At the UN's COP30 conference in Brazil, negotiators are pushing to increase funding for climate adaptation amid concerns over underfunding for vulnerable nations. Developing countries emphasize the need for billions more to prepare for worsening climate disasters, while the absence of high-level U.S. officials complicates pledges. Discussions also focus on defining adaptation indicators to measure progress.
The UN's 30th Conference of the Parties, known as COP30, is underway in Brazil, where world leaders are coordinating responses to climate change under the Paris Agreement. A major focus is bridging the funding gap for adaptation efforts, which help poorer nations build resilience against extreme weather like fires, floods, and droughts. According to data, 64 percent of international climate financing has gone to mitigation, compared to just 17 percent for adaptation, with another 17 percent benefiting both areas.
Bill Gates recently called for a “strategic pivot” toward adaptation, sparking debate but highlighting broad consensus on its underfunding. Negotiators aim to triple adaptation funding from the current roughly $40 billion target to $120 billion annually by 2030, building on last year's COP commitment of a $300 billion minimum for climate finance to developing countries by 2035 and mobilizing $1.3 trillion yearly overall.
European Union climate commissioner Wopke Hoekstra addressed the issue at a press conference, stating, “Adaptation is at the very heart of the conversation we are having,” and adding, “We do think there is a huge opportunity for more money to arrive for those in need.” However, he avoided specifics on the EU's support for the tripling plan.
Giovanna Valverde Stark, special advisor on climate change for Costa Rica's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, stressed, “We really need more resources for adaptation,” noting its importance for all developing countries. She also highlighted debates over up to 100 “adaptation indicators” to track effectiveness, saying, “The whole discussion right now is the importance of the indicators. If you don’t have a baseline, you cannot measure the progress that is going on.” Examples include measuring stress on water bodies or retrofitting sanitation systems to climate-resilient standards.
The U.S. absence poses challenges, with no high-level officials attending under the Trump administration, which has withdrawn from the Paris Agreement again and cut climate funding. Matt Webb of E3G think tank observed, “The E.U. will be looking for other developed countries to help step up, and the U.S. position does make that more challenging now.”
Optimism persists among delegates. Pratishtha Singh of Climate Action Network Canada said, “We are hearing very clearly from our global south partners that, without the financial support, it’s just a hollow framework.” Emilie Beachamp of the International Institute for Sustainable Development urged, “If it’s not set, we need to keep pushing,” and called for tracking finance flows. Current adaptation funding stood at less than $33 billion in 2022, underscoring the urgency as climate damages mount.