Greater urgency needed to deliver climate adaptation finance to lower income countries

Concern Worldwide has cautiously welcomed the agreement reached at COP30 at the weekend, but warned that the commitment on climate adaptation finance needs to be urgently implemented to support lower income countries currently facing the full brunt of extreme weather events.

“The countries worst affected by climate change called strongly for a new commitment on adaptation finance at COP30. So, while we are pleased to see a reference to tripling adaptation finance by 2035, the language in the final text falls short of being a commitment. This is not good enough for the communities we work with,” Concern’s Advocacy Manager Sally Tyldesley said. “We now need to see countries being held accountable to ensure this funding is delivered.”

“Talk by global leaders over the last fortnight must translate into action,” she said. “Many lower income countries urgently need climate adaptation finance today – not next year or in five years -- as they struggle against the worst impacts of climate change, such as flooding, droughts and extreme heat which are destroying lives and livelihoods.”

COP26 in Glasgow in 2021 agreed to the doubling of climate finance by 2025. Due to accounting and reporting processes, it is not clear whether that has been met but with significant cuts by a number of countries to their official development assistance budgets this year it seems unlikely to be delivered.