Climate change-related land degradation, desertification and the increased risk of drought is threatening more and more communities across the world’s most vulnerable nations. The impacts of these combined threats are most acutely experienced at the local level and communities’ ability to respond and act is limited by their lack of access to finance.

The Local Climate Adaptive Living Facility channels climate finance to local governments for investments that meet community needs as they respond and adapt the worsening impacts of climate change. Often, those investments include land regeneration activities, measures to tackle or roll-back desertification and efforts to strengthen preparedness for climate shocks, such as drought.

“We listen to our country partners and we understand that the impacts of climate change are most acutely experienced at the local level – where we live, work and go to school,” said Sophie De Coninck, Global Facility Manager at the UN Capital Development Fund, which designed LoCAL over ten years ago.

“This World Environment Day, let’s remember that improved access to finance can unlock countries’ potential to invest in land restoration, tackle desertification and build their resilience and preparedness for a range of climate-related shocks, including drought.”

This year, World Environment Day focuses on land restoration, halting desertification and building drought resilience – areas of action that communities all over the world are addressing with grants received through the LoCAL Facility.

Performance-Based Climate Resilience Grants provide much-needed finance to local government authorities and their communities and have enabled over 18 million people to benefit from adaptation investments to date. Communities participate in consultations to decide how grants are spent, ensuring that investments meet local needs and the realities of climate change as they are experienced by the people who live there.

Communities are also engaged in the implementation and monitoring of the finance provided. In 2023 alone, LoCAL financed 142 climate change adaptation interventions in eight countries— Bangladesh, Bhutan, Burkina Faso, The Gambia, Ghana, Lesotho, Mozambique and Tanzania. Some 81% of these investments were made into water and social infrastructure while 18% focused on awareness raising and capacity building.

In Mozambique, community consultations ensure that voices are heard and the community also builds their knowledge and capacity to adapt to the impacts of climate change, which include climate-shocks and extreme weather events.

“Before this water system, all we knew was suffering,” said Adolfo Chivande, a local leader said as he proudly shows off a recently inaugurated water supply and desalination system in the Macaretane community, Chokwe district, Gaza Province.

Adolfo Chivande stand in front of the desalination sytem in Macaretane community, Chokwe district, Gaza Province

“When it didn’t rain, people from the main city came here to sell us water at a high price; In other cases, we ended up going to the side of the road where there is a small pond, and together with the animals, we used the same stagnant water to drink.’’

LoCAL PBCRGs have financed similar water projects in drought-prone regions of Tanzania. In West Africa’s Sahel region, water infrastructure is being combined with training on natural resource management and climate smart agriculture in Burkina Faso. There, communities have revived traditional farming practices that promote soil regeneration as well as invested in tree planting to hold back desertification. While in Niger, communities are investing in improved water infrastructure as well as income-diversification activities that build community level resilience to cope during times of drought.

Read our catalogue of articles for more examples of how communities are adapting to the impacts of climate change with LoCAL.

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