As climate change intensifies, cities and communities worldwide face increasing risks to their infrastructure. To address the urgent need for scaling up adaptation finance, the International Coalition for Sustainable Infrastructure (ICSI), in collaboration with the Global Covenant of Mayors for Climate & Energy (GCoM) and the Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE), convened a series of multi-stakeholder roundtables in 2024.

These discussions brought together over 100 experts from 60+ organizations across five continents, focusing on bridging gaps between engineers, policymakers, investors, and multilateral development banks (MDBs).The comprehensive report, “Engineering Climate Adaptation: A Cross-Sector Approach to Scaling Up Adaptation Finance”, synthesizes and analyzes key themes emerging from the discussions including the need to break down professional silos, align risk assessment methodologies, and foster greater collaboration between technical, financial, and policy communities.

Standardized approaches to climate risk data collection, analysis, and communication are essential to creating a common language across sectors, enabling better project development and de-risking investments to attract capital at scale.

Engineers and other built environment professionals have a vital role to play in advancing adaptation finance, not only by delivering technical solutions but also by translating complex risk assessments into actionable insights for policymakers and investors. This report serves as a call to action for all stakeholders involved in building climate resilience.