5th World Symposium on Climate Change Adaptation (WSCCA- 2025)

Consistent with the need for more cross-sectoral interactions among the various stakeholders working in the field of climate change adaptation, the aims of the “5th World Symposium on Climate Change Adaptation” are as follows:

• i.    to provide research institutions, universities, NGOs and enterprises all round the world with an opportunity to display and present their works in the field of climate change adaptation and technologies which may mitigate climate change;
• ii.    to foster the exchange of information, ideas and experiences acquired in the execution of climate change adaptation projects, especially successful initiatives and good practice;
• iii.    to discuss methodological approaches and experiences deriving from case studies and projects, which aim to show how the principles of climate change adaptation may be implemented in practice;
• iv.    to network the participants and provide a platform so they can explore possibilities for cooperation.

Last but not least, a further aim of the event will be to document and disseminate the wealth of experiences on climate change adaptation available today across the world. To this purpose, papers submitted and accepted will be published in the book "Adapting the World to a Changing Climate". This will be a further volume of the award-winning book series “Climate Change Management” published by Springer, which since its creation in 2008 has become the world´s leading book series on climate change management. 

In addition, a set of papers selected by the coordination team will be published in a special issue of the International Journal of Climate Change Strategies and Management (a fully indexed journal). The decision of the editors as to which papers may be selected -and undergo peer review- for the book and for the special issue of the journal, is final.

Delegates attending the “5th World Symposium on Climate Change Adaptation”  will come from a cross-sectoral range of areas, from both industrialised and developing countries. They are:

• i. officials at city, regional and national level concerned with climate change
• ii. members of NGOs working with climate change;
• iii. researchers at universities and research centres;
• iv. teaching staff at universities;
• v. representatives from companies 
• vi. representatives from development agencies working with climate change adaptation and executing projects on the ground;
• vii. project officers and consultants;
• viii. other people interested in the field.

The participation of doctoral students is warmly encouraged and supervisors/advisers are kindly requested to facilitate their participation. The sort of international exposure and the rich content of this Symposium will be beneficial to their work, and their careers.

It is believed that this wide range of participants will help to outline the need for and the usefulness of integrated approaches towards climate change adaptation and, hence contribute to the further consolidation of this thematic area.

The “5th World Symposium on Climate Change Adaptation” is organised in two main strands:

Strand 1: the posters 
Participants and organisations will be able to put up posters describing their works and projects and to distribute the relevant information to the participants. The posters will allow close, one-to-one contacts between the participants and the exhibitors. 

Strand 2: the presentations
A set of presentations, divided into seven main themes will be organised, and distributed over parallel sessions dealing with some of the issues of strategic value in the field of climate change adaptation. The presentations can be in English or Portuguese. There will be no translation, participants will be clustered into sessions according to the chosen language. The session themes are:

•    Session 1: Climate Literacy, Information and Communication
•    Session 2:  Technological Approaches to Climate Change Adaptation and Mitigation
•    Session 3:  Food Security and Climate Change: Adapting Agriculture to Climate Change
•    Session 4:  Climate Change Adaptation, Resilience, Extreme Events and Disaster Risk Management
•    Session 5: Climate Change Policy, Governance and Climate Services
•    Session 6: Implementing Climate Change Adaptation in Communities, Cities, Countries and via Outreach Programmes
•    Session 7: Special Session “Climate Change Adaptation in Brazil”

The submitted papers will be clustered under one of the planned sessions.

The schedule of the “5th World Symposium on Climate Change Adaptation” is as follows:

TUESDAY, 11th NOVEMBER 2025     
All day: Exhibition and visit to displays
Morning: Plenary and Parallel Sessions 
Afternoon: Plenary and Parallel Sessions
Evening:  Dinner 
    
WEDNESDAY 12th NOVEMBER 2025
All day: Exhibition and visit to displays
Morning: Plenary and Parallel Sessions 
Afternoon: Plenary and Parallel Sessions
16:00: Final Session & Present the best papers 
awards

In order to ensure an efficient use of the time, delegates are kindly asked to organise their travel in a way that allows them to arrive in Florianópolis and Palhoça one day earlier, and travel back in the late afternoon of after the 12h November 2025, so they can fully take part in the Symposium.

The mixture of plenary and parallel sessions, as well as the social events, will provide participants with an outstanding opportunity to interact, network and learn about the latest ideas, projects and practices aimed at mainstreaming climate change adaptation, worldwide.

Deadline for submission of abstracts: 10th May 2025
Deadline for submission of papers: 20th July 2025
Deadline for the submission of revised papers: 20th September 2025
Deadline for registrations: 30th September 2025

Since the book is expected to be launched shortly after the event, the deadlines need to be followed. Delegates may also attend the event, without submitting a paper.

Our event will be held in the municipality of Palhoça, in the Pedra Branca neighborhood, in the state of Santa Catarina, in the south of Brazil. The beautiful campus of UniSul Pedra Branca is located in this region, specifically in the Cidade Criativa Pedra Branca. This neighborhood was meticulously designed based on sustainable urbanism principles, prioritizing pedestrian and cyclist mobility, harmony with nature, and interaction between residents, professionals, and the entire academic community.

The UniSul Pedra Branca Campus, due to its deep integration with the neighborhood, offers outstanding facilities. Attendees can benefit from features such as a covered aquatic complex with Olympic-standard pools, a sports gymnasium, a food court, convenience stores and services, a comprehensive library, and laboratories equipped with cutting-edge technologies. Additionally, the Integrated Health Clinics, including dentistry, physiotherapy, and psychology clinics, enrich the academic experience by integrating teaching, research, and outreach activities.

Participants are encouraged to find accommodations in the municipalities of Palhoça or Florianópolis, where there is a wide range of hotels, offering a broad variety of prices and quality to suit all tastes and budgets.

A discounted fee of € 275 will be charged to delegates who register until 30th March 2025 (early bird registration). After that, delegates will need to pay the full fee of € 325. The reduced fee for MSc/PhD students is € 150. For Brazilian Delegates: The fee is set at R$ 400 and for Brasilian students, it is R$ 200.The fee includes  the reception on 11th-November 2025, and lunches and coffee breaks on 12th-12th November 2025.

Attendance to the event is by invitation only. Interested people and organisations are encouraged to submit their expressions of interest and abstracts first, after which they may receive an invitation to register. This is a self-funded event and the organisers are unable to pay any travel or accommodation costs of any kind. They are however happy to issue letters of invitation to support delegates to request funding for their participation.  

• Research and Transfer Centre “Sustainable Development and Climate Change Management”, Hamburg University of Applied Sciences (Germany)
• University of the South of Santa Catarina (UNISUL)
• International Climate Change Information and Research Programme (ICCIRP)
• Project “Towards Climate Resilient Farming” (Green Gardens (Jardins adaptés au climat) funded by the Government of Canada’s New Frontiers in Research Fund (FNFR) and by the German Research Foundation (DFG).
• German-Brazilian Science and Technology Network (GERBRAS-SCIENCENET)
   

• UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO)
• UN Environment Programme (UNEP)
• World Health Organisation (WHO)
• World Meteorological Organisation (WMO)
• Université de Moncton, Canada

Co-Chairs 

•    Prof. Walter Leal, International Climate Change Information and Research Programme (ICCIRP), Research and Transfer Centre “Sustainable Development and Climate Change Management”, Hamburg University of Applied Sciences (Germany) 
•    Prof. José Baltazar Salgueirinho Osório de Andrade Guerra, Centre for Sustainable Development (GREENS), University of the South of Santa Catarina (UNISUL)

Members

Dr Riyanti Djalante, United Nations University- Institute for the Advanced Study for Sustainability  (Japan/Indonesia)
Dr. Larissa Naylor, University of Glasgow, UK
Prof. Boaventura Chango Cuamba, Eduardo Mondlane University, Mozambique
Prof. Johannes M. Luetz, CHC Higher Education Brisbane / University of New South Wales (UNSW) Sydney,Australia
Professor Evangelos Manolas, Democritus University of Thrace, Greece
Professor  Menas Wuta, University of Zimbabwe, Zimbabwe
Professor Amadou Thierno Gaye, Université Cheikh Anta Diop Dakar, Senegal
Professor Ana Regina de Aguiar Dutra, Unisul, Brazil 
Professor Anelise Leal Vieira Cubas, Unisul, Brazil
Professor Anete Alberton, Univali, Brazil 
Professor Belay Simane, University of Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
Professor Benny Dembitzer, University College of London, UK
Professor Brent Jacobs, University of Technology Sydney, Australia
Professor Desalegn Ayal, University of Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
Professor Diallo Yacouba,Co-Rural Polytechnic Institute for Training & Appl. Research, Mali
Professor Edmond Totin, Université Nationale d´Agriculture du Benin, Benin
Professor Helena Freitas, University of Coimbra, Portugal
Professor Idibun Adelekan, University of Ibadan, Nigeria
Professor Leonardo Esteves Freitas, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Professor Leonardo Secchi, UDESC, Brazil 
Professor Lucas Ávila, UFSM, Brazil
Professor Luciana Brandli, University of Passo Fundo, Brazil
Professor Marilyn Silvia Aparicio-Effen, Universidad Mayor de San Andrés, Bolivia
Professor Maris Klavins, University of Latvia, Latvia
Professor Murukesan Krishnapillai, College of Micronesia-FSM, Micronesia
Professor Morgan Wairiu, The University of the South Pacific, Fiji
Professor Nelson Amaro, Galileo University, Guatemala
Professor Nicholas Otienoh Oguge, University of Nairobi, Kenya
Professor Pastor David Chavez Munoz, Pontificia Universidad Catolica del Peru, Peru
Professor Philip Fearnside, Amazon National Research Institute (INPA), Brazil
Professor Sidat Yaffa, University of The Gambia, The Gambia
Professor Ulisses Azeiteiro, University of Aveiro, Portugal
Professor Xavier Medina UOC, Barcelona, Spain 

All questions related to scientific inputs and strategic partnerships should be sent to:

Professor Walter Leal (BSc, PhD, DSc, DPhil, DEd, DLitt, FSB, FRGS, FLS)
Hamburg University of Applied Sciences 
Contact e-mail: info (at) iccip (dot) net
 

All questions related to abstracts and registrations should be sent to:

Dr. Marina Kovaleva
Hamburg University of Applied Sciences  
marina.kovaleva (at) haw-hamburg (dot) de

All questions related to local accommodation, visa enquires and support on-site should be directed to:

Professor Ivone Junges University of Southern Santa Catarina (UNISUL) 
ivone.junges (at) animaeducacao.com (dot) br

Delegates who wish to attend the event should make their arrangements as soon as possible.  Apart from the usual hotel portals, accommodation can be booked via AirBnB whose prices are still reasonable. They can make their own arrangements according to their specific travel schedules and budgets.

An abstract should be up to 200 words, it should describe the rationale and aims of the paper, and some of its results. General descriptions of broad contexts should be avoided.  The full contact details about the author(s) need to be provided. Abstracts should be written in the third person  and not in the first or second one (e.g. I, me, or my paper). Please see below a sample abstract. Authors whose abstracts have been accepted, will receive further details about how to submit their full papers, and further logistical information.

PLEASE SEND YOUR ABSTRACT EXACTLY WITH THE FORMAT BELOW TO:
Dr. Marina Kovaleva
marina.kovaleva (at) haw-hamburg (dot) de

Ecosystem services in adaptation projects in West Africa 

Kennedy Wahome Muthee 
Department of Environmental Science, School of Environmental Studies,  Kenyatta University, Nairobi, Kenya 
Cheikh Mbow START International, Washington, DC, USA 
Geoffrey Mugo Macharia Department of Environmental Science, School of Environmental Studies,  Kenyatta University, Nairobi, Kenya 
(please make sure you provide your contact e-mail, for correspondences)

Abstract 
The purpose of this paper is to assess the extent to which adaptation projects have incorporated ecosystem services, as well as their redesigning options. 

The projects selected are listed under the National Adaptation Programme of Action in the West African region.   A desktop survey approach was used to review 168 projects from 13 countries across West Africa. The projects were categorized and analyzed according to their adaptation goals, thematic focus, their implementation duration and level of investment.  The adaptation initiatives are dominated by actions in the agricultural sector, accounting for 32 per cent of the total. Further, they were characterized by small grants consideration with  63 per cent falling under US$1m budget, short-term implementation duration with 46 per cent having three years’ execution period. A large portion of projects (55 per cent) mentioned directly one or more ecosystem services, with provisioning services being referred to  in 50 per cent of the cases.  

The study identified the fact that adaptation projects with ecosystem services components are more sustainable and beneficial to the community. Hence, more consideration of nature benefits during project design, more financial consideration and localizing of the projects to realize the global adaptation goal should be considered.