Resilience: The Global Adaptation Podcast

Introduction

Ever wondered how we can beat the climate crisis?

We’ve all heard the doom and gloom, but this podcast is about looking forward as we explore the best solutions and cutting-edge technologies for building resilience to climate change.

In Resilience, we discuss the green engineering feat of creating sponge cities that absorb floods and stay cool during heatwaves; how to transform our food system to become climate resilient; architectural solutions like floating cities; the use of mass reforestation to hold back the deserts, and much more!

Over six episodes podcasts hosts, Lis Bernhardt and Marcus Nield, talk to the leading adaptation experts and people in countries like El Salvador, The Gambia, the Philippines, Kiribati, and Seychelles about how they are building resilience. Join us on this journey as we adapt to climate change one conversation at a time…

This podcast series is produced by UNEP’s Global Adaptation Network (GAN), and includes many of the world’s leading adaptation organizations, experts, and practitioners, such as the World Adaptation Centre, FAO, UNDP, the Te Maeu Project, and many more!

Introducing Resilience: The Global Adaptation Podcast

Episodes

Episode 1: Saving Lives

Lis and Marcus explore how investing in adaptation makes both economic senses and helps save the lives of millions of people faced with climate catastrophe. Professor Patrick Verkooijen joins the Rotterdam-based Global Center on Adaptation which, as the largest floating office in the world, is a potent example of adaptation. And Rohey Ceesay, a forestry officer in the Gambia, talks about how she uses drama and music to spread crucial messages and early warnings about deadly storms.

Find out more: – Climate adaptation resources & multimedia here – Global Center on Adaptation – The Global Environment Facility

References: – António Guterres: 50% of All Climate Finance Needed for Adaptation – Reduced death rates from cyclones in Bangladesh: what more needs to be done? – Adapt now: a global call for leadership on climate resilience – Adaptation Gap Report 2020 – Project Factsheet: Early Warning Climate Services in The Gambia

Episode 2: Protecting Coasts & Small Islands

Lis and Marcus find out about some really creative and practical solutions to the climate threats faced by coastal communities and people living on low-lying small islands. Eritai Kateibwi, from the Te Maeu Project, talks about introducing hydroponics to Kiribati so his community can grow food without monthly ‘king’ tides washing away their crops. And world-renowned Danish architect Bjarke Ingels, who specialises in climate-resilient architecture, talks about floating cities and building flood barriers that double as parks, skateboard ramps, and bike storage – drawing on a concept known as ‘hedonistic sustainability.’

Find out more: – The Global Adaptation Network – Climate adaptation resources & multimedia – Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG) – Te Maeu Projects

References: – Factsheet: People & Oceans – A Practical Guide to Climate-resilient Buildings & Communities – Options for Ecosystem-based Adaptation in Coastal Environments

Episode 3: Crisis & the Green Recovery

Lis and Marcus are joined by Koko Warner from the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change to discuss the parallels between tackling the Covid pandemic and building resilience to climate change. But also, what can we expect at the upcoming COP26 climate summit in Glasgow? Kobie Brand, the Africa regional director of the global cities network ICLEI, shares her lessons on the speed and power of collective action from living through ‘Day Zero’ – the time when Cape Town nearly ran out of water.

Find out more: – Climate adaptation resources & multimedia – United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change – Local Governments for Sustainability (ICLEI) References: – Call to Action for a Climate-resilient Recovery from Covid-19 – Adaptation Gap Report 2020 – National Adaptation Plans

Episode 4: When Cities Adapt

Lis and Marcus discuss what their ideal climate-resilient cities would look and feel like – and Kobie Brand, the Africa regional director of the global cities network ICLEI, is back to talk about the exciting innovations happening in African cities, including the use of the Minecraft video game to map out climate adaptation strategies in the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa. And coffee farmer Hector Velasquez explains his crucial role in supporting San Salvador’s ambitions to become a ‘sponge’ city.

Find out more: – GlobalAdaptation Network – Climate adaptation resources & multimedia – CityAdapt – Local Governments for Sustainability (ICLEI) – The Global Environment Facility

Episode 5: The Race for Climate-proof Food

Lis and Marcus consider one of the most critical issues in adaptation: how to build more climate-resilient food supplies. Eduardo Mansur, the FAO’s Director of the Office of Climate Change, Biodiversity and Environment, talks about drought-resilient food production, biotechnology, and insect farming. And Louise Mabulo talks about how she founded the Cacao Project in the Philippines to help farmers carve out sustainable, shockproof livelihoods.

Find out more: – Global Adaptation Network – Climate adaptation resources & multimedia – The Cacao Project – Food and Agriculture Organization

Episode 6: Nature-based Solutions

Lis and Marcus are joined by Musonda Mumba, a wetlands ecologist and the director of the Rome Centre for Sustainable Development, to discuss the vital role that nature and ecosystems play in helping us adapt to climate change. And in the Seychelles, biologist Victorin Laboudallon explains why mangroves are a ‘super-solution’, protecting both the land and the sea, and keeping us safe from the effects of climate change.

Find out more: – Global Adaptation Network – Climate adaptation resources & multimedia – Rome Centre for Sustainable Development – Terrestrial Restoration Action Society of the Seychelles (TRASS) – The Global Environment Facility – Massive Open Online Course: Nature-based Solutions for Disaster and Climate Resilience

* The views expressed in this podcast do not necessarily reflect the views of the UN Environment Programme