In this episode, the discussion examines how community priorities can be lost before climate finance decisions are even made.
National adaptation plans are intended to reflect country needs, but limited consultation and weak representation can exclude vulnerable and marginalised communities. Participation can become a tick-box exercise rather than meaningful involvement in deciding what matters.
The discussion moves to locally led adaptation and the difficulty of connecting community priorities with national planning and larger funding systems. Small locally developed projects may reflect local needs while remaining disconnected from major finance structures.
Bankability creates another tension. Climate funds need projects that can demonstrate feasibility, scale and impact, while adaptation needs do not always fit models designed to attract investment. Private finance, concessional finance, de-risking and blended financing are considered alongside questions about which forms of adaptation become fundable.
The discussion also considers monitoring, accountability and learning from failure as well as success.
Series: Just Transitions in Practice
Listen Here or on most podcast platforms
Speakers
Fabio Cresto Aleina is based in Berlin, is Climate Policy & Science Lead at Adapt40, a London-based climate adaptation consultancy, where he leads work on national adaptation plans (NAPs), NDCs, climate risk and vulnerability assessments (CRVAs), climate finance strategy, and loss and damage strategy and plans across Africa, Asia, the Pacific, the Western Balkans, the MENA region, and Central America. He holds a PhD in Climate Science from the University of Hamburg and the Max Planck Institute for Meteorology, and built a strong scientific foundation through postdoctoral research at Max Planck institutes, the Laboratoire des Sciences du Climat et de l’Environnement (LSCE) and the EU Joint Research Centre. Before moving into his current role, Fabio served as Adaptation and Resilience Lead at Global Citizen and supported global advocacy efforts of various organizations. He works regularly with clients and partners, including UNDP country offices, UNEP, WHO, DFAT, GIZ, AFD, and UNICEF, often through consortium arrangements with organizations such as Cibola Partners, and is fluent in Italian, English, German, and Spanish, with working proficiency in French.
Dr Bapon Fakhruddin is a water and climate leader with over 25 years of experience. He oversees water-related climate investments at the Green Climate Fund (GCF), the world’s largest dedicated fund for climate action. His work includes climate risk, disaster preparedness and early warning systems across more than 40 countries.
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Music ‘Good Balance’ by AO
Intro by Deborah Causton
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