Financing adaptation to climate change – an introduction

The Paris Agreement has underlined the global importance of adaptation to climate change. For the first time during the negotiations of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), this agreement has established a global goal on adaptation, which provides a common vision for the direction of global adaptation action and underscores how adaptation, mitigation and sustainable development are inextricably linked. At the same time, meeting the growing finance needs for adaptation remains a challenge.

This paper provides an overview of the complex subject of adaptation finance, discussing core issues such as access to international public climate finance for adaptation, the leverage of domestic adaptation finance, and the mobilisation of private sector adaptation finance. The Briefing also includes a curated list of references as a source of further knowledge and information on practical solutions. It is part of the Adaptation Briefing series under the IKI NDC Support Cluster, which aims to provide concise and easy to digest information on key topics relevant for projects working on climate change adaptation.

For experts working in adaptation projects, this Briefing on adaptation finance will be of particular interest and benefit. It provides a succinct yet complete introduction to the adaptation finance landscape and available financing sources and offers information regarding tools and best practices for analysing and using finance for adaptation at the country level.

Further publications of the project:

• The Roles of the Private Sector in Climate Change Adaptation - an Introduction
• Bottom-Up Innovation for Adaptation Financing
• Steering International Adaptation Finance Towards the Local Level
• Working together for Climate Resilience