Making adaptation a global ambition

The author contends that the extreme weather events of 2021 demonstrate that climate risk is transboundary and that current adaptation efforts are insufficient. The text argues for a shift from domestic to transboundary perspectives on risk, noting that adaptation goals under the Paris Agreement remain 'fuzzy' and lack operational mechanisms. It concludes that adaptation has limits and must be pursued in tandem with aggressive mitigation to avoid catastrophic costs and loss of life.

• Climate risk is transboundary and propagates through international trade, supply chains, capital flows, human mobility, and shared natural resources, meaning adaptation efforts in one country can inadvertently redistribute risk to another.
• Economic risks from climate-induced disruptions to international trade can exceed the economic risks of direct climate impacts within a country's own borders, as evidenced by a study for the German Environment Agency.
• While the Paris Agreement's Article 7 sets a global goal for adaptive capacity and resilience, there is currently no mechanism to make this goal operational or to unify different visions of adaptation.
• Adaptation cannot be a substitute for mitigation because adaptation has limits; failure to reduce emissions will make adaptation increasingly difficult or impossible and lead to higher costs for damages.

APA

Stockholm Environment Institute (2021). Making adaptation a global ambition. https://www.sei.org/perspectives/making-adaptation-a-global-ambition/

Chicago

Stockholm Environment Institute. Making adaptation a global ambition. 2021. https://www.sei.org/perspectives/making-adaptation-a-global-ambition/.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |author=Stockholm Environment Institute |title=Making adaptation a global ambition |date=6 September 2021 |url=https://www.sei.org/perspectives/making-adaptation-a-global-ambition/ |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{stockholmenvironmentinstitute2021making, author = {{Stockholm Environment Institute}}, title = {{Making adaptation a global ambition}}, publisher = {Stockholm Environment Institute}, year = {2021}, month = sep, url = {https://www.sei.org/perspectives/making-adaptation-a-global-ambition/}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }