Malaysia adds Adaptation Chapter to Climate Bill after Civil Society Input
Malaysia's Ministry of Natural Resources and Environmental Sustainability revised its draft climate change bill to include a dedicated adaptation chapter following substantial public and NGO feedback. The updated bill - delayed to early 2026 to allow business engagement - will now address emissions thresholds, establishment of a regulatory entity, and creation of a national climate fund. Malaysia secured $3 million from the Green Climate Fund to develop MyNAP, its national adaptation plan, which the government aims to complete by 2026 with lessons from COP30 informing the framework. Climate Governance Malaysia and the World Bank have emphasised adaptation's centrality, given flood‑related losses exceeding $200 million annually, while civil society groups press for Indigenous land rights protections in the legislation.
Asia Emerges as an Adaptation Laboratory at Christchurch Summit
Adaptation Futures 2025's Asia‑focused sessions drew capacity crowds, underscoring how the region is warming twice as fast as the global average, while losing $2 trillion to climate impacts over three decades, yet are pioneering solutions from Indian heat action plans to China's sponge cities and Bangladesh's 100‑year Delta Plan. Dr Chandni Singh of the Indian Institute for Human Settlements noted how China leads global EV markets, while the "imperative to adapt is extremely high, but so is the adaptation gap," calling for peer learning through blocs like ASEAN and policy co-operation that builds local capacity. The CLARE network - co‑led by the UK’s FCDO and Canada's IDRC with 35 projects across 38 countries, 73% located in the Global South - demonstrated ground‑up approaches through RURBANISE in Philippine informal settlements, CLIMATE REEFS protecting coastal communities, and floating farming innovations in Bangladesh. Sessions explored climate migration, aquaculture resilience, and traditional techniques like stilt houses and natural ventilation designs that inspire modern solutions.

UN Climate Chief Declares NAP Direction Set, "Serious Need for Speed" Remains
UNFCCC Executive Secretary Simon Stiell told Brasília's Pre‑COP30 gathering that 67 developing countries have submitted National Adaptation Plans - including 23 Least Developed Countries and 14 Small Island Developing States - building analytical frameworks, coordination mechanisms, and whole‑of‑society engagement, but persistent barriers hold back the required speed and scale. Stiell subtitled his message "No more excuses, investors!" arguing that plans now clarify country‑by‑country, sector‑by‑sector priorities, needs, and opportunities, dismissing investor claims about where or how to deploy adaptation capital. He emphasised that "before this report, we faced two climate adaptation challenges - direction and speed; now it's largely just one: the direction is right, but we have a serious need for speed," with COP30 expected to agree on adaptation indicators and close the finance gap. The $1.3 trillion climate finance roadmap remains key, with Stiell stressing that "climate finance is not charity - it is vital for protecting every population and economy, and global supply chains that every nation depends on for low‑inflationary growth, and food and energy security".
India's Monsoon 2025: Climate Change Drives Extreme Deluge
India's 2025 Southwest Monsoon delivered 108% of average rainfall with 45% of the country experiencing extreme precipitation, 2,277 flood events, and 1,528 deaths - driven primarily by climate change rather than El Niño or La Niña, according to Climate Trends analysis. Former IMD Director General KJ Ramesh stated that "global warming has become the biggest driver of the monsoon now - the number of rainy days has decreased, but the quantum of rainfall per event has increased significantly," with 14 of 18 monsoon weeks delivering excess or large excess rainfall. Regional patterns showed Northwest India recording 27% excess rainfall - the highest since 2001, with Ladakh at a 342% surplus, with experts attributing intensification to warmer Arabian Sea and Bay of Bengal sea surface temperatures increasing evaporation. Madhya Pradesh suffered 290 deaths, followed by Uttar Pradesh (201), Himachal Pradesh (141), and Jammu & Kashmir (139), prompting calls for proactive adaptation through urban planning, flood management, and sustainable land use as the Indian Ocean warms further.

UK Faces "Unliveable" Urban Future as Climate Risks Converge on Major Cities
The environmental consulting firm Consultus Sustainability warned that London, Manchester, and York face uninhabitability risks from combined surface flooding, urban heat island effects, and extreme weather - with York experiencing record wet winters, the driest springs, and the hottest summers in consecutive years. Whole counties, including Lincolnshire, vulnerable to uncontrollable flooding due to low‑lying geography, and Cambridgeshire, prone to both rising waters and extreme drought, could become uninhabitable with temperatures projected to rise 2°C by 2050 and accelerating change, narrowing the window for action. The projections align with recent Climate Change Committee warnings that UK infrastructure must prepare for at least 2°C warming by 2050, with new construction designed for 4°C scenarios.
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