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CoCHAP: Project Overview

The Coastal City Resilience and Extreme Heat Action Project (CoCHAP) aims to build climate resilience of urban communities, particularly to extreme heat and coastal threats. While building on the learning from the previous experiences in coastal cities, extreme heat response and locally led climate adaptation, CoCHAP will strengthen the capacities of the communities, Red Cross and Red Crescent (RCRC) National Societies, city authorities, meteorological agencies and other stakeholders in system and design thinking, coalition building and evidence-based collective action.

Project Overview

Implementation period: September 2022 – August 2027

Locations: Bangladesh (Bagherhat and Sathkira), Indonesia (Medan and Surabaya), Honduras (San Lorenzo, Nacaome, Choluteca), Tanzania (Tanga and Unguja in Zanzibar).

Funding: USAID Bureau for Humanitarian Assistance

Implementing partners: International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), American Red Cross, Red Cross Red Crescent Climate Center, Tanzania Red Cross, Bangladesh Red Crescent Society, Indonesia Red Cross, Honduran Red Cross, Global Disaster Preparedness Center.

Focus Areas

Coastal Hazards

Why focus on coastal risks?

According to UN It is projected that approximately 800 million people in 570 cities will be exposed to the risks related to rising seas and storm surges by 2050. The impacts of climate change, particularly climate- and weather-related disasters are already having a large effect on global migration and displacement patterns globally In the past decade, 86% of all disasters triggered by natural hazards were caused by weather-and climate-related events, killing over 410,000 people, and affecting 1.7 billion. Read more on

Understanding climate change – internal migration/displacement nexus in the context of coastal cities

Over 800 million people living in 570 low-lying coastal cities could be at risk from rising sea levels by 2050.

Coastal cities serve as crucial economic and social hubs, acting as gates to the hinterland.

Coastal cities face heightened disaster risks from climate change, including extreme weather events, floods, sea level rise, salinization, and subsidence.

Many coastal cities, especially secondary ones, lack the necessary infrastructure and resilient systems to cope with rapidly advancing disaster risks.

Extreme Heat

Why focus on extreme heat in cities?

Often called the “silent killer,” heatwaves are among the deadliest disasters. Yet their impacts remain largely overlooked, due in part to low awareness of risks and dangers. A lack of risk perception, both by the general public and in some cases from leaders, results in inadequate preparedness for current and future heatwave risks. As the frequency and intensity of heatwaves continue to rise due to climate change, it is crucial to reduce near- and long-term risk through proactive actions such as early warning system strengthening, heat action planning, urban greening, and urban planning.

Although heatwaves are frequently the deadliest disasters, there is a large gap in awareness, planning, and action

The impacts of extreme heat are on the rise globally, but are largely preventable with preparedness actions. 

Heat-related deaths in older people have increased globally by 54% over the last 20 years.

Heatwave impacts are felt most acutely in urban areas where temperatures are higher due to the urban heat island effect. 

Goal and Objectives

  • Goal

    to build climate resilience of urban communities, particularly to extreme heat and coastal threats through expanding risk knowledge and strengthening local action in Southeast Asia, Latin America, and East Africa regions in 9 secondary cities. Additionally, the purpose of the Project is to build a foundation of practice and knowledge which can be learned from and scaled.

  • Objective 1

    Build climate resilience of urban communities in coastal zones. The project will work with local governments and underserved urban communities in coastal zones to reduce their vulnerabilities to current and future disaster risks related to hydro-meteorological hazards and compounding risks.

  • Objective 2

    The project will work with local governments, National Meteorological and Hydrological Services and communities to reduce the impact of extreme heat in cities.

Key Activities

Building Climate Resilience of Urban Communities in Coastal Zones

Relief efforts after earthquake and tsunami in Indonesia

Key Activities

Improve our understanding of current and future vulnerabilities of underserved urban communities living in coastal zones through local research, risks assessments, and data analysis

Pilot grant matching model to support community driven adaptation and non-structural climate related disaster mitigation works.

Facilitate public-private local partnerships, engage small businesses in local resilience initiatives.

Reducing the Impacts of Extreme Heat in Cities

Key Activities

Increasing individual and household risk perception though evidence-based awareness raising campaigns.

Expanding the coverage of heat early warning systems operated by national authorities.

Developing city heat action plans informed by risk analysis.

Adapting the built environment through engagement with urban planning tools and professionals.

This plantation of millet was destroyed with the heat, the attacks of worms and crickets. Town of Sebba, Burkina Faso
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