In Southeast Asia, CiCADD examines the dynamics of infrastructure-based adaptation in Northern Mindanao, Philippines, to determine whether these efforts have enabled adaptation and reduced vulnerability to climate impacts. It also assesses whether it has introduced new risks such as displacement, dispossession, or increased inequality. As an archipelago comprising thousands of islands in the Western Pacific, the Philippines faces numerous climate change hazards, including a rising frequency and severity of typhoons, sea level rise, and extreme heat. In 2023, the country is ranked first in the World Risk Index.

CiCADD will specifically examine a major climate adaptation initiative initiated by the national government in Cagayan de Oro, a key city serving as a gateway to Northern Mindanao. We will review the Flood Risk Management Project for the Cagayan de Oro River (FRIMP-CDOR), supported by a loan from the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) and implemented by the Philippine Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH). Its central feature is a 12-kilometre dike system, incorporating retaining walls, floodgates, and drainage systems designed to reduce the risk of a 25-year flood event. Our case study in the Philippines investigates how, under specific conditions, and for particular populations, adaptation efforts can either decrease vulnerability or—and this is equally important—result in maladaptation.

Visit our blogs page for further information or click this blog that explains why the megadike is the focus of our research and the questions we explored, while this blog describes our methods.