Climate Resilient Infrastructure

Climate Resilient Infrastructure

Much existing infrastructure was designed for historical climate conditions and is vulnerable to increased frequencies of extreme weather (floods, storms, heatwaves), erosion, sea level rise. Lack of forward‑looking design, planning, and finance; weak building codes and enforcement; limited integration of nature‑based solutions; and insufficient maintenance and monitoring are widespread problems.

Our Approach

Climate Change Hub helps integrate climate risk into infrastructure planning, providing guidance on resilient design, siting, materials, and construction practices. We work with urban planners, engineers, and local authorities to promote infrastructure that can absorb shocks (storm water systems, flood defenses, green stormwater infrastructure, permeable surfaces, resilient transportation and energy networks). Also nature‑based infrastructure—wetlands, mangroves, green belts—is promoted as both protective and multipurpose. Retrofitting existing infrastructure, setting standards and building codes, and supporting financing models for resilient infrastructure are core activities.

Impact & Opportunities

Resilient infrastructure protects lives, reduces economic losses, ensures service continuity, and reduces vulnerabilities in climate‑exposed sectors (water, transport, housing, health). Opportunities include advocating for higher resilience in public works, leveraging public and private finance for resilient infrastructure investment, integrating ecosystem services into infrastructure design, using digital and monitoring tools for predictive maintenance, and engaging communities in planning and managing resilience.