Africa’s push to triple adaptation finance left off official COP31 agenda

🔦 Navigate COP31 unmissable events with our Insider's Guide 

illuminem summarises for you the essential news of the day, reviewed by our editorial team. Read the full piece on RFI or enjoy below:

🗞️ Driving the news: African countries’ proposal to triple adaptation finance has been excluded as a formal negotiating item at COP31 in Antalya, after wealthy nations opposed creating a dedicated agenda track
• The African Group of Negotiators is now seeking to secure priority for the target in the summit’s final political declaration

🔭 The context: The pledge to at least triple adaptation finance by 2035 was agreed at COP30 in Belém, but negotiators still lack an agreed baseline, timeline and monitoring framework
• If measured against the Glasgow Climate Pact baseline, funding would need to reach an estimated $85 billion to $120 billion annually by 2035
• However, the UN Environment Programme estimates this would cover only 20–29% of developing countries’ adaptation needs

🌍 Why it matters for the planet: Africa contributes approximately 4% of global greenhouse gas emissions but faces severe climate impacts, including droughts, floods and food insecurity
• Without increased international support, vulnerable countries risk diverting more of their own limited public budgets towards adapting to a crisis they have contributed relatively little to causing

⏭️ What’s next: African negotiators will push for adaptation finance to feature prominently in COP31’s cover text
• A key unresolved issue is how to define the funding baseline and establish a measurable trajectory to ensure that promised increases translate into actual financial support

💬 One quote: “We need support. But this is not the end. We will find every room to discuss adaptation finance,” — Amos Wemanya, senior climate adviser at Power Shift Africa

📈 One stat: International public adaptation finance from developed to developing countries reached $28.2 billion to $31.7 billion in 2024, only $1 billion more than the previous year

Subscribe to our free newsletters to never miss a beat in sustainability.

The world needs sustainability knowledge. At illuminem, no interest group or shareholder can influence our work. Thank you for supporting our mission to make high-quality and independent sustainability information free for all. Every contribution helps. Thank you for donating today.