Supporting Brazil’s adaptation to climate change

Context

In recent decades, climate change has profoundly impacted Brazil, affecting more than 125 million people and causing economic losses exceeding 60 billion US dollars. The latest report by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) warns of worsening impacts, emphasising the need for urgent resilience-building policies. Climate change manifests in unique ways across Brazil: heavy rains lead to landslides and floods in several areas, while prolonged droughts threaten water supply, agriculture and energy in others. At the same time, coastal regions face rising sea levels and increasing storm surges and strong winds. These climate-change effects disrupt ecosystems, communities, productivity and critical infrastructure. Under these circumstances, the ProAdapta project is pivotal in supporting Brazil in the implementation of its national climate-change adaptation agenda.

Objective

Brazil's implementation of its national climate-change adaptation agenda has improved the country’s climate resilience.

Approach

ProAdapta supports key policy instruments like Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) and the National Adaptation Plan (NAP), improving the coordination of the national agenda of adaptation by the Ministry of Environment and Climate Change (MMA). The initiative empowers stakeholders in infrastructure sectors at all levels of administration by equipping them with tools for climate-risk management, including ecosystem-based adaptation (EbA) solutions. In addition, the project fosters collaborations between the private sector, governments and civil society. These enhance climate resilience through awareness-raising, skills development and the joint implementation of adaptation strategies. Importantly, the project shares insights nationally and internationally, advancing the understanding of effective climate-change adaptation strategies.

Last update: November 2023