Climate adaptation plans routinely overlook childcare, aged care and other essential services, leaving families and unpaid carers to absorb the human and economic costs when climate disasters strike.

It is getting harder by the day to justify the slow pace of adaptation to climate change. Last year was one of the hottest on record, with economies and communities around the world disrupted by extreme heat, heavy rainfall and tropical cyclones. As November’s United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP31) in Turkey approaches, governments must move beyond climate commitments and focus on implementation.

Financing for adaptation activities remains nowhere near what is needed. The UN Environment Programme estimates that developing countries will need $310–$365 billion a year up until 2035. It says the current funding gap is $280 billion. Getting the money to where it can do the most good may be an even bigger challenge, as institutions are struggling to identify adaptation investments that are ready to implement and whose risks can be properly assessed and priced.

In a new working paper, we argue that estimates of funding needs and proposed investment pipelines overlook a critical piece of infrastructure: an ecosystem of climate-adapted care services that helps families prepare for, cope with and recover from climate-induced hazards. Properly designed, these services can bolster household and community........

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