Final G20 Policy Note Covers

This policy note, published by the South African Institute of International Affairs in October 2025, advocates for a shift from incremental to transformational climate adaptation in Africa. It outlines the conceptual differences between these approaches, identifies systemic barriers to implementation across the continent, and provides strategic recommendations for South Africa's G20 presidency to champion scalable, just, and context-specific adaptation frameworks.

• Transformational adaptation is distinguished from incremental adaptation by its objective; while incremental adaptation seeks to maintain a system's integrity and address immediate impacts, transformational adaptation aims to change the fundamental attributes of a system and address the root causes of vulnerability.
• Africa faces significant barriers to implementing transformational adaptation, including a lack of consensus on metrics, limited access to flexible and predictable finance, fragmented legal and institutional frameworks, and the risk of top-down, donor-driven approaches that ignore local contexts.
• South Africa's 2024 Climate Change Act provides a model for transformational adaptation by mandating the development of adaptation scenarios—categorized by temperature and rainfall projections—to move from reactive to proactive climate action.
• The Kenyan Climate Change Act of 2016 (amended 2023) is highlighted as a tool for accountability and inclusivity, requiring the formulation of a National Climate Change Action Plan every five years and protecting rights to public participation and the use of Indigenous knowledge.
• To scale adaptation, the document recommends that the G20 promote non-conventional financing sources for Africa, such as debt-for-climate swaps, voluntary carbon markets, and payments for ecosystem services, to reduce reliance on restrictive multilateral funds.
• The authors propose that Africa develop its own framework for measuring transformational impact that integrates qualitative and quantitative tools, reflecting Indigenous Knowledge Systems and aligning with Agenda 2063 and the Sustainable Development Goals.

APA

South African Institute of International Affairs (n.d.). Final G20 Policy Note Covers. https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/SAIIA_PN_20_ADHIAMBO-et-al_G20JustScalableAdaptation-2.pdf

Chicago

South African Institute of International Affairs. Final G20 Policy Note Covers. n.d. https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/SAIIA_PN_20_ADHIAMBO-et-al_G20JustScalableAdaptation-2.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=South African Institute of International Affairs |title=Final G20 Policy Note Covers |url=https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/SAIIA_PN_20_ADHIAMBO-et-al_G20JustScalableAdaptation-2.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{southafricaninstituteofinternationalaffairsndfinal, author = {{South African Institute of International Affairs}}, title = {{Final G20 Policy Note Covers}}, institution = {South African Institute of International Affairs}, url = {https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/SAIIA_PN_20_ADHIAMBO-et-al_G20JustScalableAdaptation-2.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }