Climate has changed significantly. Adaptation to the new climate, and the climate that will emerge over the next few decades, is utmost urgent. The CoP in this VCC is aiming to identify the most urgent social and economic transformations required to share the increasing climate-related risks in a just and equitable way, change processes so that communities are prepared for the increasing disasters caused by a changed spectrum of extreme weather events, and prepare the built environment for the current and future climate. We aim to identify the transformations required in climate adaptation of communities, their built environment, their social processes, and their economy, and we work to develop pathways for these transformations.
If you are concerned about the preparedness of your community for the next unprecedented extreme weather event then join us here and work with us to find ways to increase the preparedness.
[Aug 29, 2026] A Changing Climate comes with Extreme Floods and Mudflows: The deadly flash flood and mudflow in Nepal and neighboring countries on August 26, 2026 was the result of a catastrophic breakdown of a large part of a glacier in the Himalayas. There are reasons to assume that the friction between ice masses of the glacier and the underlying rock was reduced because of a changing climate bring higher temperatures into the region. We can expect that increasing temperatures will destabilize many other regions global and cause hazards of unprecedented type and intensity. These hazards will often interact with a build environment not prepared for these new hazards. An example are the extreme precipitation events and the many aging reservoir dams in many countries, including the USA. The extreme events can easily lead to a breaking of the dams and extreme flash floods. Immediate climate adaptation of the built environment, including planning of land use, must be an integral effort in and disaster risk governance.
[Apr 25, 2026] Women are ‘the first to die’: Mariana Rosetti and Paola Churchill in the article “Three disasters in three years: Brazil’s deadly floods show women are ‘the first to die’ when extreme weather hits” published in the Guardian point out that the changing climate is accelerating the frequency of devastating weather-related events across the world that displacing millions and disproportionately affecting women. Based on three extreme events in Brazil, the authors underline that the built environment is not prepared for these events.
[Aug 03, 2026] Alliance of World Scientists Declares Planetary Emergency: In the paper “ World scientists’ warning to humanity: a third notice” the Alliance of World Scientists includes the “Declaration of a planetary emergency.” The declaration states: “We, the undersigned, recognize that Earth is now in a state of planetary emergency. Climate change, biodiversity loss, land and freshwater degradation, pollution, and unsustainable production and consumption are destabilizing the Earth system that supports all life.” You can sign the declaration here ...
[Aug 03, 2026] Hothouse Earth: arriving sooner than you think…: Julian Cribb writes in his latest blog: “Latest measurements, carefully analysed to exclude anomalies such as El Nino, reveal a planet cooking up at a steady 0.48 degrees per decade since 2015, in what is thought to be the most rapid heating event in all its geological history.” We are experiencing the most rapid heating event in Earth's billions of years long history! We have caused this event with a few hundred years of sole focus on unlimited growth using all the ancient solar energy accumulated by Earth's biosphere over more than 250 million years - just because we could! That is something to reflect on!
