Resilient Futures Initiative

Case studies

The Resilience Maturity Assessment (ReMA) is a practical self-assessment tool developed by UNDRR in collaboration with the Corporate Chief Resilience Officers (CCRO) Network. It supports organizations, particularly small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), in assessing their resilience to disruptions and identifying priority actions for improvement. Beyond the assessment, ReMA provides access to more than 40 ready-to-use templates and tools that help organizations implement resilience measures in practice. ReMA is being deployed through partnerships with global companies, business associations, and chambers of commerce to strengthen resilience across supply chains and local economies. By combining global expertise with local implementation, the tool helps embed risk-informed decision-making into business operations and foster more resilient communities.
Global
Scaling Business Resilience: The Resilience Maturity Assessment (ReMA)
United Nations
A briefing paper making the case for building resilient urban and rural places through infrastructure innovations. The paper looks at the intersection between infrastructure and innovation from Japan (including large scale infrastructure, rural infrastructure, and other technological and urban innovations), the importance of having systems lens and change approach, and viewing resilience as an economic catalyst.
Japan
Resilient Economies: Flood Adaptation Infrastructure Innovations from Japan
Despite recent headlines suggesting the climate transition is stalling, overall growth in green investments has not wavered. Worth over $5 trillion per year – the green economy is the world’s most dynamic growth sector after technology. Green revenues are growing twice as fast as conventional revenues on average and companies operating in these markets typically gain access to cheaper capital and often enjoy premium valuations on capital markets.
Already a Multi-Trillion-Dollar Market: CEO Guide to Growth in the Green Economy
1. Situation: Voluntary Carbon Markets (VCMs) are systems where companies or individuals can buy carbon credits to offset their greenhouse gas emissions. VCMs have many promising aspects, but they do not constitute direct emissions reduction. Additionally, While VCMs create new market-based incentives for carbon abatement, their integrity is often critiqued as lackluster, un-transparent, and poorly verified.2. Complication: The carbon crisis and energy transition are “wicked problems” that exist in dynamic, nonlinear environments, where solutions from predetermined paths cannot be relied upon with certainty. As a result, effective carbon offsetting, requires a nuanced understanding the systems that underpin the market, and strategic projections that propose many possible solutions to uncertain outcomes. Addressing these challenges necessitates integrating climate foresight into carbon market research - allowing teams to move from silos to systems, and rethink the structures that incentivize desired outcomes. Foresight will also allow businesses and investors to consider multiple stakeholders and complex ecosystem interactions.3. Solution: This article uses Brazilian climate-tech startup Lux Carbon Standard (LuxCS) as a case study to evaluate the role of anticipatory governance - a growing futures concept - in transforming VCMs. By applying climate and strategic foresight, systems thinking, and theories of change, LuxCS is building a democratized, transparent, and effective carbon credit market, initially adapted to Brazil and its biomes. Alongside their foresight integration, LuxCS is using cutting edge techniques including blockchain, satellite monitoring, and innovative biodiversity calculations, to verify the integrity of carbon credits. LuxCS is driving systemic change in VCMs, as their standards can be scaled globally. Nevertheless, while the opportunities are great, this study also explores foresight exercises that reveal how LuxCS’ strategy could result in perverse outcomes for VCMs and the energy transition as a whole.Impact/Outcome:Strategic foresight tools have enabled LuxCS and its partners to navigate deep uncertainty, providing actionable frameworks for decision-making and long-term planning in the VCM ecosystem. By leveraging positive narratives and informed optimism, LuxCS is helping to shift perceptions around carbon markets. LuxCS’s initiative democratizes market access, benefiting all stakeholders from local landowners to global buyers. The integration of advanced technologies—such as blockchain, satellite monitoring, and innovative biodiversity metrics—has improved transparency, traceability, and the credibility of carbon credits. LuxCS’s vision, together with Brazil’s evolving regulations, positions the country as a potential leader in global carbon markets. Achieving this vision will require ongoing collective action and agency from all stakeholders. Bill 182/2024 serves as a key regulatory lever for transforming global carbon markets. Achieving a “virtuous tipping point” in the VCM will require ongoing collective action, agency, and the convergence of narratives, foresight, and systems change to ensure sustainable, high-integrity outcomes for all stakeholders.
Brazil
Climate Foresight: Transforming the Voluntary Carbon Markets
Disruptive Futures Institute
Climate risks are no longer a distant threat; they are unfolding now, disrupting industries worldwide. Climate-related disasters have inflicted over $3.6 trillion in damage since 2000, with risks accelerating. For businesses, physical risks like extreme weather events and transition risks such as rising carbon pricing are already transforming markets and reshaping business models.
The Cost of Inaction: A CEO Guide to Navigating Climate Risk
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Bold Measures to Close the Climate Action Gap: A Call for Systemic Change by Governments and Corporations
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The State of Climate Action: Major Course Correction Needed from +1.5% to −7% Annual Emissions
This guide is intended to help businesses that have decided to include Natural Climate Solutions (NCS) voluntary carbon credits in their climate strategies. This guidance supports businesses as they navigate the procurement process for high-quality NCS carbon credits that meet the tripartite goals of climate change mitigation, biodiversity gains and benefits to people. Specifically, readers will find practical information to guide them step by step through the entire purchase process for NCS carbon credits.
Buyer's Guide to Natural Climate Solutions Carbon Credits
This first edition of the Net-Zero Industry Tracker report sets the World Economic Forum’s ambition to establish a robust tracking platform that supports the emergence of low-carbon industries by the decade’s end. Industrial sectors account for nearly 40% of global energy consumption and more than 30% of global greenhouse gas emissions. The transformation of these sectors is pivotal to reaching net-zero emissions by 2050. While efforts are under way and commitments are being made, the reality of net-zero for these industries is lagging and extrapolating from today’s speed of progress will fall far short. It is time to close the gaps with timely and consistent monitoring of industrial decarbonization.
The Net-Zero Industry Tracker
Global climate action is gaining momentum, with governments and businesses setting targets unthinkable even three to four years ago. An accelerating net-zero transition will challenge heritage business models, but also create opportunities for early movers. This report illustrates how climate leaders can seize significant advantage and shows how their leadership can have an outsized impact. They are changing the game – and compelling others to follow. CEOs across all sectors need to navigate an unprecedented global transformation. On the path to net zero, they must successfully transform their strategy, operations, business portfolio and organization. There is no blueprint for what lies ahead, but this report offers invaluable guidance on what to look out for and which moves to consider.
Winning the Race to Net Zero: The CEO Guide to Climate Advantage
To achieve the goal of a safe climate, we will need to both dramatically reduce emissions to achieve absolute zero greenhouse gases and simultaneously start reducing the stock of pollutants already in the atmosphere – which would otherwise remain there for thousands of years. This publication focuses on the 10–20 billion tons of CO2 removals needed every year if we are to keep warming below Paris Agreement thresholds.
Net-Zero to Net-Negative: A Guide for Leaders on Carbon Removal
Carbon pricing – which is a price paid on carbon dioxide (CO2) and other GHG emissions – is generally agreed to be an effective method to reduce emissions.2 The intent of this report is to analyze the impacts of international carbon pricing scenarios on economies and industries to provide information useful to governments, businesses and civil society in advance of COP26.
Increasing Climate Ambition: Analysis of an International Carbon Price Floor
Published under the auspices of the World Economic Forum Global Future Council on Clean Electrification, this Insight Report invites policy-makers, regulators and investors to place greater focus on the demand side of the electricity system. It presents the technology, business models and system governance necessary to unlock flexible demand in the grid infrastructure to achieve a net-zero grid. Nine recommendations to get to net zero by increasing clean electrification are outlined under three main themes: digital technology is the fundamental enabler of a resilient net-zero grid; new business models will make a net-zero grid affordable; and a new comprehensive system governance model will be vital to ensuring a seamless and resilient net-zero grid.
Getting to Net Zero: Increasing Clean Electrification by Empowering Demand
Produced in collaboration with Oliver Wyman, this report argues that to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and achieve a net-zero future, a multifold increase in private capital flows is needed to deploy, validate and expand critical breakthrough technologies in the next decade. Individual stakeholder action will not solve the potential market failures, resulting in significant investment gaps. Co-designed solutions that focus on innovative financing approaches, new ways of doing business as well as de-risking measures are necessary. By proposing an initial set of financing approaches and de-risking solutions, this report seeks to initiate an important discussion on how to rapidly accelerate the deployment of capital towards breakthrough technologies to fight climate change.
Financing the Transition to a Net-Zero Future
This report, co-authored with Boston Consulting Group, is the second in our series for the Net-Zero Challenge. It showcases the opportunity that all companies have for huge climate impact through action to decarbonize global supply chains.
Net-Zero Challenge: The supply chain opportunity
To meet the goals of the Paris agreement, a major shift to non-fossil technologies is necessary. As demand for green materials is expected to surpass supply, companies that take a leading role in developing and marketing green offerings will likely benefit. This report, written in collaboration with Boston Consulting Group, demonstrates how green market leaders can thrive by taking an early market position and investing in green technologies, even if they currently come at a cost premium. Consumers are increasingly willing to pay a "green premium" for sustainable products, and early adopters in both upstream and downstream parts of key value chains are already capturing price premiums. In order to succeed in green markets, companies should design a green target portfolio, shape their value proposition, identify target segments, create a green pricing strategy and work to unlock scaling barriers. While pioneering green markets involves taking a risk, it is likely to pay off as untapped markets emerge and are willing to pay more for sustainable products.
Winning in Green Markets: Scaling Products for a Net Zero World
Solution Provide households with a standardized way to assess the bushfire resilience of their homes and identify actions that improve protection across building design, landscaping, and maintenance Key challenge Households often lack a clear, consistent way to understand their current resilience level or which mitigation measures most effectively reduce risk Context The Bushfire Resilience Rating was developed by the Resilient Building Council with government support in response to calls for better ways to identify actions that measurably improve the resilience of individual homes. It takes a whole-property approach covering the building, surrounding landscape, and ongoing maintenance. Solution in practice Households can use the Bushfire Resilience Rating Home Self-Assessment app to assess their property, receive a resilience rating, and identify actions to improve it. The system is also being linked to certified ratings and, in some cases, premium or mortgage incentives from insurers and lenders. Impact / outcome Household self-assessment app gives a resilience rating; being linked to certified ratings and some insurer and lender incentives. Next steps Expand certification uptake, strengthen links between verified resilience measures and insurance pricing, and increase use of the rating as a practical tool for household risk reduction in bushfire-prone areas. Organizations involved Authoring: Resilient Building Council Implementation partners Civil Society Organizations; Regulators & Policymakers; Insurers; Investors & Banks
Australia
Australia’s Bushfire Resilience Rating
Solution Build a master-planned community above code using elevation, nature-based water management, hardened critical facilities, and distributed renewable energy so homes retain power, water, and access during hurricanes and flooding. Key challenge High and rising hurricane/flood exposure in Florida, with increasing insurance costs and already limited flood insurance uptake, requiring properties to be more resilient to remain viable and reduce losses. Context Hurricane Ian (September 2022) struck southwest Florida with ~150mph winds, ~17 inches of rain in 24 hours and storm surge up to ~18ft, causing over $112bn in damage, at least 150 deaths, and power outages affecting more than four million people. Babcock Ranch, an 18,000-acre development in the storm’s path just north of Fort Myers, experienced minimal damage and maintained power, internet and clean water; it also served as an emergency shelter for nearby communities. Florida’s flat terrain makes it highly flood-prone, only 18% of homes have flood insurance, insurance costs were projected to rise by 40% in 2023, and population growth and development are expected to increase exposure over the next 50 years. Solution in practice The developer built the town above code and at additional cost, with multiple integrated design features: elevating the development to about 30ft above sea level; using lakes as dual-purpose retaining ponds; designing streets to absorb excess rainfall; reinforcing the community hall as a storm shelter; powering the community via an 870-acre solar farm; and preserving natural flow ways and wetlands to retain and route floodwaters to the Caloosahatchee River. Planning incorporated 1940s maps to identify historic water flow paths and avoid obstructing them. During Hurricane Ian, the community reportedly avoided loss of power, internet and clean water, and experienced minimal physical damage compared with surrounding areas. Impact / outcome Kept power, internet and clean water with minimal damage during Hurricane Ian (2022) and served as a shelter. Next steps Developers around the world are already looking to Babcock Ranch as inspiration for building their own resilience-led communities. Use Babcock Ranch's performance during Hurricane Ian as evidence to accelerate building code reform and insurance recognition in Florida and other hurricane-exposed states. A recognized gap is how to address affordability concerns for weatherproofing existing homes and low-income communities. Babcock Ranch's model has so far served higher-income buyers, and scaling resilient community design to mid-market and affordable housing requires public subsidy, inclusionary zoning, and recognition mechanisms that reward resilience investment regardless of property value. Organizations involved Authoring: Babcock Ranch Implementation partners Property value chain stakeholders; Local Governments; Infrastructure Owners & Operators
USA
Storm- and flood-resilient master-planned community design — Babcock Ranch (Florida)
Solution Rate the place once and reward everyone in it: score municipalities on coordinated flood-plain risk management and link every step up the scale to insurance premium discounts for policyholders across the community. Key challenge Individual homeowners cannot manage risk on a flood-plain - the choices that matter most, where to permit building, how to maintain barriers and how to warn residents, sit with the municipality - yet for decades there was no mechanism that rewarded a town for making those choices well. Context FEMA created the Community Rating System (CRS) in 1990 under the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) to reward coordinated flood-plain risk management. It applies to high flood-risk areas and residential properties across urban, peri-urban and rural municipalities, and is the longest-established example of place-level recognition, now with thirty-five years of operating evidence. Solution in practice Municipalities earn points across creditable activities spanning public information, mapping, flood-damage reduction and warning systems, and are scored from Class 10 to Class 1. Around 1,500 communities participate. Two features define it: premium discounts linked to every step up the scale, reaching 45% at Class 1 for eligible policyholders; and collective incentives by design, since residents benefit only when their local government acts, so residents lobby for the public investments that reduce community-level risk. Tulsa, Oklahoma shows the system at its best: after a flood killed 14 people in 1984, the city spent four decades converting its flood-plain and upgrading storm-water systems, earning a Class 1 rating in 2022 and the maximum discount for its residents. Impact / outcome Around 1,500 communities take part; premium discounts of up to 45% at Class 1 (Tulsa reached Class 1 in 2022). Next steps Thirty-five years of evidence make the CRS a good example for place-level recognition, yet no equivalent exists in most markets worldwide, so there is an opportunity to develop similar models in other countries and to extend its logic to other perils. The playbook sets out two areas where innovation is required. Developing place-based recognition in other regions: the CRS demonstrates that rating a place and rewarding its residents works, and there are opportunities to adapt the model for other countries and perils - something both existing and new natural catastrophe risk pools could consider incorporating into their design. Interoperability of existing rating systems: for systems such as wildfire ratings, mutual recognition among national schemes - for example the Insurance Institute for Business and Home Safety (IBHS) Wildfire Prepared designation and Australia's Bushfire Resilience Rating - would support consistent assessment of portfolios that span countries, supporting global asset managers and investors. Organizations involved Authoring: Marsh Actors: Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA); National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP); City of Tulsa Implementation partners Regulators & Policymakers; Local Governments; Insurers; Civil Society Organizations
USA
Community-level flood ratings — the US Community Rating System
Solution Long-term blended debt financing for climate-resilient bulk water infrastructure Key challenge EMDE infrastructure projects face affordability, preparation, and bankability constraints, especially when resilience features are added Context Kigali needed to expand and secure potable water supply while reducing climate exposure and diversifying away from sole reliance on groundwater Solution in practice EAAIF acted as lead arranger for the Kigali Bulk Water Supply Project, structuring long-tenor financing. The project incorporated climate-resilient design features including elevated control centers, flood-resilient cabling, riparian buffer revegetation, and treatment capacity designed for heavier rainfall and sediment loads Impact / outcome Long-tenor blended financing arranged for the Kigali Bulk Water Supply Project, with climate-resilient design built in. Next steps Replicate long-tenor blended financing structures for climate-resilient urban water systems, strengthen project preparation for resilient infrastructure in emerging markets, and build a broader pipeline of bankable city-scale water resilience projects. Organizations involved Authoring: Glasgow Financial Alliance for Net Zero (GFANZ) Actors: Emerging Africa & Asia Infrastructure Fund (EAAIF) Implementation partners Investors & Banks; Infrastructure Owners & Operators; Regulators & Policymakers; Civil Society Organizations
Rwanda
Mobilizing debt financing for climate-resilient water infrastructure — Kigali, Rwanda

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