Unlocking climate resilience: Key takeaways from GIF’s climate adaptation investment webinar.

On 21 August, we hosted Unlocking climate resilience: Finding impact investment opportunities in climate adaptation, the inaugural webinar in a series showcasing GIF’s different portfolio companies. The event brought together investors, ecosystem players, and government partners, with a focus on Asian innovation, providing an exclusive platform to explore high-impact investment opportunities and engage directly with the innovators driving the future of climate resilience.

Why climate adaptation?

While climate adaptation has demonstrated strong risk-adjusted returns, it remains critically underfunded. Despite every dollar invested potentially generating $2 to $10 in net social benefits, only a fraction of global climate finance currently reaches adaptation efforts. Of the $632 billion in 2019/20 global climate finance, only $46 billion went to adaptation, and just $1 billion of that was private capital, against UNEP’s estimate of $140–$300 billion needed annually by 2030. Our webinar highlighted the urgent need for co-investors and donors to seize opportunities in this space.

Portfolio speakers

The session showcased the following line-up of scalable, pioneering portfolio organisations delivering tangible impact in climate adaptation and resilience: 

Komunidad

Komunidad helps local governments, businesses and communities respond more effectively and efficiently to the urgent challenges of climate change with early warning systems and weather data analytics platforms, allowing them to become more climate-resilient.

Blackfrog

Blackfrog Tech has developed Emvólio, a patented rapid cooling technology for safe last-mile transport of vaccines, insulin, breast-milk, blood-serums, medications and specimens with minimal thermal shock.

Buildchange

Working with one of Indonesia’s largest microfinance institutions, Build Change has developed and is testing a loan product which enables low income women to adapt their homes to be more resilient to climate shocks, especially extreme heat, underpinned by customised digital advisory services.

Thematic focus

The innovators explored key challenges and opportunities in climate adaptation and resilience including how to ensure financial sustainability and impact at scale, the role of partnerships, and engagement with government and the private sector.

Watch the webinar

GIF's climate impact

Since launching its climate adaptation mandate, GIF has deployed $33 million across 18 climate-focused deals, supporting 48 million people to adapt to the impact of climate change, 24 million of whom are women and girls. Outcomes have included improved access to clean water, increased incomes and enhanced climate resilience, demonstrating the tangible difference that strategic investment can make. Read more about our climate work here.