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Published: 06 Jun 2023 652 views
The Climate Resiliency Challenge is an invitation for organizations and teams across the globe to develop solutions that will empower frontline communities to be ready and resilient against disasters caused by climate change – in particular, wildfires, floods, and extreme weather.
We are increasingly experiencing the effects of climate change and climate-related disasters on our lives, environments and ecosystems. Disruptive climate events such as wildfires, floods and extreme weather are often accompanied by loss of life, reduced quality of life, long recovery times and property loss and damage.* Climate-related disasters cause $120 billion in damages annually in the United States. That figure is five times greater than 50 years ago, and projections are $2 trillion by the end of the century.
The ability to prevent, prepare for and recover from these impacts is called climate resilience*, and is a key part of climate adaptation. While mitigating climate change remains a top priority, we must also consider the currently felt effects of climate change and climate-related disasters on people, infrastructures and landscapes. New solutions are necessary to support climate adaptation, particularly in frontline communities.
What do we mean when we say “frontline”? For this Challenge, we define frontline communities as neighborhoods or populations of people that feel the most immediate and worst impacts from climate change, who are physically exposed to climate risks due to the locations of their homes and businesses, and – importantly – who have fewer resources, capacity or political power to respond to those risks. Historically, people of color, people who identify as women or non-binary, people who have lower incomes, who have disabilities, who are children or elderly, or who are LGBTQ have been disproportionately affected by climate-related risks and disasters.* The goal for this challenge is to solicit new, empowering ideas for and with these communities.
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| Application Deadline | 10 Jul 2023 |
| Country to study | |
| Type | Contest |
| Sponsor | OpenIDEO |
| Gender | Men and Women |
Multiple awards will be given in each category listed below, making up to a total of $1 million. Winners will be announced on or around August 1, 2023. We are excited to support innovators across multiple stages of development:
Emerging Innovator Award: Early-stage concepts: Up to $50K USD
Mid-stage Innovator Award: Growth-stage concepts: Up to $100K USD
Advanced Solutions Award: Scaling-stage concepts: Up to $200K USD
Moreover, solutions submitted will receive:
Media Coverage and Visibility: Throughout the Challenge, participants will be promoted through a variety of media and channels, including an extensive partner media, social media, website, and email campaign.
Exposure to Networks: All submissions and participants will be visible to experts, investors, and funders across a wide range of industries, academia, policy organizations, and sponsor partners.
Connections to Like-minded Partners: All submissions and participants will benefit from engaging with the open innovation community and getting acquainted with like-minded individuals who can become future collaborators and/or partners in each others’ ideas.
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We are looking for innovative thinkers – experts, community members, and designers – from all industries and sectors who are passionate about creating climate-resilient communities.
We especially invite participation from communities on the frontlines of climate change, and organizations or entities that work directly with those communities. We particularly encourage people of color, people who identify as women or non-binary, Native individuals, and members of the LGBTQ+ community to apply.
This is a purposefully open invitation. We’re casting the net wide to capture ideas at every stage, of any scale, from around the world. For this reason, Google Translate is built into the platform, so users can select their preferred language to view the text, including the submission form. That said, all answers on the submission form must be provided in English.
This Challenge is open to individuals, teams of individuals, and legal entities. While the primary focus for solutions is on North America, we will accept scalable and transferable solutions from around the world. The primary participant submitting the proposal must be at least 18 years old. For additional Challenge rules, including more details about eligibility requirements, please see the full Terms & Conditions.
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This Challenge is built around three themes that inspire our thinking about where innovation can most benefit frontline communities. Themes are not meant to be exclusionary of each other, and solution ideas can fit under any and all of the themes.
1. PREVENTION: Eliminating the risk of climate-related disasters and/or reducing the likelihood or severity of its impacts.
Starter Questions:
How might we shape resilient landscapes and build resilient infrastructure that lessen the impact of climate-disasters on frontline communities?
How might we improve monitoring, surveillance and detection to improve disaster warnings and enable earlier signs to act sooner in the face of possible catastrophe?
Solution Inspiration: Prevention could include (but is not limited to) solutions such as:
New approaches to physically altering landscapes to be stronger against disasters and/or less prone to disasters
New resistant materials for infrastructures to suffer less/no damage from disasters
Improved detection technologies to prevent disasters before their severity escalates
2. PREPAREDNESS: Taking actions to prepare communities and individuals for climate-related disasters.
Starter Questions:
How might we improve coordination, communication and education efforts to better prepare frontline communities for climate-related disasters?
How might we support better preparedness for those who work in essential industries that play a role in community resilience (such as agriculture, energy, forestry management, water management, etc.)?
Solution Inspiration: Preparedness could include (but is not limited to) solutions such as:
Strategies for better community response to disasters
Evacuation strategies, communication and locations
Universally accessible mobility solutions for before, during and after disasters
Physical safety and health precautions
Tools and technologies that can enhance any preparedness measures
3. RECOVERY: Taking immediate and long-term actions to recover from the impacts of disasters.
Starter Questions:
How might we improve the delivery of post-disaster management and recovery assistance?
What might be needed to enable a frontline-community-led workforce in rebuilding and recovery?
Where necessary, how can we create a human-centered and supportive relocation process?
How might we get displaced individuals into stable housing sooner?
Solution Inspiration: Recovery could include (but is not limited to) solutions such as:
Efficient and human-centered methods of rebuilding communities and infrastructures
Reviving businesses and the economy of frontline communities post-disasters
Generating workforce opportunities for frontline communities to contribute to disaster relief and recovery
Effective, community-involved clean-up after disasters (within the boundaries of environmental laws)
A note on what we are NOT looking for:
Solutions that specifically support emergency response during a disaster (e.g., firefighting during a wildfire)
Solutions that primarily target social and/or emotional impacts of climate disasters on communities (e.g., long-term mental health support)
Solutions that primarily target mitigating climate-change (e.g., reducing greenhouse gasses or carbon footprint)
Singular infrastructure and/or construction projects that are not scalable (e.g., building a dam, improving a road, etc.)
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We’re glad that you’re interested in submitting to the Climate Resiliency Challenge, and we can’t wait to see your proposal!
This challenge is focused on empowering frontline communities to prevent, prepare for and recover from climate-related disasters. While we are open to all compelling climate-related disaster solutions, we are particularly focused on wildfires, floods, and extreme weather events.
The winning solutions will meet FIVE specific criteria:
1. RELEVANT: Solutions that stay true to the How Might We question by centering frontline communities, and helping reduce and/or eliminate damage from climate-related disasters, or recover from them.
Does the solution answer the core How Might We question, address the Challenge goal, and target the theme(s) of the Challenge?
Does this solution reduce or eliminate damage from climate-related disasters, and/or contribute to recovering from them
Does this solution strike an appropriate tone for the people it serves?
2. NOVEL: Solutions that change the structures, technologies, and standards of today's effects of climate-related disasters on our lives, environments and ecosystems. Solutions should launch us into a new reality of the climate era, make us anticipate what could go wrong , and show us how we can adapt accordingly.
Does this solution offer a new, fresh, and creative approach compared to existing ideas and initiatives?
Does this solution push the limits on how CSAA, Aon, and IDEO can think about their role in designing for climate resiliency?
Does this solution have "design potential" — to be further developed and refined through design methods and craft?
3. IMPACTFUL: Solutions that are actionable and scalable that can be initiated in the next 1-5 years. These solutions should be informed by quantitative and qualitative data; grounded in future trends, projections, and local/global insights; have traction; and describe a credible pathway for realization.
Does this solution have the potential to influence practical or systemic change?
Does this solution have the potential to inspire action within Challenge partner organizations, and frontline communities
Does this solution have the potential to scale across a broad range of communities, regions, and/or disasters?
Does this solution have measurable outcomes and/or metrics?
4. EQUITABLE: Solutions that contribute to building an equitable future frontline communities that are disproportionately impacted by climate related risks and disasters. The solutions also consider how to reduce harm and burden placed on individuals, communities, and the environment.
Does the solution consider for and aim to overcome the current inequities faced by frontline communities in responding to climate disasters?
Does this solution have potential to be accessible to a broad range of individuals and communities?
Does this solution center diverse perspectives, languages, and literacies?
*Historically, populations affected include:
People of color
Indigenous peoples
Children and aging populations
People who identify as womxn or non-binary
People who identify as LGBTQ+
People who have lower incomes
People with disabilities
Children and aging populations
People who are physically exposed to climate risks due to the locations of their homes and businesses
People who have fewer resources, capacity or political power to respond to those climate risks
5. COMMUNITY-INFORMED: Solutions that have the needs and opinions of frontline communities at the heart of their operation; demonstrate understanding and consideration of unique challenges various community members face (eg: income, accessibility, living and working conditions, power in policy-making, etc.); and propose a hopeful future that addresses those challenges.
Does the solution directly address an established need of frontline community members?
Does the solution demonstrate involvement and/or engagement of frontline communities in its creation, future development and/or implementation?
Evaluation Phase (Selecting Finalists)
After July 10, a panel of judges will begin reviewing all ideas to select finalists for the prizes. Finalists will be announced by July 18, 2023, they will receive feedback from the judges on how to improve and revise their submissions. Ideas that were not selected will no longer be considered for the prizes.
Refinement Phase
Selected finalists will refine their ideas for the Challenge and resubmit their ideas by July 25, 2023.
Final Evaluation Phase (Selecting Winners)
Another panel of judges will review the finalists’ submissions and select winners for each prize category. Winners will be announced on August 1, 2023.
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To submit a Solution, start by creating an account
After creating an account, feel free to start browsing the Resources tab to see what might nudge your thinking. You're also invited to add content to inspire your peers and share knowledge. When you're ready, click on Submit a New Solution to start drafting your submission. To submit your solution, you will need to complete the questions in the form and click Submit Solution.
By creating an account, adding inspiration and submitting a solution, you’ll meet people who are passionate about climate resiliency, and you’ll engage with a community of experts and innovators throughout this eight-week phase (May 23 - July 10). You’ll also learn about what's happening all around the world and find inspiration in what others are doing. Your submission will be seen by thousands of people, and you’ll be able to comment, post, and “like” other solutions. Deadline for submissions is July 10, 11:59PM ET 2023.
Terms & Conditions_Climate Resiliency Challenge_Updated 05.22.23.pdf
Submission Form Sample_Climate Resiliency Challenge_Updated 5_22.pdf
For more details visit: Openideo website.