VALENCIA, SPAIN - NOVEMBER 1: Cars and a campervan are strewn over railway tracks after being swept up in the recent flash flooding in the nearby municipality Alfafar on November 1, 2024 in the Alfafar municipality of Valencia, Spain. By Friday morning, Spanish authorities confirmed that at least 200 people had died, mostly in the Valencia region, amid the flooding that swept eastern and southern parts of the country starting on Tuesday. The intense rainfall event is known as a "cold drop" or DANA weather system. (Photo by David Ramos/Getty Images)

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Climate change resilience cannot be built from the top-down and more emphasis needs to be placed on locally led adaptation, according to a new analysis.

The report by the Zurich Climate Resilience Alliance warns adaptation and disaster risk reduction efforts are often too disconnected from communities.

It also adds despite the growing momentum around the principles of locally led adaptation, implementation remains “the exception rather than the norm”.

And it claims funding for locally led adaptation remains constrained and decision-making processes are often centralised.

“Despite having the most pertinent experience of climate hazards and their solutions, communities and local actors are not consistently at the centre of decision-making about the issues that most affect them and where they live,” the report states.

“When communities shape priorities, adaptation efforts are better targeted, more accountable, and more responsive to the realities that people face.”

The study calls for improved participatory processes, so community members and marginalised groups can engage directly with authorities to develop responses, which are more likely to reflect their own needs.

It also recommends local governments integrate climate resilience into development and annual investment plans.

The study also says local authorities should use community generated evidence, such as participatory risk assessments, to guide budget decisions.

And it calls on donors and international funders to increase both the quality and quantity of adaptation finance, and to invest in local organisations.

The report also recommends national governments equip local authorities with the technical support and funding they need to fulfil their adaptation and disaster risk reduction efforts.

Report co-author, and advocacy manager at Concern Worldwide, Sally Tyldesley, said many people who are living with those immediate impacts of climate change already know the risks they face, in an interview.

Tyldesley highlighted the importance of local innovations, which she added are often more effective as they are tailored to the particular place, people and culture

“We know when communities are empowered to make decisions, adaptation is more likely to be successful because it's owned by the people,” she told me.

“But in many cases, communities are still not consistently at the centre of the decision-making process about how to deal with climate risks.”

She said it was important to have dedicated local budgets for climate change adaptation and disaster risk reduction and for participatory processes to be strengthened to make sure communities and marginalised groups can shape priorities and decision-making.

Tyldesley said the quality and quantity of adaptation finance available at an international level also needs to be improved.

“We need to make sure funders are investing in flexible long-term programs, which allow for trust building and institutional capacity strengthening, rather than just short-term project cycles,” she told me.

A previous study by the World Resources Institute (WRI) found every $1 invested in adaptation can yield over $10.50 in benefits.

The WRI report argues adaptation is often narrowly seen as a way of avoiding climate-related losses, yet it can also deliver economic, social, and environmental returns.

Vivek Venkataramani, associate director, climate resilience practice at WRI India said communities on the frontlines of climate change are often closest to the solutions,” in an email.

Venkataramani added their lived experience and deep knowledge of their land, water and ecosystems make them uniquely placed to lead adaptation.

“Making adaptation a core part of development budgets and policies will help scale up locally led approaches,” he said.

“International finance can then catalyse innovation and bring the technology communities need to stay ahead of rising climate risks.”