDP) per capita is
of-society strategy will allow countries associated with lower impacts of climate change
to coordinate efforts across sectors and
on GDP and poverty, lower well-being losses from
support people, the private sector, and
natural hazards, and a lower share of population
communities to build resilience.
at high risk from climate-related hazards (table
Rapid, inclusive development, poverty ES.1). Although GDP per capita does not influence
reduction, and access to basic services are asset losses due to climate-related hazards in a
TABLE ES.1. A 10 PERCENT INCREASE IN GDP PER CAPITA IS ASSOCIATED WITH IMPROVEMENTS IN VARIOUS RISK OR RESILIENCE METRICS
RISK OR RESILIENCE METRIC CHANGE BASED ON
Proportion of people highly vulnerable to climate- 2.8 percentage point reduction http://scorecard.worldbank.org/; Hill
related hazards et al. (forthcoming)
Proportion of people at high-risk from climate-related 1.5 percentage point reduction
hazards
Absolute asset losses (in $ per capita) from natural 8.6 percent increase CDRI (2023)
disasters
Relative asset losses (in % of GDP) from natural 1.2 percent reduction
disasters (not significantly different from zero)
Socioeconomic resilience from natural disasters 0.8 percentage point increase Middelanis et al. (forthcoming)
Absolute well-being losses (in $ per capita) from natural 7.4 percent increase
disasters
Relative well-being losses (in % of GDP) from natural 2.4 percent reduction
disasters
Number of people falling in extreme poverty in 2030 due 5 percent reduction Jafino et al. (2020)
to climate change
Expected GDP losses due to (a subset of) climate 0.2 to 0.3 percentage point reduction World Bank Group (2024)
change impacts in 2050
9
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
statistically significant manner relative to total on its own: countries also need to achieve
GDP and as estimated by CDRI (2023), it does better development through climate-informed
influence macroeconomic impacts, well-being policies. Income growth only explains a fraction
impacts, and extreme risk levels. A 10 percent of the differences in resilience and risk levels.
increase in GDP per capita translates into a This means that countries at all income levels
0.2–0.3 percentage-point reduction in the can do more to boost resilience and reduce
estimated impact of climate change on GDP in risks. Policy choices regarding inequality,
2050, a 5 percent decrease in the number of financial inclusion, infrastructure development
people living in poverty due to climate change and quality, and social safety nets can enhance
in 2030, a 2.4 percent reduction in average well- adaptive capacity and socioeconomic resilience
being losses from natural disasters (as share of at any income level. To deliver the expected
GDP), and a 1.5 percentage-point decline in share development gains despite climate and disaster
of population at high risk from climate hazards. risks, development policies and investment
It means that a 10 percent increase in income decisions also need to be climate-informed.
could reduce the global population at high risk There is a growing number of examples of how
by almost 100 million people. This benefit from better development can deliver higher resilience,
economic development is also visible in the including:
evolution of the number of people at high risk
■ Ensuring that urban development takes
from climate-related hazards, which has halved
place in safe areas: With urban growth in
within a decade, dropping from 36 to 18 percent
the most hazardous flood zones outpacing
of the global population between 2010 and 2021
growth in safe zones (Rentschler et al.
(figure ES.2).
2023), driving rapidly urbanizing populations
While increased development is a requisite toward safer areas can prevent flood losses
for improved resilience, it is not sufficient and protection or resettlement costs. This
FIGURE ES.2. SHARE OF POPULATION AT HIGH RISK FROM CLIMATE-RELATED HAZARDS, 2010–21
70 70
60 East Asia & Pacific
60
50 Europe & Central Asia 50 Low-income countries
Share of population (%)
Share of population (%)
Latin America &
40 Caribbean 40 Lower-middle
income countries
Middle East & North
30 30 Upper-middle
Africa
income countries
20 North America 20
High-income countries
South Asia
10 10
Sub-Saharan Africa Countries with
fragility, conflicts,
0 World 0 and violence
2010 2021 2010 2021
Source: World Bank staff calculations using World Bank Group Scorecard data on percentage of people at high risk from climate-related hazards (https://
scorecard.worldbank.org/); Hill et al. (forthcoming)
Note: Countries are excluded if the underlying survey data are not within a three-year window around the reporting year.
10
RISING TO THE CHALLENGE: SUCCESS STORIES AND STRATEGIES FOR ACHIEVING CLIMATE ADAPTATION AND RESILIENCE
is particularly so for informal settlements,
which tend to be exposed to higher levels
of risk. The balance between the three elements—faster
■ Building infrastructure with resilience
standards that consider current and
development, better development, and targeted
future climate risks and incorporating interventions—will depend on the context. In high-
nature-based solutions: In low- and income countries, where people have universal
middle-income countries, more resilient access to basic social, financial, and infrastructure
power, water, sanitation, and transport
sector assets would cost around 3 percent
services, the focus will naturally be toward
more, on average. But over their lifetimes, targeted intervention to adapt existing systems
the net benefits could reach an estimated and infrastructure to cope with increased climate
$4.2 trillion, or $4 for each $1 invested impacts. In rapidly-growing low-income countries,
(Hallegatte, Rentschler and Rozenberg 2019).
■ Reallocating direct public investment
where most of these systems still need to be built,
and distortive public subsidies to ensure the broader development agenda will play a much
a more resilient development pathway: bigger role, and this will have implications for both
Subsidies in the energy, water, agriculture, financing and resources (box ES.1).
and land sectors total $1.2 trillion per
year and often have a negative effect
on resilience by incentivizing excessive
risk-taking and degrading natural areas or
BOX ES.1.
ecosystem services (Damania et al. 2023).
Capturing the full picture of adaptation financing
But countries cannot manage climate change
Investment needs and financial flows for adaptation and
and natural hazards through faster and better
development are impossible to separate, particularly in low-
development alone: retrofitting and targeted
income countries. The broader framework proposed in this report
risk management and adaptation interventions
suggests higher investment needs for resilience, because they
will also play a key role in reducing future
include expenditures that are more often considered “development
impacts. For example, countries will need to
needs”—such as providing universal access to improved water,
upgrade their river and coastal flood defenses sanitation, or electricity—that are foundational for resilience (UNEP
in response to changing hydrology and sea level 2023; CPI 2023; World Bank Group 2023b, 2024). This contrasts
rise. On average, annual capital costs for river with estimates of climate finance, which focus on investments
flood protection in low- and middle-income with explicit adaptation needs or that involve incremental costs
countries would need to be 0.04–0.47 percent (CPI 2023). The limited scope of existing estimates partly explains
of GDP, while maintaining the current absolute why only 5 percent of total climate finance ($63 billion per year in
level of risk would cost 0.15—2.4 percent of 2021–22) is considered adaptation finance. Recent efforts to better
GDP (Rozenberg and Fay 2019). And due to more capture private finance for adaptation will help improve these
frequent and intense heatwaves, countries will assessments (CPI 2024). But despite these differences in scope and
need specific interventions to retrofit buildings definition, it is clear that adaptation and development finance needs
to make them healthier, more comfortable, and in developing countries are greater than current finance flows.
more energy efficient.
11
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Improved resilience will enhance and to anticipate, adapt to, and cope with climate
accelerate long-term development and impacts and, as development strengthens
poverty reduction. Not only will it reduce the countries’ institutional development and
losses to climate change and natural hazards governance capacity, they are more likely to
(a first dividend from resilience), it will also include climate considerations in their economic
encourage more productive investments and and development decision-making. Development
behaviors, a benefit referred to as the “second gaps, poverty, inequalities, macroeconomic
dividend” of disaster risk reduction (Tanner et al. instability, and institutional development and
2015; Heubaum et al. 2022). governance capacity are key constraints to
adaptation and resilience.
Countries have not The assessment highlights three major gaps in
mainstreamed adaptation and mainstreaming A&R and suggests three ways
resilience in their economic and to bridge these gaps and design a whole-of-
development policies society approach.
KEY MESSAGE #2 First, focus on institutions and
implementation. Most, if not all, countries have
A&R readiness assessments for 44
established A&R priorities in various policy
countries and economies identify major
instruments—most commonly their national
gaps and limits in current policies and
adaptation plans or nationally determined
systems, particularly in poorer countries.
contributions (NDCs)—but these often diverge
These include key gaps in implementing
from sectoral development plans and do not
adaptation measures at sector level,
consider existing challenges for policy action.
addressing broader macrofiscal risks
A handful of the countries assessed have set
and implications, and monitoring and
up legal frameworks for climate adaptation
evaluation.
and resilience. Notable examples include
A&R readiness assessments in 44 countries1 Colombia’s strong and extensive institutional
show that they have made progress in framework for climate change with two key
implementing A&R interventions, but most climate laws, Uganda’s National Climate Change
struggle to move to a whole-of-society Act of 2021, and Peru’s Framework Law No
approach. The assessment uses the Adaptation 30754 on Climate Change. Many countries lack
Principles framework (figure ES.3) and finds institutional arrangements for devolving and
that preparedness varies significantly across delegating responsibility and finance to local
countries, sectors, and domains (figure ES.4). governments so they can lead efforts on the
Countries with higher income, more stable ground. Another key area for improvement
macroeconomic framework, more fiscal space, lies in clarifying private actor responsibilities
and lower debt levels are better able to respond and aligning incentives for adaptation and
to shocks, anticipate future risks and invest in resilience. Countries tend to perform relatively
adaptation and resilience. Their populations well on preparing their health care systems
tend to have the tools and instruments they need for shocks and pandemics, possibly due to the
The country selection is based upon the completion of A&R readiness assessments as a key input to various World
1
Bank Group Country Climate and Development Reports (CCDRs), and results from a World Bank Caribbean region report
(Browne et al. 2021).
12
RISING TO THE CHALLENGE: SUCCESS STORIES AND STRATEGIES FOR ACHIEVING CLIMATE ADAPTATION AND RESILIENCE
FIGURE ES.3. THE ADAPTATION PRINCIPLES FRAMEWORK
APPLICATIONS
Legal and institutional framework, implementation, and monitoring
PRIORITY AREA PRIORITY AREA PRIORITY AREA PRIORITY AREA
01 02 03 04
Facilitate the adaptation Adapt land use plans and Help people and firms Manage financial and
of people and firms protect critical public manage residual risks macrofiscal issues
assets, services and natural disasters
FOUNDATIONS
Rapid, robust, and inclusive development
FIGURE ES.4. SUMMARY OF COUNTRY PERFORMANCE IN THE SIX A&R PILLARS
3.0
2.8
2.6
2.4
Readiness score
2.2
2.0
1.8
1.6
1.4
1.2
1.0
Foundations: Priority 1: Priority 2: Priority 3: Priority 4: Applications:
Economic Adaptation of Land use plans Disaster risk Macrofiscal Institutions,
growth and people and firms and critical management implementation,
inclusive public assets and monitoring
development
Source: World Bank staff calculations, based on World Bank A&R country readiness assessments
Note: Each indicator is assigned a score of 1 (nascent), 2 (emerging), or 3 (established) using a range of information sources and methods, including
benchmarking against peer countries and expert judgment, and then aggregated with equal weight for each priority area and pillar. Each dot represents a
country’s average score in the corresponding pillar, with the mean represented by a cross and scores between the 25th and 75th percentiles represented in
the shaded box.
13
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Caring for mangroves on the coast, lessons learnt from the COVID-19 pandemic. and conclude that countries have made least
Situbondo, Indonesia.
But they lag in strengthening the resilience progress in addressing macrofiscal issues. This
Credit: ©Sam Maulidna/
shutterstock.com of their energy systems, public assets, and highlights the technical and capacity challenges
infrastructure; making land use and urban plans to identifying, quantifying, and managing
risk-informed; and increasing water security. macrofiscal risks posed by climate impacts,
Despite rapid urbanization, many countries lack including risks to macroeconomic stability,
the institutional frameworks, technical capacity, public finances, debt sustainability, and the
and finance they need to integrate climate financial sector. Among emerging economies,
resilience in urban and land use planning. Most Colombia remains a leader in this area and was
also lack asset management systems, climate the first Latin American country to carry out a
risk screening, an inventory of critical public climate stress test of its financial sector (World
assets, and sufficient budget allocation for Bank Group 2023a). Many countries have made
climate-resilient infrastructure.
progress on incorporating climate risks in their
Second, think macro. Many studies note national budget processes—for example, Senegal
that adaptation action remains fragmented, has a green budget. But most still need to
local and incremental, with limited evidence develop a financial strategy to manage climate
of transformational adaptation and risk and disaster risks, with clear emergency budget
reductions (Berrang-Ford et al. 2021). The A&R allocation guidelines and ex post financial
readiness assessments confirm this finding assistance processes, a more reactive social
14
RISING TO THE CHALLENGE: SUCCESS STORIES AND STRATEGIES FOR ACHIEVING CLIMATE ADAPTATION AND RESILIENCE
protection system, and the development of report identifies a set of good practices that can
appropriate financial instruments, such as be replicated, with appropriate adjustments to
insurance. the local context, and scaled up across countries
or sectors.
Third, monitor progress and learn from it.
As countries progress with A&R action, having Private actors are stepping up their
robust monitoring, evaluation, and learning investments in resilience. Firms will invest in
systems in place is vital. But given the evolving adaptation if it is relevant to their continued
nature of climate change dynamics and other profitability and market position. But while
socioeconomic factors that can exacerbate adaptation can reduce costs and improve
climate vulnerabilities or hinder climate action, performance, there are persistent barriers
monitoring and evaluating climate adaptation is
to greater private investment. These include
inherently complex and challenging, and most
information asymmetries and knowledge gaps;
countries have limited capacity in this area.
difficulties monetizing resilience benefits;
A noteworthy exception is Uganda, one of the
limited awareness; unclear metrics to measure
few countries that has developed an integrated
success; coordination failure; and credit
monitoring, reporting and verification tool,
vulnerabilities that increase capital costs even
which has been instrumental in enhancing
for low-risk, high-return resilience investments.
coordination between public and private sector
These barriers disproportionally affect small
stakeholders on key areas of climate adaptation
and mitigation action, including data sharing and businesses and informal firms.
tracking financial flows. Investing in A&R solutions often increases
revenue, but all firms face implementation
Private and public actors are challenges. Companies are increasingly
implementing strategic interventions—such
stepping up A&R action and
as regenerative agriculture, more resilient
investments
infrastructure designs, and climate risk stress-
KEY MESSAGE #3 testing of financial portfolios—which not only
increase resilience, but also improve efficiency
While not always visible, there are
and returns. Private sector initiatives and
strong examples of effective adaptation
investments in resilience are often constrained
practices in all sectors, regions, and
by capacity issues, especially for small- and
income levels. These provide lessons
medium-size firms, and depend on a supportive
for delivering successful adaptation
interventions in both the public and policy and regulatory environment.
private sectors and offer opportunities When adaptation solutions generate
to replicate and scale up proven noneconomic gains, private actors need
solutions. dedicated public support. When gains cannot
Despite major gaps, this report dispels the be monetized, strategic coalitions and public-
idea that no progress is being made. Given private partnerships help to mobilize resources.
that climate change is often one among many This is especially true in the infrastructure
considerations in an intervention’s design and sector, where private companies, government
implementation, A&R actions are not always agencies, and nonprofit entities partner to pool
visible. Through a series of case studies, this resources and secure finance for resilience.
15
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Companies are beginning to take a broader are already showing results. Although these
sustainability lens when implementing examples are not intended to be comprehensive
climate resilience. Firms are increasingly or representative of all interventions, they
looking at risks and resilience in the context demonstrate that significant action and
of broader sustainability challenges, including investments are already taking place, with
pollution, biodiversity, and greenhouse gas (GHG) measurable results. They also highlight the
emissions. They are also focusing on vulnerable diversity of interventions, the variability in
communities, driven by business and ethical indicators and metrics, and the challenges in
considerations. systematically measuring their performance
In the public sector, governments and local and impact and aggregating their results. It
authorities are increasingly promoting also confirms that adaptation and resilience
adaptation and resilience. A first selection of present a whole-of-society challenge and need
case studies in this report, summarized in table to be mainstreamed in all (public and private)
ES.2, emphasizes innovative interventions that decisions and policies.
TABLE ES.2. OVERVIEW OF CASE STUDIES ON PUBLIC SECTOR-LED A&R PROGRAMS
CASE STUDY SECTOR(S) CLIMATE ADAPTATION POLICY/ RESULTS/OUTCOMES KEY TAKEAWAYS
HAZARDS/ PROGRAM
RISKS
Bangladesh: Disaster risk Flood, Improving the hydromet Reducing farmers’ crop Modernizing hydromet
Building end-to- management cyclone services, including losses due to better services needs to
end hydromet all parts of the value weather forecasting from address sector-specific
services chain, and establishing 4.11% to 0.82% needs along the entire
agrometeorological downstream value chain
services for farmers to deliver actionable
information and better
decision-making
Pacific Island Transport, Cyclone, Regional framework that Increasing climate In countries where
Countries: infrastructure flood, mainstreams climate resilience in 11.2 km roads resources and capacity
Programmatic, landslide, considerations in transport (140 km by 2030), airport, are constrained, a
regional sea level projects in all segments of bridges, wharves; reducing regional, programmatic
solutions rise, coastal the transport infrastructure maintenance expenditure approach generates
for resilient erosion lifecycle by 20% and post disaster benefits across projects
transport rehabilitation costs by 75% by improving management
efficiency, reducing
transaction costs, and
sharing data and lessons
learned
Brazil: Water, Drought The First Water Cisterns Improving water Promoting decentralized
Infrastructure infrastructure program builds resilience availability; decreasing the technologies and services
investment to among the poorest in the risk of diarrhea episodes and shifting from drought
build drought face of growing water by 73%; improving birth relief/response to building
resilience stress and moves from weight, neonatal outcomes, sustainable drought
relief and response to and gender equality; resilience improves water
building sustainable delivering an approximate availability and quality
coexistence with drought net gain of $200 per cistern
16
RISING TO THE CHALLENGE: SUCCESS STORIES AND STRATEGIES FOR ACHIEVING CLIMATE ADAPTATION AND RESILIENCE
TABLE ES.2. (cont.)
CASE STUDY SECTOR(S) CLIMATE ADAPTATION POLICY/ RESULTS/OUTCOMES KEY TAKEAWAYS
HAZARDS/ PROGRAM
RISKS
Albania: Energy, Drought, Government mandate to Providing electricity The project’s hybrid
Creating an hydropower flood diversify energy sources, to 66,000 households; commercialization
enabling focusing on non-hydro creating jobs in framework mitigates risks
environment to renewable energy, and community; contributing posed by public sector
mobilize private country’s first large-scale to NDC adaptation priority dominance in the energy
investment solar photovoltaic project of climate-proofing energy sector and sets a model
infrastructure and reducing for future private sector
GHG emissions participation
Bangladesh, Social Flood, Anticipatory and early Helping alleviate short- Anticipatory action/
Nigeria, Nepal, protection, drought response programs, term humanitarian early response are
and Niger: disaster risk including through national need by reducing food more effective than
Adaptive social financing safety net programs, insecurity: e.g. in Niger, a traditional, ex post
protection to delivering social protection the early transfers improve response in helping people
support poor and financial inclusion by food security by 8%, recover from climate
and vulnerable acting ahead of predicted consumption by 17.6%, and shocks; they are also more
people hazards; preventing or psychological well-being impactful when integrated
reducing the adverse by 17.8% into comprehensive
effects of shocks on lives climate resilience
and livelihoods before the strategies
impacts fully manifest
India: Saving Health, urban Extreme The Ahmedabad Heat Preventing 2,380 heat- Effective emergency
lives with heat- heat Action Plan establishes related deaths in the first response to extreme heat
health action key measures for both two years; reducing deaths requires clearly defined
plans immediate and longer- on days with maximum roles and responsibilities
term actions to reduce temperatures of 47°C by across departments,
the public health impacts 88% elevated public
of extreme heat, through awareness, and accessible
early warnings, community information
outreach, capacity building,
and the adoption of cool
roofs
Philippines: Disaster risk Cyclone, Disaster risk finance and Mobilizing the private Implementing a
Comprehensive financing flood, insurance (DRFI) strategy sector through insurance; comprehensive risk-
financial landslide that ensures sound improving fiscal layering strategy takes
preparedness fiscal health at national resilience; protecting time; strong ownership
government level, improves more households and is crucial for continuity;
financial resilience at farmers, especially the and engaging the private
local government level, most vulnerable; increasing sector ensures DRFI
and protects financial insurance uptake among instruments protect more
preparedness at individual farmers to one-third people
level
Vanuatu: Multiple Cyclone, Government’s multipronged Increasing policy cohesion Achieving policy
Climate and flood, approach to incorporate for climate adaptation and coherence and
disaster- landslide climate and disaster risk disaster risk management; coordination is a challenge
resilient and resilience in policies, strengthening resilience and requires continued
development legislations, climate- in project design and government leadership
informed investments, and standards across various and sustained/long-term
land-use planning through sectors commitments from all
institutional strengthening stakeholders
and policy reform
17
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
These promising examples of innovation and This report is only a start. Realizing the full
effectiveness from both public and private impact of policies, private sector initiatives
sector actors are already helping communities and other programs takes time, and it will take
and countries better prepare and respond. decades to fully implement some interventions
At the very least, they offer an opportunity and measure their benefits. The World Bank aims
to better understand gaps and barriers, and to continue collecting, analyzing, and sharing
taken together, for replication and learning. examples of successful (and less successful)
This combination offers a way forward: once climate A&R policies or interventions to inform
countries and communities have defined their decision-making across the world. Through this
own priorities according to their objectives, work, it hopes to spark more discussion among
needs, and risks, and have clearly identified and governments, private sector actors, international
selected key gaps, they can use the innovations financial institutions, development partners,
and examples summarized in this report to and civil society, encouraging them to engage
develop their own solutions to accelerate in the journey of broader coordination and
View of Benjakiti Park, progress toward more inclusive and resilient collaboration to support more rapid, inclusive,
Bangkok, Thailand.
development, higher adaptation capacity, and and resilient development.
Credit: © tonbluesman/
istock.com better and safer lives.
18
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