What you will find
When we picture climate adaptation, we tend to picture concrete: sea walls, levees and flood barriers built to hold back the water. These have their place, but they reflect a centralised, capital-intensive model that can sit apart from the communities it protects and overlook the social costs it creates.
This white paper is built on a different perspective, drawing on mangrove ecosystems as an example: they contribute to adaptation by dissipating wave energy and reducing coastal erosion, while simultaneously supporting biodiversity and sequestering carbon.
Taking that wider view reveals three interconnected challenges that can amplify physical climate risk, and that the financial sector is uniquely placed to address.
Key messages:
Adaptation should be treated as a strategic priority, not only a risk-management issue
Financial inclusion is central to resilience
Locally led, client-centred and collaborative approaches are more effective
Adaptation finance should be measured by resilience outcomes, not only capital mobilised
Looking for more resources?
Discover the studies, position papers and stories showing how values-based banks deliver strong, resilient results while financing positive social and environmental change.
