Understanding resilience across people, systems, and nature.
I work at the intersection of climate risk, resilience, and human decision-making, including the role of nature in shaping how systems respond to change. My writing and speaking examine how people, cities, and societies respond to pressure, and why those responses differ.
Much of my work focuses on climate resilience and disaster risk in real-world settings, including how natural systems can reduce vulnerability alongside traditional infrastructure. I write and speak alongside this work to reflect on what adaptation looks like in practice, across different places and institutional contexts.
My writing spans academic research, applied policy work, and commentary and essays. Across these formats, I focus on adaptation, resilience, and how people, systems, and nature respond to risk and change in real-world settings.
Selected peer-reviewed contributions on climate risk, resilience, and adaptation.
Selected reports informing government policy and development finance.
Selected writing on adaptation, risk, and resilience for broader audiences.
Selected media appearances and coverage.
I speak at conferences, universities, governmental and multilateral gatherings on adaptation, resilience, nature and risk. My talks combine global field experience with analytical framing, and are designed for audiences navigating risk, uncertainty and adaptation decisions.
Adaptation in an age of climate and biodiversity loss
Risk, resilience, and decision-making under uncertainty
Lessons from cities and countries facing climate extremes
Nature-based solutions and long-term resilience
Brenden Jongman works on climate resilience, systemic risk, and adaptation, with a focus on how people, systems, and nature respond to change under real-world constraints. He has led major programs at the World Bank, including global initiatives on nature-based solutions and disaster risk financing, and has previously worked with the Red Cross and the European Commission, as well as in academic research and teaching at VU University Amsterdam.
Alongside his applied work, Brenden publishes in academic and policy journals and contributes essays and commentary to broader audiences. His research and writing have appeared in leading scientific journals and international media, including Nature, PNAS, and Nature Climate Change, as well as outlets such as the BBC, CNN, and The New York Times. He has presented his work to academic, policy, and practitioner audiences ranging from universities to international conferences and government forums. Across these settings, his aim is less to advocate for fixed solutions than to develop and test ideas about adaptation, resilience, and decision-making under rapid change.
Brenden holds a PhD in climate risk management from VU University Amsterdam and an MSc in Management from London Business School, and has worked for more than 15 years at the intersection of research, policy, and implementation. He has spent extended periods traveling and working in fragile and rapidly changing regions, experiences that continue to inform his approach.
Originally from the Netherlands, Brenden has lived and worked across Europe, Africa, Latin America, and North America. He works across multiple languages and currently lives in Mexico City with his wife and two daughters.
For speaking invitations, media inquiries, or general correspondence, please use the form below.