UN urges immediate action on national adaptation plans amid rising climate costs

November 18, 2024

By Samuel Ogunsona

The Executive Secretary of UN Climate Change (UNFCCC), Simon Stiell, has challenged delegates to “flip the script” and make climate resilience a reality, pledging support from the UNFCCC towards a just and climate-resilient future.

UNFCCC chief emphasized the critical need for National Adaptation Plans (NAPs) to combat the devastating impacts of climate change.

Addressing delegates at the COP conference, the chief warned that “business-as-usual” approaches won’t suffice and urged transformative action.

He said, “We must flip this script.

“Business-as-usual won’t get us there. We need urgent action. We need transformation.

“Solutions, born out of the wealth of information and progress already made through existing adaptation efforts. We need data. Consultation. But we also need to build on the experience of communities around the world.

“Their lessons must serve as a strong foundation for comprehensive National Adaptation Plans.

“Of course, we cannot ignore the adaptation elephant in the room: there is a stark financial gap we must bridge.

“Adaptation costs are skyrocketing for everyone, especially developing countries. Their costs could rise to $340 billion per year by 2030, reaching as much as $565 billion per year by 2050.

“It’s easy to become slightly anaesthetized by all these numbers, especially at this finance-focused COP. But let’s never allow ourselves to forget: these figures are the difference between safety and life-wrecking disasters for billions of people.

“The IPCCs Working Group Two report told us that almost half the human population live in climate vulnerability hotspots, where people are 15 times more likely to die from climate impacts.

“Personally, I find that fact deeply disturbing, practically offensive in some ways. It certainly keeps me up at night, and I’m guessing it also does so for many of you.

“I also want to talk about another aspect of flipping the script. Let’s talk about the massive transformational power of adaptation, beyond its risk mitigation functions.

“It’s clear that adaptation investments – at the right scale and pace – can be truly transformative.” He said.