Finance for local level adaptation

This document contains the remarks delivered by Sam Bickersteth, Chief Executive of the Climate and Development Knowledge Network (CDKN), at the opening plenary of the Eighth International Conference on Community-Based Adaptation (CBA8) in Kathmandu, Nepal. The speech focuses on the necessity of scaling up finance for local-level climate adaptation and the relationship between greenhouse gas emission reductions and adaptation resource requirements.

• The resource requirements for climate adaptation will increase unless greenhouse gas emissions are reduced collectively and rapidly. Based on the IPCC's Fifth Assessment Report (AR5), the global 'carbon budget' to keep average temperature rise below 2°C will be exhausted in a few years, and current emission rates put the world on track for warming of 3.7 – 4.8°C by the end of the century.
• Community-Based Adaptation (CBA) utilizes local resources, indigenous knowledge, and autonomous adaptation. Examples of local adaptation include 'Adaptive Neighbourhoods' in Cartagena, Colombia; the reprogramming of district development budgets in Ethiopia, Uganda, and Mozambique; climate-resilient housing in Da Nang, Vietnam; and an economic impact assessment of climate change in Nepal.
• Mitigation financing significantly outweighs adaptation financing. According to the Climate Policy Initiative (CPI) annual climate finance landscape report, mitigation financing accounted for 94% of US$ 360 billion in 2012, despite increased donor commitments to adaptation during the Fast-Start-Financing period.
• Most climate finance is spent in the country where it originates (75%), according to CPI data. To attract more support from donors and development finance institutions, developing countries should demonstrate national commitment and increasing internal resourcing.
• Nepal is highlighted as a leader in directing climate finance to the local level with a target of 80%. The country's Local Adaptation Plans of Action (LAPA) programme is described as a world leader.

APA

Bickersteth, S. (n.d.). Finance for local level adaptation. Climate and Development Knowledge Network. https://cdkn.org/story/opinion-time-for-climate-finance-to-scale-up-quickly

Chicago

Bickersteth, Sam. Finance for local level adaptation. Climate and Development Knowledge Network, n.d. https://cdkn.org/story/opinion-time-for-climate-finance-to-scale-up-quickly.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |last1=Bickersteth |first1=Sam |title=Finance for local level adaptation |publisher=Climate and Development Knowledge Network |url=https://cdkn.org/story/opinion-time-for-climate-finance-to-scale-up-quickly |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{bickerstethndfinance, author = {Bickersteth, Sam}, title = {{Finance for local level adaptation}}, publisher = {Climate and Development Knowledge Network}, url = {https://cdkn.org/story/opinion-time-for-climate-finance-to-scale-up-quickly}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }