Once again we are in Bonn and hearing testimonies of how heat waves, storms, and floods are ravaging the most climate-vulnerable countries. It is clear as day that we are now in adapt or go bust territory. Nonetheless, ECO dares to start its adaptation coverage on a positive note! Parties largely agree that the workshops on the development of indicators for the UAE Framework for Global Climate Resilience should be planned effectively taking all contributions into account.
So let’s learn from the GLaSS Programme and get the modalities for the UAE-Belem Work Programme sorted before we leave Bonn. Parties should establish a clear roadmap until COP30, detailing the criteria for the identification and development of indicators for adaptation action and support. This two-year process should ensure coherence and linkage with the New Collective Quantified Goal (NCQG) on Climate Finance to be agreed at COP29. In that sense, it is especially urgent to include indicators on the Means of Implementation (MoI) in the UAE-Belem Work Programme.
Parties must also revisit the National Adaptation Plans (NAPs), focusing on assessing progress, identifying gaps, and mobilising support. Otherwise we might find ourselves repeating the frustrating experience of SB58, where Parties could not agree on MoI and made no progress on NAPs. We cannot afford to waste yet another year without making any meaningful headway on adaptation.
ECO strongly supports the COP28 decision to emphasise locally-led and community-based climate adaptation, and urges recognition of the centrality of these initiatives in achieving the Global Goal on Adaptation (GGA). A contextual methodology must be developed to operationalise and measure the effectiveness of locally-led adaptation (LLA) strategies and activities.
Additionally, climate impacts on ecosystems cannot be neglected any longer – as ecosystem function is key to building resilience for many of the most climate-vulnerable communities. This is closely linked to locally-led adaptation. Taking full advantage of local and lived knowledge of the environment is crucial for the success of adaptation efforts, as well as in avoiding maladaptation that arises from the limited inclusion of local stakeholders and preventing further loss and damage.
Despite frontline communities bearing the brunt of climate impacts, only a small fraction of international climate finance reaches local levels, limiting the effectiveness of adaptation efforts. Decision-making often excludes local expertise and hinders real adaptation. Therefore, climate finance and technical support should be directed primarily through locally-led approaches.
Finally, ECO calls on Parties at SB60 to initiate efforts to redefine and restructure the adaptation negotiations architecture in order to address the fragmentation of the adaptation workstream. Establishing a single, permanent agenda item for adaptation would be more effective and cost efficient, and would save both negotiators and ECO from running from room to room only to hear the same people saying the same things.