ESG and climate change adaptation in local communities

Lessons from Hawai‘i: Climate Adaptation in Action At a time when federal funding for climate programs is being cut, the work of climate adaptation has never been more urgent—or more challenging. Yet, across Hawai‘i, researchers and community leaders continue to drive forward solutions that are place-based, equity-centered, and grounded in both science and Indigenous knowledge. My recent visit, along with Lauren Bataska, reinforced a critical truth: climate adaptation is not a distant challenge—it is happening now, in real time, in communities on the front lines of environmental change. At Pacific RISA, we worked with Laura Brewington, Victoria Keener and their amazing team, who are advancing climate resilience across Pacific Islands. Their work bridges science, policy, and community-driven solutions to address rising sea levels, shifting freshwater availability, and other climate-related challenges. Through interdisciplinary collaboration and deep engagement with local stakeholders, Pacific RISA is demonstrating what effective adaptation looks like in practice. Our visit to ʻIole with Todd Apo further emphasized the importance of place-based solutions. ʻIole is pioneering efforts to integrate Indigenous knowledge, ecological restoration, and sustainable land management, offering a model for how cultural and environmental stewardship can inform climate adaptation. Their work serves as a powerful reminder that resilience isn’t just about infrastructure—it’s about revitalizing relationships between people and place. Perhaps most impactful was the opportunity to meet with Naka Nathaniel and local community leaders working to address water challenges on Native Hawaiian homelands. Water security is a deeply complex issue, tied not just to climate change but also to historical land and water rights. These discussions highlighted the critical need for equitable water governance that prioritizes community-driven solutions, Indigenous leadership, and long-term resilience planning. Thanks to Amanda Ellis and Jody Kaulukukui for their hospitality and guidance on how ASU Julie Ann Wrigley Global Futures Laboratory can meaningfully collaborate with and support our partners in Hawai‘i. These experiences underscored a pressing question: How do we scale these solutions while ensuring that communities remain at the center of decision-making, even as critical funding sources disappear? As professionals committed to sustainability, we must push for stronger collaborations between academia, policymakers, and industry. We need to accelerate knowledge-sharing and investment in adaptation strategies that are both effective and equitable. If you're working in climate adaptation, what strategies have you found most effective? How can we build stronger bridges between research and action in the absence of federal leadership? Let’s keep this conversation going. #ClimateAdaptation #WaterResilience #Sustainability #IndigenousKnowledge #Collaboration #Hawai‘i

🌍 𝗕𝘂𝗶𝗹𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗥𝗲𝘀𝗶𝗹𝗶𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗺𝘂𝗻𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗲𝘀 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗙𝗮𝗰𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝗖𝗹𝗶𝗺𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗖𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗲 Floodplain communities are often on the frontlines of environmental injustice, disproportionately bearing the brunt of climate-induced natural disasters. A new resource from the Vermont Law and Graduate School’s Institute for Energy and the Environment, in partnership with the Connecticut Institute for Resilience and Climate Adaptation (CIRCA), provides critical tools to address this challenge. The 2024 Policy Guide to Local Energy Resilience for Connecticut offers practical insights into utilizing renewable energy and storage solutions to enhance community resilience. By transitioning from fossil fuel-reliant peaker plants to renewable energy batteries, municipalities can reduce their carbon footprints, lower energy costs, and protect vulnerable communities from increasing storm events. The guide serves as a blueprint not only for Connecticut but for all communities striving to achieve energy resilience and environmental justice. With substantial state and federal incentives still available, the time to act is now. Initiatives like this remind us that addressing climate change requires scalable, community-driven solutions grounded in justice and equity. Let’s support and amplify efforts like this that bridge environmental sustainability with social justice. #ClimateAction #EnvironmentalJustice #ResilientCommunities #HumanRightsEconomy

I had the privilege of welcoming Jorge Figueroa from City and County of Denver's Office of Climate Action, Sustainability & Resiliency to my Essentials of Stakeholder Class I teach at the University of Colorado Boulder. For organizations aiming to navigate the complexities of sustainability and climate action, integrating community engagement and equitable practices is essential. Drawing from Jorge Figueroa's insights, here are 5key takeaways that organizations can adopt to enhance their sustainability efforts: 1. Make Equity a Cornerstone: Start by embedding equity at the core of all sustainability initiatives. Focus efforts on supporting communities disproportionately affected by environmental issues, understanding that true progress comes from lifting everyone. 2. Engage Deeply with Communities: Shift from top-down approaches to genuine co-creation with communities. This means valuing local insights and experiences, and working together to develop solutions that are not only effective but also deeply resonant with those they aim to serve. 3. Understand Before Acting: Dedicate time to fully grasp the complexities of the challenges at hand. A thorough understanding of the problem not only informs better solutions but also ensures efforts are directed where they're most needed. 4. Adopt a Flexible Solution Framework: Avoid the trap of single-solution fixation. Embrace a broad spectrum of potential solutions, remaining open to adaptation based on evolving insights and community feedback. This agility is crucial in navigating the unpredictable terrain of sustainability. 5. Cultivate Transformative Dialogues: Engage in conversations that empower. By fostering environments where every voice can contribute to shaping the future, organizations can unlock innovative solutions and inspire collective action towards sustainability goals. #Sustainability #OrganizationalImpact #CommunityEngagement #EquitableSolutions #ActionableInsights Parallel Labs

CARE's Latest Report https://lnkd.in/epd-SF8f   🌍 Addressing the Unequal Impact of Climate Change: A Call for Inclusive Action 🌍  2023 has been the hottest year on record, highlighting the urgent need to address climate change. Extreme weather is driving hunger and exacerbating inequalities, with 72 million people in 18 countries facing acute climate crises. Women are disproportionately affected, shouldering a heavier burden as extreme weather strains food security and increases their unpaid care work. Here’s a snapshot of the challenges and solutions: 🔍 The Data: Extreme weather events predict lower food security for up to 5 years, impacting entire communities. Women work 55 more minutes per week than men due to climate impacts, and the income gap between men and women widens by $53 billion annually due to climate stress. 🚨 Systems and Inequality: Agricultural Systems: Women lack access to crucial farming support, impacting food production. Bridging this gap could feed an additional 45 million people annually. Information Systems: Women have less access to climate information and digital tools, hindering their ability to respond to climate shocks. Political Systems: Women’s representation in climate negotiations is low, leading to policies that often overlook their needs. Disaster Preparedness: Women are underrepresented in disaster leadership roles, impacting the effectiveness of response efforts. 💪 Women Leading Change: Innovative Farming: Women like Buumba in Zambia are adopting climate-resilient crops to ensure food security. Community Leadership: Women such as Lucky Alter in Bangladesh are spearheading disaster risk reduction efforts. Local Solutions: From water harvesting in Zimbabwe to tree planting in Zambia, women are driving grassroots climate adaptation efforts. 💡 What Can We Do? Invest in Resilience: Every $1 spent on climate preparedness saves $7 in response costs globally. Build Inclusive Plans: Ensure local disaster response strategies include women and marginalized groups. Support Local Networks: Strengthen local response capabilities for faster, more effective crisis management. Long-Term Investment: Focus on resilience and safety nets that endure beyond immediate crises. It’s time to amplify the voices of women leading climate adaptation and ensure our responses are equitable and effective. Let’s invest in solutions that support everyone, especially those most impacted. 🌱💧 Read more on CARE's latest report https://lnkd.in/epd-SF8f #ClimateChange #GenderEquality #Sustainability #ClimateAction #Resilience #WomenLeadership #InclusiveSolutions

“More than a week after Storm Éowyn, with over 100,000 homes and businesses still without power, and many premises left without water or internet connectivity, Ireland is clearly not the climate-resilient society that it aspires to be... Extreme weather events are predicted to become more frequent, bringing more disruption, material damage and inevitably loss of life. But is Ireland adequately prepared?… There are interdependencies across our critical infrastructure networks which require a co-ordinated approach to adaptation and planning across different sectors, with multiple infrastructure owners and operators. These interdependencies will only intensify in future as we electrify more of our transport and heating sectors to meet our targets for greenhouse gas emissions reductions… The risk has been greatest to vulnerable older people, and that’s reflected in the increase in hospital admissions in recent days, making it clear that extreme weather events in Ireland pose a significant threat, not just to our quality of life, but also to the health of our population… We must protect those who are most vulnerable to the impacts of climate change. This means ensuring just adaptation that targets resources where the climate risk is greatest. We can achieve this by equipping local communities with the knowledge, funding, and resources they need to implement local adaptation since climate risks are generally best understand at the local level.” Timely piece by Muhammad Ali Brian Caulfield and Julie Clarke We are living in a changing world of more climate extremes. There is much to reflect on in the aftermath of Storm Éowyn on many fronts. #climatechange #resilience #adaptation #justtransition https://lnkd.in/eWtx7brZ

When we talk about #climateaction, the focus is often on infrastructure, technology, and policy. Yet the most resilient societies rely on something less visible but equally critical: strong #communities. In the #MiddleEast, social cohesion has long been a natural resilience system enabling faster recovery from shocks, safeguarding livelihoods, and keeping value within local economies. Examples from the region show the power of community in climate resilience: - Al-Ula, Saudi Arabia: Farmers have revived ancient irrigation systems, sharing water resources collectively. This heritage-based approach reduces drought vulnerability while strengthening cultural identity. - Farasan Islands, Saudi Arabia: Fishing communities regulate catch levels through local agreements that align with national marine protection, helping ecosystems adapt to rising sea temperatures. - Liwa, UAE: Date farming cooperatives pool resources for irrigation and storage, protecting livelihoods during extreme heat. These are examples showing that climate resilience is built as much through social infrastructure as physical infrastructure. In preparing for the future, investing in people’s connections, culture, and shared responsibility is as important as any technical solution. Strong communities are not just part of the solution, they are the foundation of it. #resilience #sustainability #adaptation #socialsustainability #CenterforSustainableFuture Elie El Khoury Mario Sanchez Ibrahim Saleh Farah Assaad Valentin Lavaill Kearney Kearney Middle East and Africa

It is often said that local communities do not understand how climate change or environmental realities affect them. But this notion is far from true. The real issue is the disconnect – inadequate investment in local human capital, disrupted livelihoods, and the lack of proper resilience approaches to support frontline and coastal communities to thrive, especially where government support is limited or non-existent. We become so fixated on our own definitions of what the adverse impacts of climate change or environmental degradation should look like at their level, and the solutions we invent, that we forget this: 🍃 Local, rural, and indigenous communities who live these realities daily have a major role to play in how we define and create solutions to achieve Goal 14 and other Sustainable Development Goals. Communities may not describe how climate change affects them in our scientific terms, but here’s what I have discovered over the past five years, mobilising communities for climate and policy action: 💡Communities often describe how climate and environmental changes affect them better than we assume. 💡They build resilience even where education or technological aids are limited or non-existent. 💡Backing local knowledge with technology protects traditional wisdom while creating innovative solutions that merge tradition and modern technology for climate and ocean challenges. 💡 Lastly, co-designing solutions with communities is key to sustaining and scaling impact. This ensures policies are deeply rooted to serve not just minorities, but the majority, particularly those in the informal sector with no social security, who depend on natural resources for their livelihoods. Whether you are an environmentalist or not, keep this in mind: 🍃 It is not enough for our solutions, policies, or innovations to serve minorities. True impact lies in ensuring they serve the majority, enabling people to live with dignity. And one way to achieve this is through: 💡Inclusion: ensuring communities have a seat at the table; and 💡 Integration: ensuring their wisdom, practices, and priorities shape the table itself. I hope this helps #abimbolaabikoye #communityresilience #frontlinevoices #sustainability #UNSDGs

Bookmark this compilation of powerful findings from 19 locally-led initiatives from around the world on what local adaptation to climate change means and entails. As local communities deal with the negative impacts of climate change, holistic approaches and solutions must not only recognize the vulnerabilities but also tap into the capabilities of specific community sub-groups. This means confronting the discrimination faced by older and young people, women, ethnic minorities, Indigenous groups, people living with disabilities, and other marginalized groups to ensure that their voices and contributions mold and drive local adaptation efforts. https://lnkd.in/ezFNx6SS Climate and Development Knowledge Network Global Center on Adaptation Mairi Dupar

As climate change intensifies, so too must our approach to the built environment. More frequent and extreme weather events, rising temperatures, and shifting ecosystems are all exposing the shortcomings of standardized, one-size-fits-all construction methods. It’s becoming clear: resilience in the face of climate change requires design that’s local, adaptive, and deeply rooted in place. While much of the Global North is only beginning to grapple with this reality, communities across the Global South have been innovating along these lines for centuries. From earthen homes in Mali that naturally regulate temperature, to raised stilt houses in Southeast Asia designed to weather floods, indigenous design traditions have long reflected a deep understanding of climate, culture, and context. What’s particularly striking is how these communities have not only learned to endure extreme conditions—but to recover quickly when disaster strikes. This kind of resilience isn’t just structural; it’s social and ecological, built into the very fabric of place-based design. As we design the future, the question is no longer “How do we build stronger?”—but rather, “How do we build smarter, more locally, and with greater respect for what’s already known? https://lnkd.in/g_4RJBGx #sustainabledesign #indiegnousknowledge #climatechange #climateadaptation