Living with Rising Waters – Choices for Resilient Cities and Coast

​Climate change and rising sea levels are increasing the risks faced by cities and communities. As these risks evolve over the coming decades, cities will need to make long-term decisions on how to protect their coastlines, manage flood risks and adapt their urban environments to a changing climate.

​Building flood and coastal resilience requires more than infrastructure alone. Cities will need to consider a range of approaches, including engineering and nature-based solutions, while navigating long planning horizons, climate uncertainty, financing needs and competing demands for land and resources. These decisions will shape not only how cities respond to climate risks today, but also the environments inherited by future generations.

​This session brings together perspectives from national and city governments, international water and climate adaptation leaders, and youth to explore the choices involved in building resilient cities and communities. Through a “Voice from 2050” youth segment and moderated discussion, panellists will examine how cities can translate long-term adaptation plans into action, mobilise partnerships and investment, and make decisions today that remain effective as climate risks evolve.

​The session will also bring an intergenerational perspective to climate adaptation, asking a simple but important question: what decision must we make today to build a more resilient future for the generations that will inherit and live with their consequences?