We do mixed-methods research combining mobile-phone-based surveys, participatory focus groups and key informant interviews with home-based workers, street vendors and waste pickers in Bangkok, Thailand; Delhi, India; and six cities in Brazil. The research process involves capacity-building exercises that seek to build climate awareness with worker organizations and partners.

We help workers anticipate climate risks by raising awareness of extreme weather and providing practical, context-specific health guidelines for heat waves and other events. By sharing proven good practices, we empower workers to safeguard their health, adapt effectively, and protect their livelihoods in a changing climate.

This project documents and amplifies models of climate-resilient urban infrastructure with a focus on informal livelihoods. Subgrants to Mahila Housing Trust and Asiye eTafuleni support detailed analyses of slum upgrading and zero-waste street market initiatives, respectively.

In India, WIEGO and CityCollab co-developed a Climate Solutions Matrix, synthesizing MHT’s decades of projects and policy advocacy across multiple cities. The matrix provides policymakers with examples of good practices in slum upgrading with a climate lens.

In South Africa, documentation of Asiye eTafuleni’s work in Durban focuses on market traders as “waste and health champions” and on sustainable practices.

These efforts position the project to showcase scalable models of climate resilience rooted in workers’ experiences that can inform inclusive climate and urban policy globally.

Only 3.5% of global climate finance over the past two decades has reached projects serving informal settlements and the urban poor. To help address this, the project will map climate-related funding opportunities and explore how worker movements can access them.

The research will examine whether and how climate finance is flowing to municipalities and local governments, and identify city-specific pathways for engagement. It will also assess strategies for influencing urban governance so that climate investments advance both economic inclusion and environmental sustainability. By generating evidence and finding practical entry points, the project aims to equip worker organizations with tools to engage in climate finance debates and ensure that future funding responds to the realities of those most exposed to climate risks.

Global climate debates – such as COP 30 and the IPCC Special Report on Cities – are calling for replicable climate solutions. The project highlights how worker-led models of resilience can meet this challenge. WIEGO seeks to bring evidence into two key arenas: the UN Climate Change High Level Champions Working Group on Empowering People in Informality, and the IPCC process for the Special Report on Cities, which shapes global understanding of urban climate risks, adaptation strategies, and policy priorities. By contributing to this report, the project ensures that the perspective of workers in informal employment is reflected in international climate science.