weADAPT: Global platform for knowledge exchange on climate adaptation

The platform receives about 20,000 visits each month. Its network encompasses more than 8,000 registered users from more than 5,000 organizations. These include think tanks, government ministries, national hydrometeorological services, universities and research institutes, civil society organizations, social enterprises, private-sector businesses, grassroots charities, and INGOs and NGOs.

Our analytics show that we have visitors from all over the world, including from more than 200 countries and territories, with strong pulses in Europe, East Africa and South Asia.

Anyone can register for free to become a user. Users can share content on the platform, take part in discussion forums, and connect with other users.

Key weADAPT features:

• A global map of case studies showing who is doing adaptation work, where it is taking place, and what issues are being addressed. Users can search the map both by topic and by geographic area to find what interests them.
• Options for sharing multiple types of content, including articles, case studies, blogs, events, courses, guidance and tools.
• Discussion Forum where users can ask questions, share comments, announcements and reflections or answer other users’ posts.
• Translation services to provide information in more than 100 different languages.
• A dynamic interface that allows users to find trending content, bookmark content to read later, follow other users and organizations, and be notified when relevant content is published.
• An eco-conscious” design. Users can select “green” settings to reduce energy and data consumption across the site. New options for “dark-mode” and low-quality-image settings reduce energy use and increase accessibility for those who have low or unreliable internet access and connectivity.
• Upcoming: Ways to connect with and send direct messages to other users

Learning from one another

Established in 2007, weADAPT seeks to accelerate learning, networking and knowledge sharing on climate change adaptation issues – especially for those in “hard-to-reach” areas in the Global South.

weADAPT’s vision is to co-create a space for researchers, planners, practitioners, decision-makers and students to share and access credible, high-quality information. They can also connect and collaborate with peers and networks on climate change adaptation issues and access policy-relevant tools and guidance for adaptation planning and decision-making. Cross-cutting topics are linked through keywords making content across weADAPT highly connected, in a bid to reduce knowledge silos.

weADAPT seeks to extend accessibility to areas that are often left out of the adaptation conversation, and to regions that are often not able to find the most up-to-date information to take steps needed to adapt to the impacts of a changing climate. Features to facilitate access from such areas, like translation services and low-energy browsing options, are helping weADAPT fulfill its mission. weADAPT users can – and do – learn from one another. For example, practitioners can now follow their peers, from different geographical locations, to hear about their latest activities and publications.

weADAPT Themes

weADAPT has 22 themes covering a wide range of adaptation topics. These are co-created by a range of people and organizations. Many themes contain subcategories of important topics. Subscribing to these themes allows users to receive updates when users share relevant findings. Some featured themes are:

1. Climate, Food Security and Agriculture
2. Climate Change Adaptation in Mountains
3. Climate Adaptation Training
4. Human Mobility
5. Gender and Social Equality
6. Climate Finance
7. Nature-based Solutions
8. Adaptation Decision Making
9. Using Climate Information
10. Water Security (launched in March 2024 in collaboration with the SEI LA Centre)

Additional themes and networks are available on the weADAPT website.

If you would like to host your own theme or network, get in touch!

weADAPT Social Media

weADAPT features our projects, articles, and features on three social media platforms, each hosting several thousand followers as well as in our newsletter (subscribe here).
Find us on: Facebook | LinkedIn | Twitter/X

weADAPT Microsites

weADAPT microsites are a service that allow organizations and networks to build their own bespoke websites at a fraction of the normal cost and in a way that ensures the visibility of knowledge products beyond the lifetime of any project.

These individually customized websites benefit from weADAPT in many ways: through its rich knowledge base, active social media channels, popular newsletter, growing levels of website traffic, and, ultimately, through the connections that allow knowledge products to meaningfully connect to the weADAPT community worldwide.

Additional website benefits include unique website design, branding and URLs as needed. At the same time, these bespoke websites are powered by the same state-of-the-art tools and technology underlying weADAPT.org.

Current weADAPT microsites:

• Adaptation at Altitude project (Zoi Environment Network and Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation) project (Zoi Environment Network and Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation).
• Adaptation without Borders, which hosts flagship work on transnational climate impacts. This work has been undertaken by SEI, the Overseas Development Institute (ODI) and the Institute for Sustainable Development and International Relations (IDDRI).
• Agora Community Hub, to empower citizens and local communities to share needs, knowledge and experiences on climate adaptation issues and solutions.
• CanAdapt Adaptation Learning Network, a Canadian climate adaptation capacity-building hub that provides a responsive platform for training, education, communities of practice, and information resources.
• MAIA, which connects communities, platforms, knowledge and research on climate change.

Find out how to cite content from weADAPT.

Under review in Climate Services:

Measuring What We Value: Creating Pathways to ‘Usable’ Information for the Weadapt Community of Research, Policy and Practice (Bharwani, Sukaina and Williamson, Kate and Butterfield, Ruth)

weADAPT is supported by SEI, Sida, microsite partnerships and projects.

In January 2024, we launched an upgraded version of weADAPT, with a fresh new look, innovative technological capabilities and an eco-conscious design. The upgrade was part of weADAPT’s mission to respond to user needs and continue to foster an informed global climate change adaptation community.

We are still working on developing and enhancing a number of functionalities (such as our platform messaging system and improving forums).