COP21 Q&A: Where Does Climate Adaptation Fit Into the Paris Agreement?

This briefing discusses the role of climate adaptation within the Paris Agreement, proposing a structured cycle of national communications and global reviews to accelerate resilience and support for vulnerable countries.

• A strong Paris Agreement could accelerate global adaptation by establishing a long-term global goal that strengthens international cooperation for resilience and links adaptation needs to the level of global ambition for emission cuts. This framework would aim to create incentives and processes for sharing finance, knowledge, and resources, particularly for poor countries with high vulnerability.
• Draft language for the global adaptation goal emphasizes reducing vulnerability, strengthening resilience, and enhancing adaptive capacity. It frames adaptation as a universal challenge requiring collective action from all countries and the scaling up of support to signal a path for climate-resilient growth to investors, businesses, and governments.
• The document proposes a structured adaptation process consisting of three main components: regular adaptation communications (suggested every five years) to provide national snapshots of goals and needs; a global stocktake every five years to synthesize these snapshots and identify gaps; and high-level sessions to share best practices among non-state actors, including cities and civil society.
• To support the most vulnerable and minimize the burden on developing countries, the proposed adaptation cycle should allow flexibility. This includes permitting countries to use existing reporting efforts and planning processes, such as National Communications and National Adaptation Plans, to inform their adaptation communications.

APA

World Resources Institute (2015). COP21 Q&A: Where Does Climate Adaptation Fit Into the Paris Agreement? https://www.wri.org/insights/cop21-qa-where-does-climate-adaptation-fit-paris-agreement

Chicago

World Resources Institute. COP21 Q&A: Where Does Climate Adaptation Fit Into the Paris Agreement? 2015. https://www.wri.org/insights/cop21-qa-where-does-climate-adaptation-fit-paris-agreement.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=World Resources Institute |title=COP21 Q&A: Where Does Climate Adaptation Fit Into the Paris Agreement? |date=9 December 2015 |url=https://www.wri.org/insights/cop21-qa-where-does-climate-adaptation-fit-paris-agreement |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{worldresourcesinstitute2015cop21, author = {{World Resources Institute}}, title = {{COP21 Q\&A: Where Does Climate Adaptation Fit Into the Paris Agreement?}}, institution = {World Resources Institute}, year = {2015}, month = dec, url = {https://www.wri.org/insights/cop21-qa-where-does-climate-adaptation-fit-paris-agreement}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }