CALL FOR ACTION to implement and finance ADAPTATION plans

By S R Ranjan: Building with nature, the world is responding to climate change with plans and projects to combat ‘unprecedented’ threats of climate change, but they are lagging behind the change. As a matter of fact, almost 72% of countries have adopted ‘at least one national-level adaptation plans in place and most of the developing countries are preparing national adaptation plans’, but financing and implementation of these plans fall far short of what is the need of hour, a new UN Environment Programme (UNEP) report finds.

The UNEP Adaptation Gap Report 2020 finds that while nations have advanced in planning, they must step up action to raise public and private finance for climate change adaptation and push faster the implementation process. The report points out ‘gaps in finance for developing countries and ‘bringing adaptation projects to protection against climate impacts’. “Adaptation action is critical to enable both public and private actors to prepare for and respond to the impacts of climate change,” says the UNEP report.

A key pillar of the Paris Agreement on climate change – Adaptation – reduces countries’ vulnerability to climate change by increasing their ability to absorb impacts.   According to UNFCCC, “adaptation refers to adjustments in ecological, social, or economic systems in response to actual or expected climatic stimuli and their effects or impacts. It refers to changes in processes, practices, and structures to moderate potential damages or to benefit from opportunities associated with climate change. Countries and communities need to develop adaptation solution and implement action to respond to the impacts of climate change”.

The Adaptation Gap Report 2020 states that additional adaptation finance is critical to enhance adaptation planning and implementation and limit climate damages, particularly in developing countries. Reportedly, public adaptation finance is rising from $30 billion, or 5% of tracked climate funds, annually. Although, the annual adaptation costs in developing countries are estimated at $70 billion, it is expected to reach $140-300 billion in 2030 and $280-500 billion in 2050. “Across the world, climate adaptation is now widely embedded in policy and planning, but levels of engagement and the quality of instruments are vastly different from country to country,” the report. “Worldwide, implementation of adaptation actions is growing, but there is still very limited evidence of climate risk reduction.”

Reportedly, “the year 2020 has been one of the warmest years on record; over 50 million people globally have been recorded as directly affected by floods, droughts, or storms; and wildfires have raged with greater intensity in Australia, Brazil, Russia and the USA, among other countries.” The world needs to find ‘nature-based solutions’ for adaptation to the impacts of climate hazards.

- S.R.Ranjan 

(Singh Rakesh Ranjan)

Freelance Journalist

(Representational images: source)