COP27 Presidency launches Adaptation Agenda to build climate resilience for 4 billion by 2030

By Climate Champions | November 8, 2022

• Launch of the Sharm-El-Sheikh Adaptation Agenda – a comprehensive, shared agenda to rally global action around 30 adaptation outcomes that are needed to address the adaptation gap and achieve a resilient world by 2030

• The Adaptation Agenda will accelerate transformative actions by countries, regions, cities, businesses, investors and civil society to adapt to the acute climate hazards facing vulnerable communities

• COP President calls on State and non-State actors to join Agenda at COP27 and beyond 

In response to the devastating impacts of climate change affecting vulnerable people all over the world, the COP27 Presidency today launches the Sharm-El-Sheikh Adaptation Agenda in partnership with the High-Level Champions and the Marrakech Partnership.

The Sharm-El-Sheikh Adaptation Agenda outlines 30 Adaptation Outcomes to enhance resilience for 4 billion people living in the most climate vulnerable communities by 2030. Each outcome presents global solutions that can be adopted at a local level to respond to local climate contexts, needs and risks and deliver the systems transformation required to protect vulnerable communities to the rising climate hazards, such as extreme heat, drought, flooding, or extreme weather. It comes as research warns that nearly half the world’s population will be at severe risk of climate change impacts by 2030, even in a 1.5-degree world according to analysis published by IPCC  AR6 WG II Report and the UN Climate Change High-Level Climate Champions.

Collectively, these outcomes represent the first comprehensive global plan to rally both State and non-State actors behind a shared set of adaptation actions that are required by the end of this decade across five impact systems: food and agriculture, water and nature, coastal and oceans, human settlements, and infrastructure, and including enabling solutions for planning and finance.

The 30 Adaptation Outcomes include urgent global 2030 targets related to:

• Transitioning to climate resilient, sustainable agriculture that can increase yields by 17% and reduce farm level greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 21%, without expanding agricultural frontiers, and while  improving livelihoods including of smallholder farmers
• Protecting and restoring an estimated 400 million hectares in critical areas (land and freshwater ecosystems) supporting indigenous and local communities with use of nature-based solutions to improve water security and livelihoods and to transform 2 billion hectares of land into sustainable management.
• Protecting 3 billion people by installing smart and early warning systems
• Investing USD 4 billion to secure the future of 15 million hectares of mangroves through collective action to halt loss, restore, double protection and ensure sustainable finance for all existing mangroves.
• Expanding access to clean cooking for 2.4 billion people through at least USD 10 billion/year in innovative finance.
• Mobilising USD 140 to USD 300 billion needed across both public and private sources for adaptation and resilience and spur 2,000 of the world’s largest companies to integrate physical climate risk and develop actionable adaptation plans

In a sign of recognition of this major milestone for the global adaptation process, the Adaptation Agenda is being driven by the COP27 Presidency, the High-Level Champions and Marrakech Partnership and underpinned by the 2,000+ organisations spanning 131 countries in the Race to Resilience campaign.

At the launch today, COP27 President Sameh Shoukry and High-Level Champions Dr. Mahmoud Mohieldin and Nigel Topping, called on all State and non-State actors to get behind this critical Agenda.

COP27 President and Egypt’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Sameh Shoukry: “It is our aspiration that the Sharm-El-Sheikh Adaptation Agenda represents a significant contribution to enhancing global action on adaptation and resilience as an utmost priority. The COP 27 Presidency is keen to develop a governance arrangement to secure continuity in scope, priorities and reporting. It will lead the work building on: a) the adaptation focused initiatives launched by COP27 Presidency at COP27 that shall accelerate action across system interventions and  b) the adaptation and resilience outcome targets identified by the High-Level Champions. The Marrakech Partnership, the High-Level Champions and a number of specialised UN agencies will work together- as partners- to accelerate an agenda of global adaptation action through following up on the implementation of Sharm-El-Sheikh Adaptation Agenda. The COP 27 Presidency will receive – before COP 28 – from the High-Level Champions, the Marrakech Partnership and a number of specialised UN agencies a report on the progress achieved in implementing the Sharm-El-Sheikh Adaptation Agenda. Overall progress on implementation will be reported back to COP 28.”

Dr. Mahmoud Mohieldin UN Climate Change High-Level Champion for COP27: “The Outcomes were identified jointly with a broad range of active stakeholders, reflecting existing and new global targets based on science along with local knowledge and initiatives. The Outcome targets will continue to be refined and expanded by the High-Level Champions with inputs from State and non-State actors to support their operationalization. At the core of the Outcomes is the recognition that adaptation is often locally-driven and globally relevant, whilel simultaneously needing to address equity, diversity and justice. This agenda will accelerate the Race to Resilience’s global goal of making 4 billion vulnerable people more resilient by 2030. Of particular importance is the role of key enablers like finance and planning to accelerate adaptation in the near-term. USD140 to USD300 billion needs to be mobilised across both public and private sources annually with a minimum target of 50% for adaptation, as called by UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres. Of particular concern and focus is Africa, where the private finance share in the total financing of climate adaptation efforts is not more than 3% ($11.4 billion). Seven times that amount will be needed annually until 2030.”

Simon Stiell UNFCCC Executive Secretary: “The Sharm el-Sheikh Adaptation Agenda firmly puts key human needs at its core, along with concrete, specific action on the ground to build resilience to climate change. As the growing number of climate emergencies throughout the world clearly shows, focusing on adaptation is a crucial, pressing necessity. The Adaptation Agenda outlines multiple actions and combines the commitments of governments and non-Party stakeholders into a joint vision and a joint plan. We need all stakeholders on board to deal with current and future impacts of climate change, and this is a prime example of how that can happen.”

The Agenda emphasises the urgency for counting with evidence-based, actionable adaptation plans for all actors, making climate risks visible and accessible, and to deploy the locally-led adaptation principles.

At COP27, the Climate Champion’s Team also released technical reports across these impact systems, exploring the adaptation outcomes and partner implementation underway.

The Sharm-El-Sheikh Adaptation Agenda:

Food Security and Agriculture Systems

• Climate resilient, sustainable agriculture increases yields by 17% and reduces farm level greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 21%, without expansion of the agricultural frontier.
• Halve the share of food production lost, and per capita food waste (relative to 2019).
• Healthy alternative proteins capture 15% of the global meat and seafood market.
• Healthy alternative proteins capture 15% of the global meat and seafood market.
• The global consumption of fruits, vegetables, seeds, nuts and legumes increases 1.5 times.

Water and Nature Systems

• Protection of 45 million hectares (lands and inland waters), 2 billion hectares sustainable management and 350 million hectares restoration of land securing legal indigenous and local communities with use of nature-based solutions to improve water security and livelihoods.
• By 2025: financial institutions contribute to halting land conversion by eliminating commodity-driven deforestation from portfolios and  tap into nature-based solutions investment opportunities of USD 354 billion/year needed by 2030.
• Water systems are smart, efficient and robust with a reduction in water loss through leakage.
• Wastewater systems maximise recycling and reuse alongside natural wetland filtration with zero environmental spillage.
• Sustainable irrigation systems are implemented across 20% of global croplands to preserve water availability whilst supporting yield growth.

Human Settlements Systems

• 1 billion people have better design, construction and access to finance to live in decent, safe homes.
• Smart and early warning systems reach 3 billion people.
• USD 1 trillion invested in nature based solutions for communities in urban areas.
• Harden social infrastructure to ensure access to basic and essential community services.*
• Increased use of waste as a secondary resource boosts the livelihoods of informal workers and reduces open waste burning by 60%, lowering pollution levels and improving the health of local communities.
  

Ocean and Coastal Systems

• Invest USD 4 billion to secure the future of 15 million hectares of mangroves globally through collective action on halting mangrove loss, restoring half of recent losses, doubling protection of mangroves globally and ensuring sustainable long-term finance for all existing mangroves.
• Halt loss, protect and restore coral reefs to support people in tropical communities.
• Halt loss, protect and restore seagrass, marshes, and kelp forests to support people in temperate communities.
• Urban coastline is protected by grey and hybrid solutions.
  

Infrastructure Systems

• A diverse set of energy generation sources enable affordable access to electricity for 679 million unconnected people and higher quality access for 1 billion underserved people through climate resilient energy systems.
• 4 billion people with access to clean cooking through at least USD 10 billion/year in innovative finance for clean cooking action worldwide.
• 585 GW of battery storage capacity and extension of transmission and distribution networks enable decentralised generation and consumption.
• 2 billion people access low-cost, clean vehicles and mobility solutions through the expansion of affordable public and private transport services.
• Transport infrastructure is resilient to climate hazards through adoption of new technology, design and materials.

Cross-cutting: Planning

• 10,000 cities and 100 regional governments have evidence-based, actionable adaptation plans.
• 2,000 of the world’s largest companies developed actionable adaptation plans.
• Universal access to the tools and information required to integrate climate risks into decision making from local to global levels.
• Operationalisation of National Adaptation Plans and Locally-Led Principles, enabling adaptation in a country-driven localised and consultative manner.

Crosscutting: Finance

• Private sector integrates physical climate risks into investment decisions and continues to innovate mechanisms for financing adaptation and resilience so as to enable the mobilisation of the USD 140 to USD 300 billion that will be needed across both public and private sources.
• Public finance actors increase provision of climate finance and allocate 50% of climate funds to adaptation and resilience.
• Global property and casualty insurance sector has an industry capabilities framework, actively supports project implementation, and institutionalises a longer-term industry approach to climate adaptation.

Notes to editors

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