Adaptation to bloom

Sunday’s opening negotiations concentrated on adding missing elements, and today it’s up to the adaptation negotiators to continue that work. Given the climate crisis that we face, sustainable development and poverty eradication will only be possible if all countries step up their adaptation efforts.

There is great value in having a country-driven process that requires regular updates on adaptation contributions from all countries, as well as a process that takes stock of progress already made and remaining challenges. And don’t forget all good things agreed in the Cancun Adaptation Framework, such as the list of adaptation activities in paragraph 14 of the CAF.

Adaptation action everywhere should follow key principles, such as promoting gender equality and the fulfilment of human rights, being participatory and taking into account the needs of particularly vulnerable people, communities and ecosystems. 

ECO believes that agreeing on a strategic global vision—a global goal for adaptation—would be instrumental in triggering more adaptation action everywhere. This in turn builds the resilience of communities and ecosystems for the long term. The global goal for adaptation should reflect the relationship between the level of mitigation ambition and consequent adaptation needs due to projected climate change impacts and costs. The global goal for adaptation should also include an objective for public finance support for adaptation in developing countries.

The current text fails to reflect several interesting proposals made by developing country Parties. For instance, as long as the sum of mitigation contributions remains inadequate to put the world on a 1.5°C trajectory, adaptation planning and associated support need to take into account the actual and expected increase in temperature, not only the “agreed long-term temperature limit”.

The importance of good adaptation action monitoring allows for learning and accountability towards the citizens who need protection from climate change impacts. Let’s be sure the text adheres to the values of participatory, community- and citizen-based monitoring.