UTS Institute For Sustainable Futures

What if the most effective climate solutions aren’t new, but deeply rooted in local knowledge?

Our latest evaluation of Climate Resilient by Nature (CRxN) across Asia and the Pacific shows that nature-based solutions can strengthen ecosystems, support livelihoods and build real climate resilience.

From conserving sea grapes in the Solomon Islands to restoring ecosystems across the region, one thing is clear:

🌱 Impact takes time
🌱 Local and Indigenous knowledge is critical
🌱 Inclusive decision-making leads to stronger outcomes

Importantly, “scaling” isn’t just about replicating projects. It’s about deepening impact, shaping policy and shifting behaviours.

These insights are already helping WWF and partners improve how nature-based solutions are designed and delivered.

👉 Explore what works, for whom and why and what it means for the future of climate action below

🚀 Applications are open: ClimateLaunchpad Australia 2026

Got an early‑stage climate or clean-tech idea with net zero potential?

Through Climate‑KIC, we’re proud to support ClimateLaunchpad Australia 2026 – the world’s largest green business ideas competition.

🌍 Open to founders, researchers, students and aspiring entrepreneurs with ventures less than two years old
🌱 Solutions across climate mitigation, adaptation, circular economy, energy, food, mobility, cities and more
✅ Free training, mentoring, boot camp and pitching opportunities
🏆 National winner sponsored to pitch in Singapore

📅 Applications close: 30 May 2026
👉 Apply now: https://lnkd.in/djeggyP

Before Dawn at ISF 🌅

On Wednesday evening we were proud to open up the ISF office for Before Dawn, a relaxed mixer bringing together people fired up about climate, energy, nature and sustainability.

Hosted by our friends the Wattle Fellowship as part of Blackbird’s Sunrise, alongside SIX Invest, EnergyLab and UNLESS Financial, the afternoon was full of thoughtful conversations, honest reflections on the issues that keep us up at night, and plenty of hope about what comes next.

Huge thanks to the speakers and everyone who joined us. The energy in the room was something special.

📸 Highlights below

Wota i Toktok brought together 15 Vanuatu‑based artists to explore the many meanings of water through painting, sculpture, photography, and videography. 💧🎨📷

Launched in September 2025 at the Fondation Suzanne Bastien in Port Vila, the exhibition celebrated water as a cultural symbol, a life‑giving force, and a cornerstone of community resilience. 🌊🌱

📸 Photo credit: Sista

Members of ISF's International Development team will share their inclusive research at this year's Women Deliver conference from 26 April in Melbourne (Naarm).

For the first time, the event will be hosted by the Oceanic Pacific, bringing together more than 6,000 organisers, policymakers, advocates and academics to connect, share knowledge and experience and catalyse action.

👉 Click here for a run-down of the sessions we'll be part of... we hope to see you there!
https://ow.ly/m8yr50YNNx8

EMISI project complete 🎉

Emission Measurement to Improve Sanitation in Indonesia (EMISI) concluded after 19 months, delivering a national estimate of greenhouse gas emissions from sanitation in Indonesia, using empirical and locally-derived data.

EMISI identified emission sources and reduction pathways across the sanitation service chain.

Costing climate‑resilient sanitation 🌍🚽💧

ISF researchers Nabeela Nasim and Jeremy Kohlitz joined SNV in Khulna, Bangladesh to share findings from an ISF study on the costing of climate‑resilient sanitation in two Bangladeshi cities.

The SNV‑hosted workshop brought together sanitation stakeholders to discuss the results and propose practical solutions for financing climate‑resilient sanitation in Bangladesh 🤝🌱

ISF at the Women Deliver 2026 Conference 🌏

Diana Gonzalez from ISF will join WaterAid Australia and Pacific partners at to facilitate an advocacy‑focused session on gender equality, climate justice, and water security in the Pacific. 🌱⚖️💧

Based on research, the session will explore how to strengthen the Pacific movement for gender and climate, including a call to action.

Will you be attending ? Reach out to Diana and come join the concurrent session!

🔗 More info here: https://womendeliver.org/wd2026/

Improving Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH) goes beyond infrastructure 💧

While access to clean drinking water and safely-managed sanitation facilities are essential, when WASH activities include gender equality objectives, it leads to more equitable and meaningful change.

This new paper explores this issue, drawing on research from Nepal. The findings show that gender-transformative approaches not only improve WASH outcomes but also advance gender equality. 🌏

This post is part of our 2026 series, sharing resources and information on this year’s theme ‘water and gender’.

🔗 You can read the full open access article here: https://ow.ly/i9lC50YxRpq

Today is World Water Day and this year’s theme is ‘Water and Gender – Where Water Flows, Equality Grows’. 🌏

According to UN Women, 1 in 4 women lacked access to safely managed drinking water in 2024. Yet, women in their diversity hold important knowledge and perspectives that are critical for addressing the water and sanitation crisis and strengthening climate resilience.

One tool that helps capture these perspectives and experiences is the Individual Self-Evaluated Resilience Measure (ISERs) developed by UTS-ISF. It collects individual-level data about people’s ‘subjective resilience’, or their perceptions about their own resilience in relation to four climate events - floods, drought, landslides, and severe storms.

As an individual-level measurement tool, iSERs reveals insights about differences in climate resilience between people living in the same home. This is important for water and gender, because growing evidence shows that gender shapes experiences of climate change, even for individuals within the same household. This data ensures women’s perspectives, knowledge, and lived experiences is visible and informs climate strategies.

When women and girls have equal voice in water decisions, climate solutions, services, and strategies are not only more inclusive, but also more sustainable and effective.

👉 Read the ISERs tool summary here: https://ow.ly/3K4n50YwBVP