Why inclusive solutions are vital for climate adaptation.

Without urgent action, the World Bank predicts that more than 130 million people living in the most climate-vulnerable countries in the world will be pushed into extreme poverty by 2030. Climate adaptation efforts are about countries building long-term resilience to the growing challenges posed by climate change, and have become a strategic priority for many development funders, including GIF.

One of the most vital aspects of climate adaptation is effective risk communication – the provision of timely information on potential climate hazards to communities at risk – which can save lives and prevent life-altering damage to homes and businesses. However, marginalised populations – for example, those lacking access to mobile technology or the internet – are at risk of being excluded from such communications.

Inclusive warning systems can ensure that even the most marginalised populations receive, understand and act on warnings. The United Nations’ Early Warnings for All (EW4All) initiative aims to cover every individual by 2027, highlighting the need for inclusive risk communication strategies.

A lack of such inclusive communication strategies has become a major development problem in the Philippines, the most disaster-prone country in the world according to the World Risk Report 2023. Whilst the country is hit by on average 20 tropical cyclones a year, as well as experiencing frequent flooding, earthquakes, heat waves and volcanic eruptions, its population struggles to access timely weather warnings.

This is in part due to a persistent digital divide, with only 56.1% of Filipino households having access to the internet, and in part due to a dearth of reliable localised data. GIF investee Komunidad, a Filipino start-up, is working to address these challenges by providing targeted products and services. 

In the coastal province of Camarines Norte, communities frequently bear the brunt of heavy rains, storm surges and strong winds, causing threat to life and property. Komunidad has partnered with local authorities to provide a comprehensive command centre that provides weather dashboards and visualisations and is powered to send early SMS warnings to community leaders, enabling even those without internet access to inform their residents of danger.

A weather command centre, powered by Komunidad

Another crucial aspect of climate adaptation efforts in the developing world is social protection. This involves giving financial aid to the poorest households, who tend to be disproportionately impacted by climate disasters, to prevent them from being pushed further into poverty. However, social protection programmes in developing countries are often difficult to target due to a lack of information on income and informal work, which makes it difficult to identify and reach those most in need.

These targeting difficulties have become a significant challenge to climate resilience efforts in Bangladesh, a country highly vulnerable to disasters such as floods and cyclones. GIF is currently supporting Y-Rise’s pilot study of phone-based targeting for social protection in Bangladesh. The study will use data from mobile phone users alongside available socio-economic data to predict the most climate-vulnerable populations in a particular region. 

The 20,000 most vulnerable households will then receive cash transfers, which will enable them to build climate resilience for themselves and their families. This pilot study will enable the targeting accuracy of phone-based approaches to be established, helping to inform similar inclusive adaptation efforts in future.

By supporting inclusive climate adaptation strategies such as Komunidad and Y-Rise, GIF hopes to prevent hard-won gains in poverty reduction across the developing world from being lost as a result of climate change. By giving even the most vulnerable the resources they need to protect themselves, we can help to save lives and improve livelihoods.