Environment

Report: Countries need to significantly step up climate adaptation efforts and close fiscal gaps

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As climate impacts intensify, hitting the world’s most vulnerable people hardest, the United Nations Environment Program’s (UNEP) Adaptation Gap Report 2024: Hell and high water is coming, calls for countries to make commitments. It turns out that climate adaptation efforts need to be dramatically stepped up, starting with Take action on funding at COP29.

Global average temperature rise is approaching 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels, and the latest estimates from UNEP’s Emissions Gap Report suggest that without immediate and large-scale reductions, the world will rise by 2.6°C this century. The world is likely to experience a catastrophic rise of 3.1 degrees Celsius. Affects greenhouse gas emissions.

The report, released just before the COP29 climate change talks in Baku, Azerbaijan, says there is therefore an urgent need to significantly scale up adaptation this decade to address growing impacts. is made clear. However, this is hampered by the large gap that exists between adaptation financing needs and current international public adaptation financing flows.

UNEP Executive Director Inger Andersen said: “Climate change is already having a devastating impact on communities around the world, especially the poorest and most vulnerable, with fierce storms destroying homes and wildfires. is burning down forests, and land degradation and drought are degrading the landscape.”

“People, their livelihoods and the nature they depend on are at real risk from the effects of climate change. Without action, this is a sign of what our future will be and why the world shows why there is no reason not to take this issue seriously. Adapt now.”

International public adaptation financing flows to developing countries will increase from USD 22 billion in 2021 to USD 28 billion in 2022, the largest absolute and relative year-on-year increase since the Paris Agreement.

This reflects progress towards the Glasgow Climate Agreement, which called on developed countries to at least double adaptation financing for developing countries by 2025, from around US$19 billion in 2019. However, even if we meet the goals of the Glasgow Climate Agreement, the adaptation financing gap will only narrow, estimated at between US$187 and US$359 billion per year, an increase of around 5%.

Developing countries are already struggling with rising debt burdens as losses and damage mount. Effective and appropriate adaptation that incorporates equity and equity is therefore more urgent than ever. The report urges countries to adopt strong new joint quantitative targets for climate finance at COP29 and to meet nationally-determined climate change commitments, due early next year ahead of COP30 in Belem. It calls for strengthening ambition by incorporating stronger adaptation elements into contributions. Brazil.

slow to plan and implement

In terms of planning, 171 countries currently have at least one national adaptation planning instrument, i.e. a policy, strategy or plan. Of the 26 countries without national planning instruments, 10 show no signs of development. Seven of these countries are conflict-affected or fragile and will require significant individual support to meet the UAE Framework’s planning goals for global climate change by 2030. becomes.

Additionally, the potential effectiveness of national adaptation plans (NAPs) in developing countries is controversial, and the need for dedicated support to ensure that adaptation plans lead to meaningful action in these settings. has been pointed out.

There is an overall upward trend in adaptation measures, but they are not commensurate with the challenges. Furthermore, evaluations of projects implemented with support from financing institutions under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) show that approximately half are unsatisfactory or unsustainable in the long term without project funding. shown to be unlikely.

Countries report progress in implementing NAPs, but recognize that the scale and speed of adaptation is insufficient given growing climate risks. Overall, further efforts will be needed to achieve the implementation goals of the UAE Framework on Global Climate Change.

increase in finance

Given the scale of the challenge, closing the adaptation financing gap will also require innovative approaches to mobilize additional financial resources. Stronger enablers, new approaches and financial instruments are key to enabling adaptation financing for both the public and private sectors.

Public sector enabling factors include the creation of funds and financing facilities, tagging climate finance plans and climate budgets, mainstreaming national development plans and medium-term spending frameworks, and adaptation investment plans. These could be supported by proposed reforms to international financial institutions and multilateral development banks.

Private sector enablers include new approaches and instruments that seek to use public funds to reduce the risks of private sector financing. These can be supported by adaptive accelerators and platforms.

Adaptation financing also needs to move from reactive, incremental and project-based actions to more proactive, strategic and transformative adaptation. Otherwise, we will not be able to achieve the scale and type of adaptation we need. But this requires action in areas where funding is more difficult. Supporting this requires more strategic use of available international public funds.

Moreover, the question of who pays for adaptation has not been adequately addressed. In many financing agreements, the ultimate costs of adaptation are borne by developing countries. While this may help close the fiscal gap, it is inconsistent with the principle of common but differentiated responsibilities and respective capacities, or with the polluter pays principle.

Skill development and technology

In addition to finance, capacity building and technology transfer to improve the effectiveness of adaptation measures needs to be strengthened, consistent with COP29’s focus on means of implementation.

UNFCCC documents focus on water, food and agriculture, with references to capacity and technology needs almost ubiquitous. However, efforts to meet these needs are often uncoordinated, costly, and short-term. There is also limited evidence that these initiatives benefit marginalized and underrepresented groups.

Several factors reduce the effectiveness of technology transfer. The most common are economic and financial constraints, such as high upfront investment costs, difficulties in obtaining financing, and legal and regulatory frameworks that require more supportive domestic policies.

The report provides recommendations for improvement in this regard.

Interventions should mobilize existing capacity, have a balanced focus on technology and enabling conditions, and center considerations of gender equality and social inclusion. A more robust evidence base is needed, including evidence from monitoring and evaluation of capacity and technology needs that approaches work and its actual costs. Capacity building and technology transfer plans should support adaptation across sectors, scales and development priorities. Adaptation strategies should be developed based on a holistic understanding of needs and be part of a broader development strategy, rather than in terms of promoting specific technologies.

Provided by United Nations Environment Program (UNEP)

Citation: Report: Countries need to dramatically step up climate adaptation efforts and close fiscal gaps (November 8, 2024) https://phys.org/news/2024-11-countries-climate Retrieved November 8, 2024 from -efforts-bridge-gap.html

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