Are we doing enough? Taking stock on global adaptation and resilience
Recently AGWA took part in a high-level event which brought together leaders from across the globe to stake stock on progress since the 2019 UN ‘Call for Action on Adaptation and Resilience.’
At the 2019 UN Climate Action Summit (UNCAS) ‘Call for Action on Adaptation and Resilience’, 130 countries, 16 UN institutions and 70 organisations* called for increased urgency to adapt to climate impacts and build resilience for the future.
In response to this call, the Adaptation Action Coalition (AAC) was formed with the aim to achieve a climate resilient world by 2030.
With 28** country members on board, the AAC is moving forward with work streams on health, infrastructure and water, including the Water Tracker National for Climate Planning being developed by AGWA and partners.
The online event on 30 September 2021 was hosted by the Egyptian Ministry of Environment and Climate Change, as Co-Chair of the Adaptation Action Coalition (AAC), with the support of the World Resources Institute as Secretariat of the AAC.
Increasing climate finance for adaptation, the need for locally-led and inclusive adaptation, and reaching the most vulnerable communities, were the topics highlighted by speakers at the event.
The UN Secretary General, speaking recently at the Pre-COP event in Milan, Italy, called for 50% of the pledged $100 billion dollars of climate finance from developed countries to go towards adaptation in developing countries.
Ms. Yasmin Fouad, Egypt’s Minister of Environment echoed the call for boosting adaptation finance, and spoke about the urgency of making these funds accessible for the most vulnerable communities.
“We do not have much time to lose. We are in the middle of a very significant moment. We need to move together collectively in solidarity. We need to keep the principles of the Paris Agreement that we all agreed upon 7 years ago. If we are not doing this, we are enlarging the gap and not bridging the gap between developed and developing countries,” she said.
Rt Hon Anne-Marie Trevelyan, UK International Champion on Adaptation and Resilience for the COP26 Presidency, Secretary of State for International Trade, and President of the Board of Trade, UK, said:
“I’ve learned about extraordinary ingenuity and innovation in responding to and preparing for the challenges of climate change. And this has given me hope that through collective action, we really can adapt for the future. We are making progress, but there is more to do. Particularly to help the poorest and most vulnerable, who are often hardest hit. To see lasting change we need action at all scales: effective national plans, improved understanding of risk, and easier access to increased finance for adaptation, are all vital.”
Ms. Barbara Visser, Minister of Infrastructure and Water Management, Netherlands, pointed to the critical need for water resilience, saying:
“Water risks are an urgent global challenge. We all know climate change is accelerating sea level rise and water cycle, shifting rain patterns, intensifying floods and droughts, and altering water supplies. Adaptation requires managing water resources more resiliently.”
AGWA’s Kelsey Harpham presented the Water Tracker for Climate Planning, a tool and guide to help countries assess and improve water resilience in their national climate plans, such as Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) and National Adaptation Plans (NAPs).
The Water Tracker is currently being piloted with several countries and the initial results will be presented at COP26.
“Acknowledging the water that’s embedded in national climate plans and needed for the implementation of mitigation and adaptation actions across sectors is critical” said Ms Harpham. “Not only right now, but with the understanding that these tradeoffs - such as between food production, energy and urban growth - are all occurring within the context of the future uncertainty of climate change.”
The Water Tracker will draw out these synergies and trade-offs, to make climate planning more robust and effective.
Other promising initiatives underway include the Race to Resilience campaign to catalyse action by non-state actors with the goal of making 4 billion people’s lives and livelihoods more resilient by 2030.
While the momentum for adaptation is building, it is clear that there is much more to be done. Adaptation action and speed of implementation must match the scale of the challenge, if the vision of a climate resilient world is to be achieved.
As Ms. Sheela Patel, Founder of the Society for the Promotion of Area Resource Centres (SPARC) remarked: “The time for talk and analytical frameworks is over. The time is now to put the meat on the bones.”
* Endorsed by 130 countries and 86 organisations and institutions as of August 2021. Source: https://www.adaptation-undp.org/adapting-now-resilient-future
** There are now 38 countries who are members of the Adaptation Action Coalition. Source: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/adaptation-action-coalition-an-overview/adaptation-action-coalition-an-overview