2021: A supercharged year for accelerating climate change adaptation

As the Covid-19 crisis is demonstrating, climate-vulnerable countries face multiple threats that compound each other, including health crises, fragile economies and debt, poor governance and conflict, and a lack of adequate climate finance.

Due to Covid-19, climate change adaptation has fallen down the political agenda, but the devastating effects on lives and livelihoods continue to grow. Furthermore, evidence shows that despite the pace of escalating climate impacts, the adaptation finance gap is not closing fast enough and a radical improvement is needed.

This year presents a huge opportunity to elevate and advance climate change adaptation financing and policy, to match the prioritisation afforded to climate change mitigation by donors. The UK has a unique opportunity and moral obligation to galvanise action on adaptation, by using key moments and its presidency of the G7 and COP26 to garner greater political ambition and secure an increase in the quality, quantity, and accessibility of adaptation finance going to the poorest and most vulnerable.