Bridging scales and perspectives for just and inclusive adaptation: insights from Adaptation Futures 2025 

13. November 2025 | News

In October 2025 at Adaptation Futures 2025 in Christchurch, New Zealand, the session “Advancing just and inclusive climate adaptation: bridging regional and global perspectives” brought together around 80 participants including practitioners, policymakers, and researchers, to explore how justice and inclusion can drive climate resilience.

Co-organised by MULTICLIMACT, REGILIENCE, and the EU Covenant of Mayors, the session used a Knowledge Café format to connect European experiences with global perspectives and insights. ICLEI Europe, a partner in MULTICLIMACT, took part in the conference and facilitated the session discussions. 

The discussions reflected many of the themes central to MULTICLIMACT: how to bridge governance scales, link scientific evidence with local action, and ensure that resilience efforts genuinely respond to local needs. Participants worked across different thematic areas, from addressing compounding risks and advancing nature-based solutions to building trust and fostering participatory governance. 

The takeaway was clear: making adaptation just and inclusive goes beyond technical solutions, it depends on listening, collaboration, and a shared commitment across sectors and levels of governance.

Reflecting on these exchanges through the lens of MULTICLIMACT, what stood out most was the shared focus on systemic approaches to adaptation. Participants highlighted the need for stronger coordination across levels of governance, better use of data to guide decisions, and closer regional collaboration to scale up local successes. The discussions offered concrete insights that will help shape policy inputs to COP30 in Belém, strengthening the connection between European and global adaptation dialogues and supporting more just, adaptive, and resilient futures.    

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About MULTICLIMACT:

MULTICLIMACT is an EU-funded project aimed at safeguarding Europe’s built environment against the increasing threats of natural and climatic hazards. By uniting 25 leading European organisations, MULTICLIMACT aims to enhance resilience, sustainability, and safety for communities across the continent. Through innovative strategies, including a toolkit of 20 reliable methods and digital solutions, the project targets the urgent need for adaptive measures against floods, earthquakes, extreme weather conditions and heatwaves. Tested across four pilot sites with diverse climatic conditions, MULTICLIMACT embodies a shared vision for a safer, more resilient future, focusing on actions to reduce the impact of climate change on the built environment. For more information, please visit www.multiclimact.eu