The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) has released the Adaptation Gap Report 2024. This report provides an assessment of annual progress in adaptation planning, implementation and finance. The report defines the adaptation gap as the difference between actual implemented adaptation and societal goals, with the impact of resource limitations and priorities.
Key findings
- Adaptation gap: US$187-359 billion per year.
- Adaptation progress: International adaptation finance in developing countries increased to US$27.5 billion in 2022. This marks progress towards the goal of doubling adaptation finance by 2025 under the Glasgow Climate Accord.
- Importance of adaptation: Ambitious adaptation can halve global climate risk. For example, annual investment of US$16 billion in agriculture could prevent 78 million people from climate change-related hunger.
Recommendations to bridge the adaptation gap
- Adopt an ambitious, new collectively quantified target for climate finance at COP29.
- Strengthen enabling factors, adopt new financial instruments, focus on capacity building and technology transfer.
- Adaptation finance needs to shift from project-based financing to more predictive, strategic, and transformative adaptation.
Key initiatives for adaptation
Globally
- Paris Agreement: Aims to enhance global adaptation capacity.
- UAE’s Global Climate Resilience Framework: Incorporates 11 global adaptation targets.
- Adaptation Fund: Funding for adaptation projects of developing countries under the Kyoto Protocol.
In India
- National Action Plan on Climate Change (NAPCC): Addressing the impacts of climate change through eight national missions.
- National Adaptation Fund (NAFCC): Promoting adaptation in vulnerable states.
- Regional schemes like MISHTI and AMRUT Dharohar: Schemes to help enhance climate resilience.
- The report highlights that investing in adaptation and enhancing international cooperation can not only mitigate the effects of climate change but also ensure the necessary preparedness to face the crises it causes.
United Nations Environment Programme
- The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) is the leading global authority for the environment in the United Nations System, which aims to inspire, enable and inform countries and people to protect the environment for the benefit of future generations. UNEP helps countries to strengthen environmental standards and implement responsibilities.
UNEP’s Mission
- UNEP aims to raise environmental awareness and responsibility so that all nations and people can adopt environmentally sustainable lifestyles.
UNEP’s Six Key Areas of Concentration
Based on global priorities and scientific evidence, UNEP has reorganized its activities into six key areas
- Climate Change: UNEP strengthens countries’ climate responses by providing leadership in climate adaptation, mitigation, technology and finance. Its focus is on the transition to low-carbon societies, the development of renewable energy, and increasing understanding of climate science.
- Post-conflict and disaster management: UNEP provides support to improve environmental assessments and management in crisis-hit countries. Post-conflict environmental recovery has included assessments in Afghanistan, Nigeria, Sudan, and other countries.
- Ecosystem management: UNEP works on the protection and management of ecosystem services to promote sustainable development. For example, it implements the Global Action Programme (GPA) for the protection of the marine environment from land-based activities.
- Environmental governance: UNEP helps develop environmental governance to mainstream the environment into sustainable development planning. It supports governments in establishing and strengthening policies, laws, and programs at the regional and global levels.
- Hazardous substances: UNEP strives to reduce the impact of hazardous substances on human and environmental health. It also focuses on aspects such as the Global Agreement on Mercury and Safe Chemicals Management.
- Resource efficiency and sustainable consumption and production: UNEP focuses on increasing efficiency in the use of resources and promoting sustainable production and consumption. Its 10-year framework on sustainable consumption and production through the Marrakesh Process is also an effort in this direction. UNEP strives to bring about positive change at the global and local levels by promoting environmental protection through these strategic areas.