As the impacts of climate change intensify, large, decentralised countries face challenges in implementing effective adaptation measures. The working paper “Vertical integration: Bridging national and local climate adaptation in Indonesia, Brazil and India” published by the World Resources Institute (WRI), examines how the vertical integration of climate change adaptation can be strengthened, using Indonesia, Brazil and India as comparative case studies.
The paper provides empirical evidence on common barriers, highlights opportunities and offers practical recommendations for policymakers, planners and development partners on how coordination across governmental levels can be enhanced. The paper highlights how large, decentralised countries such as Indonesia, Brazil and India must overcome fragmented adaptation governance and ensure vertical policy coherence across all governmental levels to facilitate more robust and effective climate adaptation actions. A mandatory national coordination framework with clear mandates and binding protocols is essential to achieving this.
Based on a comparative analysis, the study reveals common barriers to effective climate adaptation, including governance and institutional fragmentation, uneven capacity across governmental levels and limited financial resources. To address these barriers and advance locally led, resilient climate adaptation aligned with the Global Goal on Adaptation, the paper recommends strengthening cross-sectoral governance, building institutional capacity and improving data and information systems.
Access the paper here