On 20-24 May 2024, Professor El-Shadan Tautolo, Associate Professor Alayne Mikahere-Hall, and Associate Professor Ailsa Holloway attended the 4th Pacific Ocean, Pacific Climate Change Conference (POPCCC) in Apia, Samoa. The conference was co-hosted by the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP), the National University of Samoa (NUS) and the Victoria University of Wellington (NZ). The conference brought together a diverse group of 100-150 participants from various organizations, all gathering to tackle the critical issue of climate change in the Pacific region.

In early May 2024, the Climate Adaptation Research Program (CARP) hosted its second in-person workshop, themed "Building a CARP Community," to bring together the current cohort of CARP researchers in Africa. The goal of the workshop was to continue building a community of scholars, policymakers, and practitioners to strengthen their efforts to address disaster risk reduction (DRR) in the region. This in-person initiative was vital for enabling CARP scholars and stakeholders working on DRR to collaborate, share ideas, and work towards building a stronger community.

In May, our Climate Adaptation Research Program (CARP) global team marked a significant milestone with the program's official launch in the Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) regions. After months of preparation and coordination, CARP hosted a very successful two-day workshop on May 23 and 24 in the beautiful city of Antigua, Guatemala. The CARP LAC kick-off workshop convened rectors, vice-rectors, and research directors from universities across the region to introduce the program and gather feedback to tailor the program to the area. This high-level event also had the participation of representatives from USAID in Washington, DC, and Guatemala, further emphasizing the strategic significance of the program.

The Climate Adaptation Research Program (CARP), which is funded by USAID, officially kicked off its activities in October 2023. After months of preparation and online meetings with our regional partners, January 2024 was a special time for us. The first in-person global meeting took place in Tucson from January 22-26, where our CARP University of Arizona team welcomed our regional teams from Africa, the Pacific Islands, Latin America, and the Caribbean. Our colleagues from USAID, Stellenbosch University, Auckland University of Technology (AUT), Consejo Superior Centroamericano (CSUCA), and São Paulo Research Foundation (FAPESP) got together for a week of discussions, learning, and camaraderie.

In late 2023, the Climate Adaptation Research Program (CARP) hosted its first in-person workshop, themed "Visioning a Community," at Ardhi University in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. After months of preparation, the workshop planning committee – which included representatives from Arizona, Stellenbosch, and Ardhi Universities – was excited to kickstart the program.

The CARP management team arrived in Dar es Salaam a couple of days early to meet with our Tanzanian colleagues and set up for the workshop. We also had our first taste of local cuisine and, importantly, we found a spot to witness the South African Springboks win the Rugby World Cup!

On the 11th of September, 2023, at 6:11 pm Cameroon time, my journey to COP28 began with an email from the CARP coordinators at the University of Arizona, informing me that I was one of the two privileged CARP members selected to attend the global climate change conference in Dubai, UAE. The news filled me with joy, as this would be my first COP ever and I was so happy that this great opportunity had been offered to me! However, alongside my excitement, I also felt some anxiety, especially when Prof. Ayonghe (the coordinator of PERI PERI U at the University of Buea) formally shared the news about my selection with other CARP researchers, faculty members, and the Vice Chancellor at UB. As congratulatory messages poured in, I started to realize the magnitude of the task ahead. Questions raced through my mind: Am I up to the task as an ambassador of the CARP community, PERI PERI U, and the Universities of Buea and Arizona? Will I meet the expectations of my sponsors? What challenges await me as a first-time COP attendee?

From the exhilarating moment I discovered my selection as a CARP ambassador for COP 28, anticipation rippled through me. This was my golden ticket to participate in a world-renowned event, surrounded by a sea of researchers, policymakers, and activists. The prospect of representing CARP at such a monumental gathering fueled my excitement.

In the last week of January, 2024 the UA AIR Climate Adaptation Research Program (CARP) hosted a meeting with their partner institutions including visitors representing USAID, Stellenbosch University, Consejo Superior Universitario Centroamericano, Auckland University of Technology, and the São Paulo Research Foundation (FAPESP).

Recent years have been marked by near-constant record-breaking heat waves, floods, fires, and storms. These so-called “climate shocks” are so common they can hardly be called “shocks” any longer. Yet despite the regularity of these disasters, communities around the world are wholly unprepared to adapt to them, causing major disruptions to systems and destruction of infrastructure, crops, and livelihoods.

Researchers have underscored the need for enhancing the capacity of communities to adapt to climate change and identify mitigation measures which are appropriate to their local settings.