GLOBAL COMMISSION ON ADAPTATION

The Global Commission on Adaptation seeks to accelerate adaptation action and increase political support for building climate resilience.

Climate adaptation means preparing for and responding to the disruptive effects of climate change. It means doing everything we can to protect people’s lives and livelihoods from the impacts of our changing environment, as well as creating and spreading solutions to make communities, homes, businesses, farms and infrastructure stronger and better equipped to deal with mounting challenges.

Good adaptation must support inclusive economic development and address underlying inequities in society. It requires cross-sectoral planning, cross-cutting responsiveness, innovative partnerships, and inclusive, courageous decision-making to confront the reality of our changing world.

The Global Commission on Adaptation aims to inspire heads of state, government officials, community leaders, business executives, investors and other international actors to prepare for and respond to the disruptive effects of climate change with urgency, determination and foresight. By accelerating climate adaptation, we can ensure that people benefit from cost-effective options, reduce risks and come out stronger.

Comprised of more 30 Commissioners and 20 convening countries, the Global Commission on Adaptation brings together leaders from politics, business, development and science to identify solutions and drive action.

The Commission is led by Ban Ki-moon, Kristalina Georgieva(chief executive of the World Bank) and Bill Gates. A global network of research partners and advisors support the Commission. It is co-managed by WRI and the Global Center on Adaptation.

BENEFITS

Benefits of climate change adaptation far outweigh the costs, according to a new report by the Global Commission on Adaptation (GCA).

The world can accrue net benefits worth $7.1 trillion by spending $1.8 trillion on climate adaptation,

The report identified five key areas of climate adaptation — early warning systems, climate-resilient infrastructure, improved dryland agriculture and crop production, mangrove protection and investments in making water resources more resilient. 

The benefit-to-cost ratio of these five areas range between 2:1 and more than 10:1. Climate adaptation can also deliver dividends on three fronts or “triple dividends” — avoidance of future losses, generation of positive economic gains through innovation and delivery of additional social and environmental benefits.

Mitigation and adaptation go hand in hand as two equally important building blocks of the Paris Agreement. Adaptation is not only the right thing to do, but also the smart thing to do to boost economic growth and create a climate-resilient world.

For example, early warning systems worth $800 million in developing countries can avoid losses of $3-16 billion per year,  Similarly, mangroves help avoid losses amounting to $80 billion per year from coastal flooding and protect 18 million people.

The report advocates more people, especially from the vulnerable groups, to be part of the decision making process, given the fact that people most vulnerable to the impacts of climate change were not responsible for the emissions that led to it.

However, the report is critical of the fact that not enough money has been made available for climate change adaptation.