Climate Change and Adaptation

Climate change is already affecting people, ecosystems and economies, and the impacts will grow, above all in developing countries with the fewest resources to respond. Adaptation is no longer optional, and it starts with knowing where the risk is: climate risk and vulnerability assessments show which neighbourhoods, assets and people are most exposed, so that limited budgets go where they prevent the most harm.

The pressures are multiplying. The IPCC reports a 40% rise in flood events since the 1980s, and the UNFCCC estimates that 360 million people face coastal flooding and waterlogging. According to the UN Environment Programme, more than 30% of the world’s coastlines are undergoing significant change from sea-level rise and erosion, with consequences for coastal ecosystems, infrastructure and livelihoods.

In cities, urban heat islands raise energy demand and health risks, while global greenhouse gas emissions are still rising. Carbon pricing and stronger Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) are central to cutting them, and both depend on reliable emissions inventories. Our work brings these threads together: measuring risk precisely, then turning it into practical, prioritised plans for adaptation and mitigation.

Cities need to know where climate risk will hit, who it will hit and what to fix first. We combine satellite data, climate projections and field validation to answer those questions at building and street level.

• Bhubaneswar and Surat (GIZ): heat, flood and air-quality risk mapped alongside an iRAP road-safety assessment.
• Chikkaballapura district, Karnataka: urban heat hazard and exposure mapped down to individual buildings and public amenities.
• Hebbagodi, Bengaluru: stormwater modelling and groundwater-recharge planning with nature-based solutions.
• Bohol Island, Philippines (World Bank): climate risk built into citywide sanitation planning.

Every assessment ends in a prioritised, costed list of actions that city teams can take into their budgets.