Adaptation Finance under a Copenhagen Agreed Outcome

The report examines the challenges of financing climate change adaptation in developing countries, focusing on the gap between estimated needs and available resources. It argues that an agreement on adaptation finance is essential for the success of broader climate negotiations. The authors advocate for a consolidated, country-driven governance model that devolves decision-making to the national level and suggests a multiplicity of funding sources, including nationally assessed contributions and international levies, to ensure predictable and additional financial flows.

• An agreement on adaptation finance is considered vital for the overall success of the Copenhagen negotiations, as developing countries have indicated that a deal on mitigation is unlikely without one on adaptation.
• There is a significant gap between the estimated annual adaptation costs for developing countries, which are in the tens of billions of USD, and the funds currently available through UNFCCC and ODA channels, which are in the order of USD one billion per year.
• Adaptation needs are most urgent in primary economic sectors, specifically agriculture, water resources, and coastal resources, highlighting the strong link between adaptation and development.
• The current governance of UNFCCC adaptation funds is described as overly complex and inadequate in terms of efficiency, fairness, and responsiveness to developing countries.
• The report recommends a governance shift toward a consolidated international funding stream that is devolved to the national level to promote country ownership and reduce transaction costs.
• To ensure funding is 'new and additional' and predictable, the report suggests establishing nationally assessed contributions as the primary long-term revenue source.
• Several mandatory financing options are proposed to complement assessed contributions, including extending the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) levy to Joint Implementation (JI), using international allowance values, and implementing a passenger air travel levy.
• The private sector can play a critical role as a provider of risk-sharing mechanisms, such as insurance, and as a supplier of innovative goods and services, though it cannot replace the responsibility of states to provide public finance.
• The report emphasizes that the 'fairness imperative' and a shared understanding of equity principles, such as common but differentiated responsibilities, are necessary to bridge the trust deficit between developed and developing nations.
• National Adaptation Programmes of Action (NAPAs) are identified as a reliable source for short-term needs, but the report suggests moving toward more comprehensive National Adaptation Plans (NAPs) to address medium- and long-term needs.

APA

Persson, Å., Klein, R. J., Siebert, C. K., Atteridge, A., Müller, B., Hoffmaister, J., Lazarus, M., & Takama, T. (2009). Adaptation Finance under a Copenhagen Agreed Outcome. Stockholm Environment Institute. https://www.sei.org/mediamanager/documents/Publications/SEI-ResearchReport-PerssonA-AdaptationFinanceUnderACopenhagenAgreedOutcome-2009.pdf

Chicago

Persson, Åsa, Richard J.T. Klein, Clarisse Kehler Siebert, Aaron Atteridge, Benito Müller, Juan Hoffmaister, Michael Lazarus, and Takeshi Takama. Adaptation Finance under a Copenhagen Agreed Outcome. Stockholm Environment Institute, 2009. https://www.sei.org/mediamanager/documents/Publications/SEI-ResearchReport-PerssonA-AdaptationFinanceUnderACopenhagenAgreedOutcome-2009.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Persson |first1=Åsa |last2=Klein |first2=Richard J.T. |last3=Siebert |first3=Clarisse Kehler |last4=Atteridge |first4=Aaron |last5=Müller |first5=Benito |last6=Hoffmaister |first6=Juan |last7=Lazarus |first7=Michael |last8=Takama |first8=Takeshi |title=Adaptation Finance under a Copenhagen Agreed Outcome |publisher=Stockholm Environment Institute |date=2009 |url=https://www.sei.org/mediamanager/documents/Publications/SEI-ResearchReport-PerssonA-AdaptationFinanceUnderACopenhagenAgreedOutcome-2009.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{persson2009adaptation, author = {Persson, Åsa and Klein, Richard J.T. and Siebert, Clarisse Kehler and Atteridge, Aaron and Müller, Benito and Hoffmaister, Juan and Lazarus, Michael and Takama, Takeshi}, title = {{Adaptation Finance under a Copenhagen Agreed Outcome}}, institution = {Stockholm Environment Institute}, year = {2009}, url = {https://www.sei.org/mediamanager/documents/Publications/SEI-ResearchReport-PerssonA-AdaptationFinanceUnderACopenhagenAgreedOutcome-2009.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }