IISD at Adaptation Futures 2023
The 7th biennial Adaptation Futures Conference will bring together researchers, policy-makers, practitioners, industry representatives, and communicators in Montreal, Canada, and online to connect and share expertise about climate change adaptation.
IISD is proud to be a partner of the conference, with our Associate Vice-President, Resilience, Anne Hammill, acting as co-chair. Experts attending the conference will explore new themes in the global adaptation community, expand the reach of their knowledge and support on key adaptation topics, and draw key connections between adaptation in Canada and internationally.
Events at Adaptation Futures 2023
Don’t miss the sessions we are attending or co-hosting during the conference. All times listed below are local.
Sessions Co-Organized by IISD
Reimagining the Adaptation Continuum to Include Loss and Damage
- Tuesday, October 3, 11:00–12:30 | Room 524A | Session #875
- Lead organizers: CJRF, IISD, ICCCAD
- This session proposes to learn from experience implementing adaptation measures, showcasing examples of overlap between adaptation and loss and damage, and reimagining an Adaptation Continuum in which adaptation, disaster risk reduction, humanitarian action, and loss and damage can co-exist in ways that honour the reality of frontline communities’ lived experiences while also being useful to funders committed to loss and damage.
Multilevel Adaptation Governance in Dealing With Multiple Risks and Enabling Climate Action at Subnational Levels
- Tuesday, October 3, 14:30–16:00 | Room 520A (hybrid) | Session #138
- Lead organizers: University of Regina, NAP Global Network/IISD
- In this session, we will share experiences about the roles that different multilevel governance frameworks and institutions can play in enhancing participation in adaptation processes, as well as explore inter- and transdisciplinary approaches to co-construct evidence that can help clarify and overcome governance gaps.
Scaling up Ecosystem-Based Adaptation: Leveraging behavioral science for effective climate policy and action
- Tuesday, October 3, 16:30 - 18:00 | Room 520E (hybrid) | Session #807
- Lead organizers: IISD, FAO, Rare
- Presenting work at the intersection of applied behavioural sciences and ecosystem-based adaptation (EbA), with examples ranging from Canada to Colombia, Fiji, and Kenya, this interactive session will showcase the critical role behavioural science should play in scaling up climate adaptation efforts and serve as an opportunity to better understand the various ways in which practitioners and policy-makers are approaching behaviour change for EbA.
Advancing Equity, Justice, and Indigenous Rights in Adaptation Through Canada’s National Adaptation Strategy – What is required for success?
- Thursday, October 5, 8:30-10:00 | Room 525 | Session #730
- Lead organizers: IISD, McGill University, University of Regina
- Canada has committed to advancing equity and environmental justice, as well as upholding Indigenous rights, through the implementation of its National Adaptation Strategy (NAS). This session will explore different perspectives on the social dimensions of adaptation in Canada, addressing intersectional factors, including gender, disability, and Indigeneity. Speakers and participants will discuss what is needed for the NAS to be implemented in an inclusive, equitable, and Indigenous rights-based approach.
Scaling up Implementation of Community-Based Adaptation: Enablers and the way forward
- Thursday, October 5, 14:00–15:30 | Room 524C | Session #115
- Lead organizer: CARE Germany, FANRPAN, IISD, IUCN
- This knowledge co-production session will explore how to scale up community-based adaptation using an inclusive, gender-responsive, and nature-based approach. In a knowledge café format, participants will be invited to actively engage in discussions around key issues such as governance mechanisms, gender equality and social inclusion, and generating evidence from community-based adaptation at the local level to inform national-level actions.
Sessions Attended by IISD
What Is Effective Adaptation, for Whom, and How Do We Know? Findings from adaptation policies, NAPs and M&E on vulnerability assessments, measurement, and effectiveness
- Tuesday, October 3, 14:30–16:00 | Room 522 | Session #392
- Lead organizer: Perspectives Climate Group GmbH
In Situ Conservation of Agrobiodiversity to Ensure Adaptive Capacity – Building on Indigenous and local knowledge from Andean Mountain ecosystems
- Wednesday, October 4, 8:30–10:00 | Room 520A (hybrid) | Session #292
- Lead organizer: Andes Resilientes al Cambio Climatico
Making Nature Count for Adaptation – Global, national and local action to value services provided by nature
- Wednesday, 4 October, 8:30–10:00 | Room 518C | Session #16
- Lead organizer: Intact Centre on Climate Adaptation (University of Waterloo), Ouranos
EbA in Practice: Lessons from implementers on planning and measuring EbA
- Wednesday, October 4, 10:30–12:00 | Room 518C | Session #746
- Lead organizer: UNEP-WCMC
Integrating Adaptation Into Business Strategies: Tools, lessons learned, and public-private articulation opportunities from a LAC perspective
- Wednesday, October 4, 14:00–15:30 | Room 520A (hybrid) | Session #525
- Lead organizers: EUROCLIMA (GIZ / CLACDS-INCAE), NAP Global Network
Nature-based Solutions for Just Urban Adaptation – Case Studies from the Global South
- Wednesday, October 4, 14:00–15:30 | Room 518C | Session #291
- Lead organizers: GIZ, CitiesAdapt
Shaping the Future of Adaptation Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning: New insights, tools, and opportunities for overcoming challenges and constraints
- Thursday, October 5, 8:30–10:00 | Room 520F (hybrid) | Session #649
- Lead organizers: UNFCCC, NAP Global Network, OECD
Innovating Targets to Reduce Wildfire, Flood & Extreme Heat Risk in Canada
- Thursday, October 5, 14:00–15:30 | Room 519A | Session #829
- Lead organizer: Climate Proof Canada
Shaping the Future of Nature-Based Solutions for Adaptation
- Thursday, October 5, 14:00–15:30 | Room 518C | Session #971
- Lead organizer: Parks Canada
What Science Doesn’t Say: Implementing vulnerability assessments as part of the NAP process
- Thursday, October 5, 16:00–17:30 | Room Agora (hybrid) | Session #689
- Lead organizer: IISD
Find out more information about the full program and register for the conference on the Adaptation Futures website.
Media Opportunity
Experts will be available to speak about their research and experience with key adaptation planning elements, such as gender equality and social inclusion; monitoring, evaluation and learning; climate risk assessments; and governance.
To schedule an interview with our attending experts or for any background information, please contact Marie Royer at mroyer@iisd.ca
Upcoming events
Building Bridges: The State of Nature-Based Investments
Join us for a panel at the Building Bridges conference in Geneva, Switzerland, to discuss the state-of-play of nature-based investments and the potential opportunities they present.
The Pivotal Role of Sustainability for Ukraine’s Reconstruction
This webinar, hosted by the International Institute for Sustainable Development and the Ukrainian Climate Office, will discuss how to incorporate sustainability into Ukraine's recovery and reconstruction plans and share recommendations for implementation.
A Municipal Perspective on the Value of Natural Infrastructure
This webinar will showcase examples the cost-effectiveness of natural infrastructure from a municipal perspective. Focusing on what municipalities need—what evidence and numbers they rely on, and what tools and planning processes are required to ensure that natural infrastructure is assessed alongside traditional infrastructure for cost-effectiveness.
Through Her Lens: Women leading change in sustainable agriculture and market inclusion
Despite the critical role that women play in agricultural production, they still do not have equal access to global agricultural supply chains on terms that benefit them.