Search Climate Insights Directory

A WRI study identifies fragmented governance, uneven technical capacity, and limited localized data and finance as primary obstacles to effective climate adaptation in Brazil, India, and Indonesia. The report argues that adaptation must be a 'two-way process' where national resources support local implementation and local priorities inform national decisions. Key recommendations include establishing binding coordination mechanisms, providing differentiated technical support to under-resourced municipalities, and integrating adaptation criteria into fiscal transfers and budgeting systems to unlock finance.

The Kuala Lumpur Declaration demands that developed countries fulfill their climate debt through grant-based finance, including an estimated USD 5.1–6.8 trillion by 2030. It advocates for a global Fossil Fuel Treaty, the rejection of 'false solutions' like carbon removal and nuclear power, and the dismantling of restrictive intellectual property regimes to accelerate technology transfer. The declaration further calls for tripling adaptation finance by 2035 and scaling the Fund for Responding to Loss and Damage to hundreds of billions of dollars annually.

The NAP Global Network's 2025 report details its efforts to move developing countries from adaptation planning to implementation. Key achievements include supporting 18 countries in this transition, delivering 24 short-term technical assistance requests via the Country Support Hub, and managing 13 long-term In-Country Support Programs. The Network emphasizes the importance of monitoring, evaluation, and learning (MEL), gender equality and social inclusion (GESI), and the integration of nature-based solutions. A new strategic plan to 2030 prioritizes Least Developed Countries (LDCs) and Small Island Developing States (SIDS), with a focus on accountability, civil society engagement, and the alignment of adaptation planning with peacebuilding and the Global Goal on Adaptation.

Adaptation finance for Africa remains critically insufficient, with 2023 flows to Sub-Saharan Africa reaching only USD 12.9 billion against an annual need of USD 51 billion. Public finance is the dominant source, providing 95% of Africa's adaptation funding in 2023, as adaptation projects are often small-scale, localised, and lack the standardised metrics or predictable returns required to attract private investors. Structural barriers, including complex international funding procedures and fragmented government coordination, have led to less than half of committed adaptation funds in Africa being disbursed between 2014 and 2018. While the private sector's contribution grew to USD 654 million by 2023, it remains a supporting role, with the document emphasizing that grants and concessional loans are essential to avoid exacerbating debt distress in countries where debt interest spending already exceeds health or education budgets. The briefing highlights the upcoming COP30 as a critical juncture to finalise the Global Goal on Adaptation and establish standardised indicators to improve the tracking and bankability of resilience investments.

The Global Goal on Adaptation (GGA) is an international framework designed to set measurable targets and indicators for climate adaptation. While an overarching framework was agreed upon in 2023, approximately 100 draft indicators are set for negotiation at COP30 in Belém to move beyond vague pledges toward quantifiable progress. Adaptation remains critically underfinanced, with developing countries' annual needs estimated between USD 310 and 365 billion, far exceeding current flows. Despite this gap, research indicates high returns on investment, with some estimates suggesting every dollar spent on resilience can generate over ten dollars in benefits over a decade.

The July 2025 ICJ Advisory Opinion affirms that states have a legal obligation to prevent significant environmental damage and provide financial support to developing countries, a duty embedded in customary international law. The brief argues that this ruling provides a legal foundation for reparative justice—including restitution and compensation—and reinforces the principle of Common but Differentiated Responsibilities and Respective Capabilities (CBDR-RC). It highlights that while the Baku to Belém (B2B) Roadmap aims for US$1.3 trillion annually by 2035, it currently lacks binding targets and transparency. The document urges that COP30 use the ruling to ensure developed countries lead in delivering at least US$300 billion per year by 2035, primarily through grants and concessional resources, to support ambitious Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) and the Global Goal on Adaptation.

The Global Goal on Adaptation (GGA) is an international framework established under the Paris Agreement to monitor and evaluate climate adaptation progress. While an overarching framework was agreed in 2023, the process now focuses on defining specific indicators to be finalized at COP30 in Belém. These indicators, covering both outcomes (e.g., water stress levels) and means of implementation (e.g., finance), aim to replace vague pledges with measurable targets. The document highlights a critical adaptation financing gap, noting that developing countries' needs are estimated at USD 310-365 billion annually, far exceeding current flows. It argues that quantifiable metrics can incentivize investment, citing research that every dollar invested in adaptation can generate over ten dollars in benefits over a decade.

The policy brief distinguishes between incremental and transformational adaptation, highlighting that the latter is necessary when climate impacts cross viability thresholds. It identifies significant barriers to transformational adaptation in Africa, including financial gaps, weak legal frameworks, and a lack of standardized metrics. The authors recommend that South Africa's G20 presidency champion the development of adaptation scenarios, the enactment of climate change laws, and the creation of an Africa-based framework for measuring systemic impact to move beyond reactive, short-term climate responses.

The report finds that while 100% of reviewed NAP documents acknowledge the importance of MEL, significant gaps remain in institutional capacity and financial resources. Only 18% of countries have dedicated MEL units and 29% mention dedicated financing. While output-level indicators are common (55%), impact-level indicators are used by only 31% of countries. The report also highlights a lack of structured implementation, with only 39% of documents including a roadmap or timeline for MEL rollout. Integration of gender-responsive indicators is emerging (45%), but disaggregation by age, disability, and geography remains low.

The document examines the potential for scaling up locally led adaptation (LLA) by leveraging the different strengths of bilateral donors, multilateral development banks, vertical climate funds, and private actors. It highlights that LLA can deliver 'double dividends'—combining direct climate resilience with broader socio-economic development—and suggests building on established community and local development (CLD) models. The brief emphasizes the need for better coordination to overcome challenges such as declining official development assistance (ODA) and limited technical capacity, while calling for more robust evidence on the cost-benefit analysis of LLA compared to top-down approaches.

The report analyzes the first round of Biennial Transparency Reports (BTRs) under the Paris Agreement's Enhanced Transparency Framework, focusing on the voluntary adaptation sections (A-BTR). By reviewing 10 diverse countries, the authors find that while there is strong commitment to reporting, most countries lack comprehensive monitoring, evaluation, and learning (MEL) systems, leading to a gap in evidence regarding the actual effectiveness of adaptation actions. The report highlights significant reporting gaps for Small Island Developing States (SIDS) and Least Developed Countries (LDCs), a lack of gender equity and social inclusion (GESI) integration, and insufficient transparency regarding financial flows.

The document discusses how developing countries can use the results of the first global stocktake to refine their national adaptation plans (NAPs), advocate for implementation support, and contribute to future global assessments to ensure their priorities are represented in the global goal on adaptation.

The report synthesizes key messages from the first global stocktake (GST) to support developing countries in enhancing their national adaptation plan (NAP) processes. It emphasizes the iterative adaptation cycle—comprising impact, vulnerability, and risk assessment (IVRA), planning, implementation, and monitoring, evaluation, and learning (MEL)—as the guiding framework. Key findings highlight the need for gender-responsive and inclusive planning, the mainstreaming of adaptation across governance levels, and the critical role of nature-based solutions. The document also addresses the widening adaptation finance gap and provides a practical roadmap for countries to implement GST outcomes based on their current NAP status, while outlining reporting mechanisms through NDCs, AdComs, and BTRs to prepare for the second global stocktake.

The briefing outlines five critical focus areas for the Bonn Climate Conference: establishing indicators for the Global Goal on Adaptation, defining holistic food and agriculture systems, developing a new gender action plan, resolving impasses on the 'just transition' work stream, and mobilizing climate finance for low- and middle-income countries.

The report assesses the AU-EU climate partnership, noting it is under strain due to unmet commitments and limited finance. It calls for the EU to double adaptation finance by COP30, contribute its 'fair share' to the New Quantified Collective Goal, and establish a new adaptation finance target to replace the COP26 pledge.

The document evaluates COP29's impact on Africa, highlighting the New Collective Quantified Goal on Climate Finance (NCQG) as a central but insufficient outcome. It details failures in the Just Transition Work Programme and fossil fuel phase-out commitments, while noting incremental progress in adaptation roadmaps, carbon market rules, and gender mainstreaming. The authors call for more decisive action and tangible climate justice at COP30.

The document identifies 14 distinct tactics of climate obstruction used during UNFCCC negotiations, ranging from overt rejection to subtle procedural delays. It argues that obstruction is unevenly distributed, with wealthier and fossil-fuel-producing nations exercising disproportionate influence. The brief maps these tactics across negotiation stages and predicts their likely application at COP30 in areas such as the Global Goal on Adaptation, fossil fuel phase-outs, and climate finance.

The document argues that the COP29 finance goal of US$300 billion is insufficient, covering less than 4.3% of projected global needs, and that Africa receives less than 3% of total global finance for developing countries. It highlights a critical imbalance where only 36% of Africa's climate finance is dedicated to adaptation. The brief calls for African nations to transition from passive actors to co-creators at COP30, advocating for the 'Baku to Belém Roadmap' to reach US$1.3 trillion and demanding that finance be grant-based, accessible, and channeled through African institutions. It also notes the negative impact of the US withdrawal from the Paris Agreement and the need for more inclusive participation for least developed countries in UN negotiations.

As of 2025, almost every developing country has initiated a National Adaptation Plan (NAP) process, with 71 countries having submitted multi-sector NAPs since 2015. The most common climate hazards identified in these plans are droughts, floods, and changes in precipitation, while the primary priority sectors are agriculture, health, and water/sanitation. While 100% of NAPs mention monitoring, evaluation, and learning (MEL), only 65% include a cost estimate for implementation, with estimates ranging from USD 1.4 million to USD 349 billion. Gender and social inclusion are integrated to varying degrees, with women and youth being the most frequently mentioned social groups.

The document outlines the key priorities for COP29, emphasizing the establishment of the New Collective Quantified Goal (NCQG) for climate finance and the operationalization of the Loss and Damage Fund. It highlights the need for intensified Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) before the 2025 deadline and the advancement of the Global Goal on Adaptation (GGA) and Biennial Transparency Reports (BTRs). Additionally, it identifies the importance of nature-based solutions, the operationalization of Article 6 regarding carbon markets, and the need to address transboundary climate risks and socioeconomic disparities in adaptation, all within a complex geopolitical landscape influenced by Azerbaijan's fossil fuel economy.