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Global Network News
Adaptation Gap Report 2022 - Climate change is landing blow after blow upon humanity and the planet, an onslaught that will only intensify in the coming years, even if the world begins to bring down greenhouse gas emissions. This flagship report from UNEP finds that the world must urgently increase efforts to adapt to these impacts of climate change, and it explores the benefits of prioritizing actions that both reduce greenhouse gas emissions and help communities adapt. Find the report and background resources here.
How Cop27 Influenced the Race to Adapt to Climate Change - After two weeks of discussions, side events, workshops, and intense negotiations that ran 40 hours over the intended deadline, a major breakthrough at Cop27 came when countries agreed to establish a Loss & Damage Fund to help poorer countries rebuild and repair after climate disasters. But what does Cop27 and its final agreed outcome, known as the Sharm el-Sheikh Implementation Plan, mean for adaptation?
UNEP & Adaptation: What We Do - This booklet provides a concise overview of UNEP’s work with helping countries adapt to the climate crisis. Since 2010, UNEP has assisted over 70 projects on climate change adaptation in over 50 countries. These projects cover a vast range of adaptation solutions and best practices. As of 2022, combined, these projects are aiming to benefit around 2.7 million people, restore 131,000 hectares of land, and build over 1,100 water harvesting structures.
What You Need To Know About The Cop27 Loss & Damage Fund - The decision to establish funding arrangements to address loss and damage was, for many, the highlight of Cop27 and the culmination of decades of pressure from climate-vulnerable countries. The decision aims to provide financial assistance to nations most vulnerable and impacted by the effects of climate change. Here are six things you need to know about the decision, and why it's so important for developing countries.
5 Ways Countries Can Adapt To The Climate Crisis – On the International Day for Disaster Risk Reduction on 13 October, UNEP took a closer look at five key ways the world can better adapt to the climate crisis. The United Nations Secretary-General has urged world leaders to invest as much in adaptation as they do in mitigation (i.e., reducing atmospheric greenhouse gases). Here are some of the best adaptation solutions, all of which are more effective if integrated into long-term strategies and policies.
A New Era for National Adaptation Plans? - In August 2022, a number of climate-vulnerable countries supported by the UNDP and UNEP examined their emerging experiences at the NAP Expo conference in Gaborone, Botswana. The countries discussed the kinds of barriers and opportunities that exist both in terms of accelerating adaptation on-the-ground and in the planning process more broadly, especially in Least Developed Countries.
Policy Brief: The Global Goal on Adaptation (GGA) – This policy brief was developed by the World Adaptation Science Programme, an adaptation initiative composed of 7 different UN agencies. The brief, launched at Cop27, discusses the collective effort required to operationalize the GGA. At around the same time, the Friends of EbA Network published a brief on Nature-based Solutions and the GGA, which you can find here.
Promoting Synergies Between Climate Change Adaptation & Biodiversity – This technical brief was a result of the Biodiversity and Climate Change Adaptation Expert Group under the Nairobi Work Programme on Impacts, Vulnerability and Adaptation. The brief looks at the interlinkages between protecting biodiversity and climate action, with a particular emphasis on National Adaptation Plans and National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan processes.
Call for Proposals: Adaptation Futures 2023 – Under the conference theme Time to Innovate: Adapting Together, the call for session proposals, abstracts and posters is now open for the 7th Edition of Adaptation Futures 2023 Conference, being held in Montréal, Canada, from October 2 to 6 2023. Submissions can be made in both English and French, and for all submission guidelines visit here. The deadline to submit an abstract is 23 January 2023.
Stories of Resilience: Lessons from Local Adaptation Practice – The stories in this compilation, based on the sessions of the 2022 Gobeshona Conference on Locally Led Adaptation, explore the difference between local action and locally led action, and how to identify effective ways of supporting local leadership. "They form the basis for us to understand where we are, how much further we must travel, and in which direction, to mainstream and scale up truly locally led adaptation."
UN Launches Challenge for Cities to Harness the Power of Nature for Cooling – UNEP announced a new initiative at Cop27, The Nature for Cool Cities Challenge, which incentivizes cities to use the cooling power of nature. It is a joint effort under the framework of the UNEP-led Cool Coalition. One year from now, at Cop28, the Cool Coalition will showcase challenge participants, their pledges, and donor contributions that are helping cities deliver on their pledges.
Report: Adapting to a New Climate - Private finance clearly has a role to play in closing the adaptation gap, and banks will not only contribute to mitigating the risks from physical climate impacts, but also be able to seize business opportunities as clients, markets and technologies respond to a new climate. The UNEP Finance Initiative has assessed physical risk management and climate adaptation in banks, and defined next steps towards a framework to accelerate climate-resilient banking. Watch the launch event here.
Glasgow–Sharm el-Sheikh Work Programme on the Global Goal on Adaptation (GGA) -The final workshop for 2022 on the GGA was held in-person in Sharm el-Sheikh in conjunction with Cop27. The workshop focused on Communicating and Reporting on Adaptation Priorities, bringing together member states, UN agencies, youth groups and more. UNEP provided input to the workshops, including findings from the Adaptation Gap Report and from across its adaptation portfolio. Summaries of all workshops held in 2023 are available here.
Ecosystem-based Adaptation: Working With Nature To Adapt To A Changing Climate - On 4 October, the e-learning course Ecosystem-based Adaption: Working With Nature to Adapt to a Changing Climate was launched. Developed by GIZ, IUCN and IISD, the course is free, self-paced, and open for all interested in EbA. It equips learners with transferable skills in implementing EbA initiatives and increases EbA knowledge outside the environmental conservation community.
News From The Regions
Africa
Farmers Adapt to Climate Crisis on Burundi’s Precarious Hillsides – “It was a late evening in April 2018 when Philbert Ntaciyica, exhausted from the non-stop heavy rain battering his roof, wondered if his farm would survive this latest storm.” A UNEP multimedia story looks at how farmers in Burundi are turning to nature-based solutions to protect their crops from climate change. The initiative is part of a $5m project to protect communities near the Lake Victoria basin, on which 45 million people depend for their livelihoods. Watch the video here.
Forum of the UN Ecosystem-based Adaptation For Food Security Assembly (EBAFOSA) - The main objective of this Forum was to provide an overview of EBAFOSA's main activities, achievements to date, next steps, and to invite new external stakeholders to join the network and form new partnerships. It also aimed to initiate discussions with all these stakeholders before Cop27 on how an ecosystem-based approach can help Africa adapt to climate change. Click here to watch a recording of the event.
EU Pledges Funding For Climate Adaptation In Africa – At Cop27, the European Commission announced a programme worth around 1 billion euros to help fund climate change adaptation and resilience in Africa, which includes 60 million euros for loss and damages. A part of the EU-Africa Global Gateway Investment Package, the programme aims to improve cooperation between the European Union and the African Union. Find a factsheet about the initiative here.
News from the Regions
Asia Pacific
Enabling Resilience For All: The Critical Decade to Scale-up Action - This publication is an output of the 7th Asia-Pacific Climate Change Adaptation Forum, held virtually in March 2021. It contains Forum highlights, lessons learned and key takeaways. The Forum is the primary regional platform for adaptation practitioners to meet, share their learning and experiences, and work together towards the outcomes and practical solutions needed to address the challenges of climate change.
Adapt or Perish: Adaptation Imperatives for a Food-secure Asia – Following the conclusion of Cop27, an article in The Economist looks at how climate change is expected to impact the Asia Pacific region, along with some of the possible solutions for adapting and building resilience. The article shines a light on the new finding from UNEP’s Adaptation Gap Report that 84% out of 200 countries have now established adaptation plans.
News from the Regions
Latin America & the Caribbean
Cop27 Takeaways For Latin America and the Caribbean (in Spanish) – As Cop27 came to a close, UNEP’s Regional Office for Latin America and the Caribbean organized a session to share and discuss the key outcomes from Cop27 for the region. The panelists, ranging from national delegations to media, offered different perspectives, and the progress seen in the topic of loss and damage was highlighted as a particularly important development.
Adaptation Action Days II (in Spanish) - The Adaptation Action Days II for the Latin America and Caribbean region, organized by UNEP, was held from the 25th to 27th of October. The sessions focused on two main topics: i) Nature-based solutions for climate resilience; and 2) Engagement of the private sector in adaptation actions. A final high-level panel was held on the vision and adaptation objectives of the region ahead of Cop27.
Upcoming Events
December 6
Climate Change Adaptation Financing for Central America & the Caribbean (Spanish)
December 7-19
UN Biodiversity Conference (Cop15)
February 9-10
7th International Conference on Climate Change 2023
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