https://www.climatechampions.net/news/over-437-million-people-now-more-c...
For years, climate resilience was a buzzword - a promise tucked into policy papers and conference speeches that communities could withstand climate shocks like heatwaves and floods. Now, the world is finally seeing what resilience looks like on the ground.
Race to Resilience campaign helps to accelerate the investment and implementation of adaptation solutions.
The report shows how in Kenya, smallholder farmers are securing loans to survive unpredictable seasons. In the Philippines, homes are being reinforced against typhoons. Along coastlines in the Caribbean, enterprises are restoring reefs that buffer waves and protect livelihoods.
These efforts were once scattered and anecdotal. They are now part of a growing body of evidence that adaptation actions are an essential line of defence against overcoming the impacts of climate change.
“Once treated as a technical concept, resilience is now understood as essential for survival, stability, and shared prosperity”, said Dan Ioschpe, Climate High-Level Champion for COP30, Brazil.
Why is climate resilience more important now than ever?
The COP30 Action Agenda and Global Goal on Adaptation, two key pillars for this year’s UN Climate Conference in Belém, Brazil, where resilience is expected to feature prominently.
As part of this alignment, Race to Resilience has embedded the Plan to Accelerate Solutions (PAS) framework. Proposed by the COP30 Presidency and Brazilian ministries, these plans bring together existing programmes with concrete steps leading up to the next Global Stocktake in 2028. In this, the Race to Resilience campaign will mobilize actors from academic, public and private finance and mainstream people-centered resilience strategies. It will aim to strengthen metrics and accountability, expand capacity for locally led action, and improve access to finance for vulnerable communities.
“As the world looks to Belém and beyond, the Race to Resilience demonstrates what is possible when ambition is matched by action,” said Nigar Arpadarai, Climate High-Level Champion for COP29. “The challenge now is to scale this momentum with speed, securing a future where people and societies can prosper sustainably.”
