Putting people at the center of climate solutions

Climate change is an urgent human crisis.  Since 2022, 400 million students worldwide have faced school closures due to extreme weather, with low-income countries losing an average of 18 school days each year. By 2050, the health costs of climate inaction may well surpass $21 trillion in low- and middle-income countries.

While climate change is a global phenomenon, its impacts play out locally. As global temperatures rise, local governments, communities, and households face more frequent and more severe climate hazards, including hurricanes, droughts, and heatwaves. These hazards devastate communities, displace families, damage infrastructure, and strain public resources and local budgets.

Addressing these emergencies requires a people-centered approach that empowers individuals, prioritizes resilience and adaptation in policies, and mobilizes communities to adapt and drive positive change. 
 

Investing in people for climate resilience and solutions

Investing in human capital — people’s knowledge, skills, and health— is one of the most effective tools to build resilience, adaptability, and sustainable development.

A new World Bank Group report, People in a Changing Climate: From Vulnerability to Action, draws insights from Country Climate and Development Reports that now cover more than 70 countries and economies, and shows that investing in people boosts communities’ capacity and lays the groundwork for a low-carbon future. In Angola, for instance, investments in health and nutrition can protect people against climate shocks, especially for the most vulnerable and food-insecure families. The Philippines adopted education as a tool to combat climate change by mandating schools to teach green skills and integrate adaptation into health, science, and social studies curricula.  

These investments yield high returns. The World Bank estimates that a one-time investment of $18.51 per child can mitigate climate impacts, improve school infrastructure, ensure learning continuity, and empower students and teachers as agents of change for a livable planet.

^{Students building wind and solar models in a renewable energy lab at a World Bank-supported African Center of Excellence in Energy and Sustainable Development in Rwanda. Photo: Kelley Lynch / World Bank}

When climate policy puts people at the center, everyone wins

People-centered climate policies benefit both people and the planet. For instance, well-designed policies can create new opportunities, especially for workers affected by the transition to a green economy. Viet Nam’s net-zero pathway, for example, is expected to boost employment by close to one million jobs by 2040, with skills development programs playing a major role in preparing workers for green industries. In South Asia, implementing air quality management—related to the climate crisis—could reduce premature deaths from air pollution by approximately 750,000 each year, including a 67% decrease in Nepal.

Investing in climate-resilient infrastructure—such as health, education, and transportation systems—also helps ensure access to essential services during climate shocks, reducing emissions, and enabling people to remain healthy, educated, and productive.

Mobilizing communities in climate action

Local action is vital for building climate resilience. Community-led approaches can ground climate policies in local knowledge and needs, build subnational and local institutions to support preparedness and recovery and invest in climate solutions tailored to their unique circumstances and needs. In the Maldives, training communities on climate change and disaster risk management is helping integrate climate adaptation into local planning, while national strategies leverage this grassroots insight to create practical, impactful solutions. 

Many countries are investing in strengthening local institutions to support adaptation and resilience. Subnational and local governments often hold important responsibilities for climate adaptation and mitigation. Opportunities to enhance their capacity and financing can accelerate locally led approaches to climate action and resilience. In Kenya, the Financing Locally led Climate Action project, launched in 2021, was the first World Bank national-scale model of devolved climate finance to support the government of Kenya to translate its ambitious climate agenda into scaled-up action on the ground. 

Other examples from Amazon countries underscore the role that Indigenous communities play in forest conservation and land management, with their territories accounting for more than 30 percent of the forest.

Community-driven solutions also address the underlying social drivers of climate vulnerability, such as poverty and exclusion. In the Western Balkans, where many Roma families live in substandard housing highly vulnerable to climate shocks, adding vulnerable and at-risk groups to social registries enhances disaster response and the effectiveness of adaptive social protection programs. 

Supporting countries in their climate response

The World Bank is supporting countries in implementing a people-centered climate response. As part of its effort to expand quality, affordable health services for 1.5 billion people by 2030, the Bank’s Climate and Health Program helps countries assess their climate and health vulnerabilities, invests in climate-resilient health systems, and works with partners to mobilize additional financing, evidence, and collective action. In Nigeria, the Bank supports implementation of climate-health adaptation plans at both national and state levels, strengthening primary health care services, building staffing capacity, and expanding financial protection for climate-vulnerable populations.

The Bank’s plan to scale up social protection programs to support at least 500 million people by 2030 will also enhance resilience against climate shocks, while also addressing poverty, hunger, and loss of livelihoods arising from shocks. Today, 1.2 billion people face life-changing risks through exposure to at least one critical climate hazard. Increasingly, the Country Climate and Development Reports  will also highlight gender differentials in climate change and showcase the opportunities for promoting gender equality. A people-centered approach will remain a focus in future CCDRs. 

We can power a sustainable, low-carbon, and resilient future by prioritizing human capital, jobs and livelihoods, and institutional capacity. A people-centered approach to climate action strengthens communities, drives economic growth, and enables countries to adapt and thrive in a changing climate. 

At COP29, we invite you to join us for a series of World Bank events on November 18, Human Capital Day, showcasing how investing in people helps create a livable planet.