The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) has released its fifth edition of the Adaptation Gap Report which examines progress made—in terms of planning, financing and implementation—to adjust to current or expected climate change and its effects. The report stresses the importance and contributions that nature-based solutions can make in closing the adaptation gap. IUCN’s Amelie Claessens elaborates.
The imperative for resilience
Over the past year, the urgency for society to accelerate climate action has moved into sharp focus. Climate change impacts such as droughts, floods, heat-stress, wildfires and sea-level rise, are already costing economies billions of US dollars per year. Through adaptation—a key pillar of the Paris Agreement on Climate Change—countries, cities and communities can reduce their vulnerability to climate change by increasing their ability to absorb its impacts i.e. by strengthening their resilience.
The UNEP Adaptation Gap Report 2020 reviewed the status and progress of global adaptation and found that nations have advanced in embedding climate adaptation in policy and planning. However, significant scaling up and incentivizing for both public and private adaptation finance, along with faster implementation is critical to narrow the adaptation gap, especially in developing countries.
The hard truth is that climate change is upon us. Its impacts will intensify and hit vulnerable countries and communities the hardest – even if we meet the Paris Agreement goals of holding global warming this century to well below 2°C and pursuing 1.5°C.
Inger Andersen, Executive Director of UNEP
A helping hand from Nature
Considering the growing (inter)national recognition of nature’s contributions to humanity, this year’s Adaptation Report focuses on prioritising Nature-based Solutions (NbS) as key instruments for adaptation to the impacts of climate change. NbS are actions to protect, sustainably manage and restore natural or modified ecosystems that address societal challenges effectively and adaptively, simultaneously providing human well-being and biodiversity benefits.
Urban NbS have got off to a flying start, especially in advanced economies where they are deployed to address pressing urban challenges such as flooding and heat stress. Successful implementation of NbS can greatly reduce climate change hazards, while delivering a multitude of social, environmental, economic and governance-related benefits, not least for women, indigenous people and marginalized communities. However, there are a number of requirements for NbS to function effectively: a consistent and accountable framework; inclusive governance; institutions to manage public goods; long-term investments; and planning stability.
Narrowing the adaptation gap
The COVID-19 pandemic is already undermining global adaptation processes. There is an acute need to manage direct public health impacts as well as the economic fallout. In the long-run, the economic downturn may put additional pressures on financing priorities. Designed and executed well, however, the COVID-19 stimulus packages could actually help humanity expedite the transition to a climate-resilient, low-carbon future.
References
Cohen-Shacham, E., Walters, G., Janzen, C., & Maginnis, S. (2016). Nature-based solutions to address global societal challenges. IUCN: Gland, Switzerland, 97. Available from: https://portals.iucn.org/library/node/46191
United Nations Environment Programme (2021). Adaptation Gap Report 2020 – Executive summary. Nairobi. Available from: https://portals.iucn.org/library/node/46191