CoP-30 must turn promises into action on adaptation

Asthe annual UN climate conference startsin Belém, located in the Brazilian Amazon, the debate has shifted from promises to action.

- SOUMYA SARKAR

The true measure ofsuccess at CoP-30 will not be new targets orrevised goals, but whether the world can finally deliver on adaptation by helping nations and communities prepare for climate impacts that are already quite evident.

After years of promises and pledges, the planet is struggling with the much harder task of delivery. Two major studies—State of Climate Action 2025 by the World Resources Institute and the UNEP’s Adaptation Gap Report 2025—highlight this gap. While planet-warming emissions continue to rise, efforts to adapt toa changing climate are lagging far behind the required pace.

Toadaptto the climate emergency, developing countries will need between $310 billion and $365 billion every year by 2035, according to UNEP research. Against this need, wealthy nations provided just $26 billion in 2023, down from $28 billion the year before, said the global environment agency. This gap of 12-14 times current funding reveals a basic fracture. Money meant to protect the most vulnerable from rising seas, extremerainsand deadly storms simply isn’t arriving.