In a statement of intent, the Tangier Forum brought more than 500 delegates from African cities together to craft the Tangier Declaration, placing urban adaptation at the center of municipal governance. Africa’s rapid urbanisation is forcing cities to the frontline of both climate peril and opportunity. The declaration recognises cities as engines not only for economic growth but also for climate resilience, with explicit plans to mainstream adaptation into every facet of local decision-making.

However, optimism should be tempered. Many cities still lack access to international finance, technical know-how, and in some cases, national government buy-in. The forum’s call for direct access to adaptation finance reflects mounting frustration with top-heavy, donor-led models.

A new global Adaptation and Resilience Fund - driven by a coalition of philanthropies led by the ClimateWorks Foundation, has pledged $50 million for locally led adaptation and resilience initiatives. The Fund will support local solutions that protect people, strengthen systems, and create pathways for a more resilient future, focusing on four pillars:

📖 Building the evidence base
🏛️ Strengthening institutional capacity
💸 Unlocking innovative finance
🙋‍♀️ Building the field

The Fund’s first tranche of grants will focus on helping cities and communities build resilience to extreme heat in urban areas in South Asia, Southeast Asia, and sub-Saharan Africa.

A timely study in The Lancet offers a distinctly behavioral twist on the adaptation conversation. Researchers highlight that shifting work hours - moving labour to cooler times of day - can significantly reduce the productivity losses of heat stress in increasingly inhospitable climates. Unlike technical interventions, this approach is nearly cost-free and accessible to a wide range of economic sectors.

The findings are especially relevant for outdoor and manual laborers in tropical and sub-tropical regions, but may soon be universal as heatwaves intensify globally. Implementation, however, may meet corporate resistance or hit practical limits in sectors reliant on continuity or client-facing hours.

A new report from the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) is calling on policymakers to clarify the role of private capital in adaptation. The ICC has urged governments to spell out the responsibilities and opportunities for private investors in their national adaptation plans, arguing that vague references to “mobilising finance” are no longer fit for purpose. The ICC’s intervention reflects mounting frustration among institutional investors and corporates who lack clarity on how they can participate in building resilience.

The ICC stresses that investors require predictable, stable regulatory frameworks and guidance to channel capital at scale toward adaptation projects, ranging from resilient infrastructure to nature-based solutions. The business association further warns that increasing legal and reputational risks make it critical for policymakers to provide concrete roadmaps for private sector action, or risk falling further behind both science and society’s expectations on climate resilience.

A global survey has revealed a striking perception gap among international policymakers: attendees of the United Nations Environment Assembly (UNEA) vastly underestimate how willing the world’s public is to contribute personally to efforts on climate action. Researchers from Oxford University found that UNEA delegates - many active in high-level climate negotiations, perceived, on average, that only 37% of people worldwide would be willing to contribute 1% of their salary toward tackling climate change. In reality, the true figure is 69%.

This misperception, identified among a group tasked with shaping future climate policy, potentially blunts the political ambition and scale of adaptation plans. The findings suggest that delegates are overly cautious in their ambition out of fear of lacking a public mandate, despite a far broader base of support than supposed. The authors warn that failing to recognise the depth of public willingness risks further underinvestment in national and international adaptation strategies, urging negotiators to “be braver” in drafting climate adaptation policies.

Japan has logged its highest temperature in recorded history, with the city of Isesaki in Gunma Prefecture reaching a scorching 41.8°C (107.2°F) this week. The heatwave has already sent more than 53,000 people to hospital for heat-related illnesses, sparked warnings over rice crop failures, and prompted officials to urge citizens to stay indoors.

Vietnam is enduring unprecedented heat extremes, with Hanoi smashing its August record at 40.3°C (104.5°F). This heatwave has overwhelmed electrical grids as residents sought relief, exposing the vulnerability of urban cooling infrastructure.

Hong Kong recorded its highest August daily rainfall since 1884 - 358.8mm within 24 hours, unleashing catastrophic flooding that submerged districts, shuttered hospitals, suspended public services, and brought much of the city to a standstill.

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