The political dimension of vulnerability: implications for the Green Climate Fund

This research paper examines the challenges of using vulnerability as a criterion for allocating adaptation finance, noting that science alone cannot provide a single objective ranking. It analyzes the Global Climate Change Alliance (GCCA), the Pilot Program for Climate Resilience (PPCR), and the Adaptation Fund, finding that while all three use vulnerability for prioritization, their criteria vary and are influenced by political factors, presenting a continuing challenge for the Green Climate Fund (GCF).

• While it is intuitive to prioritize countries most vulnerable to climate change for adaptation finance, scientific research indicates that science cannot provide a single objective ranking of vulnerability.
• An analysis of the Global Climate Change Alliance (GCCA), the Pilot Program for Climate Resilience (PPCR), and the Adaptation Fund reveals that although each uses vulnerability to prioritize countries, the specific criteria applied differ and are supplemented by other factors, making vulnerability both scientifically and politically ambiguous.
• The Cancun Agreements failed to resolve the ambiguity surrounding vulnerability, which leaves an ongoing challenge for the Green Climate Fund (GCF).

APA

Stockholm Environment Institute (2011). The political dimension of vulnerability: implications for the Green Climate Fund. https://www.sei.org/publications/the-political-dimension-of-vulnerability-implications-for-the-green-climate-fund/

Chicago

Stockholm Environment Institute. The political dimension of vulnerability: implications for the Green Climate Fund. 2011. https://www.sei.org/publications/the-political-dimension-of-vulnerability-implications-for-the-green-climate-fund/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Stockholm Environment Institute |title=The political dimension of vulnerability: implications for the Green Climate Fund |date=1 June 2011 |url=https://www.sei.org/publications/the-political-dimension-of-vulnerability-implications-for-the-green-climate-fund/ |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{stockholmenvironmentinstitute2011political, author = {{Stockholm Environment Institute}}, title = {{The political dimension of vulnerability: implications for the Green Climate Fund}}, institution = {Stockholm Environment Institute}, year = {2011}, month = jun, url = {https://www.sei.org/publications/the-political-dimension-of-vulnerability-implications-for-the-green-climate-fund/}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }