Atlantic Council's Climate Resilience Center

The city of Freetown is on its way to plant over one million trees with the help of a smartphone app. Spearheaded by the Manja Kargbo, CCHA Mayor Yvonne Aki-Sawyerr OBE, and Chief Heat Officer eugenia kargbo, the #FreetownTheTreetown initiative operates on a "pay-to-grow" system. Local growers are incentivized to plant and digitally track trees, earning money as they contribute to their community's tree canopy. The city is on track to plant seven million trees by 2030 and is using this simple technology to monitor its progress. Read our new article for five exciting examples of climate technologies, including this innovative app! ?? https://bit.ly/3MxJxRd

?? What was the impact of #ClimateWeekNYC? Our Senior Director Jorge Gastelumendi noticed an exciting signal at this year's conference: a changing landscape. "This is people flocking to the landscape of climate change from health, tech, and private financial actors that were not in the room before," he explains. This year's Climate Week connected key stakeholders from both the public and private sectors, creating new opportunities for collaboration and finding solutions at scale. To learn more, head to our website: https://bit.ly/3XwEE06

Today, we’re taking a look back on the #ClimateWeekNYC conversations that focused on creating impact for a more resilient world. Our team at the Atlantic Council's Climate Resilience Center is not only focused on extreme heat—the number one weather-related killer—but also what we can do to protect lives and livelihoods. On our agenda? ?? Resilience. We are proud co-managers of the COP Resilience Hub, which explored how local adaptation solutions can lead to global impact. At #ResilienceDay, our team participated in vibrant panel discussions with leading experts to understand an effective way forward. ?? Gender equity. Women must be part of the design and implementation of climate action. With the support of Blue Marble and TransRe, we hosted a panel discussion with Kate Guy, Sarah Ebrahimi, Hana Abdelatty, MPP, and Eleni (Lenio) Myrivili. These leading experts explored how they are approaching gender inclusive and responsive interventions, and what other actors in the space can learn from these efforts. ?? Sustainable cooling. We also heard from key stakeholders at a roundtable cohosted with Cool Up programme led by Guidehouse. The discussion revealed effective ways to upscale sustainable cooling solutions and collaborate to drive opportunity for adaptation and resilience. To learn more about our work and solutions, head to OneBillionResilient.org.

This past decade has been the warmest on record.?As the planet heats up, there is a rapidly and urgently growing need for solutions that protect people from the impacts of climate change. However, climate adaptation is woefully under-financed. There are gaps in creating impactful adaptation-focused business models, while many investors are not prepared to effectively assess potential investment opportunities in the new adaptation economy. Our Global Chief Heat Officer Eleni (Lenio) Myrivili joined Katie MacDonald, Matt Anderson, Renate Bleich, Anmol Vanamali, and Neil Walmsley to discuss how the world can rethink the adaptation economy. A huge thank you to Climate-KIC and the The Vertical for leading this important conversation. ?? https://bit.ly/3FTABlF

“Rather than being a barrier to participation, governments around the world must ensure that their policy environment enables private sector action and ambition when it comes to climate adaptation and resilience. The question is: What can the public and private sector do to make these changes?” asks Jorge Gastelumendi in his new piece for the Atlantic Council. As New York Climate Week continues, this is one of the most important conversations. The world is falling short of its climate finance goals, and it’s clear that the private sector must become a more effective partner to take on these dangerous and growing climate impacts. But so, too, must the public sector work to address financial systems to ensure that they are fit for purpose and enable private sector action. To learn how we can begin to take this on, read the New Atlanticist today. ???https://bit.ly/4enm3dZ

Extreme heat is dramatically underestimated, but it is a clear threat—especially to women. In fact, as Kate Guy from the Office of the US Presidential Envoy?for Climate pointed out, 60% more women lack access to cooling. This unequal burden of heat must be addressed. At our panel discussion hosted in partnership with Blue Marble and TransRe, we invited Kate Guy, Sarah Ebrahimi, Hana Abdelatty, MPP, and Eleni (Lenio) Myrivili to speak about gender responsive solutions. These leading experts worked to understand what challenges and opportunities there are in the space to co-create impactful interventions. Learn more about our work to drive solutions like the world's first parametric insurance for extreme heat. ?? https://bit.ly/4ehyUyq

It was an honor to join Resilience Day at the COP Resilience Hub! ?? https://bit.ly/3NcV7BX Since its launch at COP26, the Resilience Hub has connected thousands of people across events to share knowledge, build partnerships, and mobilize a growing community toward delivering climate resilience. The Atlantic Council's Climate Resilience Center is proud to work alongside our managing partners—the Global Resilience Partnership, International Centre for Climate Change and Development (ICCCAD), SDI. (Slum Dwellers International), SouthSouthNorth, and Fundación Avina—to?drive action on resilience where it is most needed. Today and every day, we remain committed to building a climate-resilient world, where everyone, everywhere is prepared for and protected from the impacts of climate change.?That commitment exactly what was echoed across yesterday’s sessions. Learn more about the Hub and the conversations that happened at New York Climate Week.?https://bit.ly/3NcV7BX

Climate change impacts every person and every sector. So how can we work together to mobilize action and ambition on mitigation and adaptation?? ? Today, we're working to answer that today in a #ClimateWeekNYC roundtable event with?Cool Up programme, which is led by Guidehouse and works to upscale sustainable cooling solutions. We are gathering key stakeholders to build on diverse insights and identify a clear way forward on heat resilience. ? Hear from Owen Gow to learn what is happening at New York Climate Week, and stay tuned for key takeaways from this conversation.?https://bit.ly/3XwEE06

As Climate Week NYC kicks off, we are thrilled to announce that we have a new Senior Director: Jorge Gastelumendi! Driven by a commitment to protect the communities most vulnerable to climate impacts, Jorge joined the center four years ago. He brings over two decades of climate expertise and has served as chief advisor and negotiator to the government of Peru, playing a critical role during the adoption of the Paris Agreement. With deep and broad geopolitical experience, partnerships, and leadership in policy and adaptation finance solutions, Jorge is naturally suited to advance the Center’s mission. “The rising cost of climate inaction underscores the urgency of our work,” he explains. “I’m proud to work with my team to scale community-led initiatives that protect lives and livelihoods now while driving systemic transformations to safeguard communities, cities, and economies from future climate impacts.” We are also thrilled to share that we are now officially the Atlantic Council’s Climate Resilience Center (CRC)! Climate resilience has always been at the heart of what we do, and now we’re putting it at the heart of our name. To learn more about our work and the exciting ways we will advance and scale our innovative climate solutions, head to https://bit.ly/3KpeEgZ.

Want to know what’s happening in the world of climate resilience? The COP Resilience Hub is at #ClimateWeekNYC! The Hub drives the conversation on adaptation, working to put resilience front and center at high-level climate conferences. Our team will be on-the-ground to join in this week's focus on finance and nature, and why they're in the adaptation spotlight. There's still time to join in virtually. Register now and join us tomorrow for these critical conversations. https://bit.ly/3NcV7BX