Opinion: COP25 – The Time for Talking is Over
Climate change is not something ‘out there’ in the future – it’s happening right here, right now. And we are not on course to deal with it.
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s delegates convene at COP 25 in Madrid I urge them – and indeed all of us – to spare a thought for the inhabitants of the Marshall Islands. This atoll in the Pacific is the first nation threatened with extinction as a result of global warming. Rising sea levels could wipe them off the map in a matter of decades – with endless floods making them uninhabitable sooner than that.
It would seem geography is their destiny. But they are not the only ones. The Climate Vulnerable Forum is a global partnership of countries that are disproportionately affected by the consequences of climate change. This group of countries are on the front line of our new climate reality.
By the year 2050, up to 1 billion people — about 10 percent of the world’s projected population — could become climate-change refugees because of rising sea levels. If we do not live in coastal communities ourselves, we will likely be welcoming migrants from them.
It is clear we not only need to act now but we also need to act fast. As countries are being urged to enhance their NDCs they must focus as much on adapting to the inevitable effects of climate change as to the more familiar effort to mitigate the causes.
While any increase in commitments will be hugely welcome, they must also be translated into action on the ground. This doesn’t require just one revolution. It requires three of them.
Three revolutions
The first is a revolution in understanding – to ensure that the risks societies and economies face are fully understood and reflected in the decisions that public and private sectors make. A key element is the need to make risk visible, requiring more precise characterization of who and what is at risk—and why.
The second is a revolution in planning – to improve how we make policy and investment decisions and how we implement solutions. The climate challenge is both urgent and pervasive across virtually all economic sectors. Since many climate impacts are local, devolving responsibility to those most affected is critical. Furthermore, high levels of uncertainty need to be built into decision-making.
The third is a revolution in finance – to mobilise the funds and resources necessary to accelerate adaptation. Money is not flowing at the pace or scale needed. People who did least to cause the problem are often those most vulnerable to its effects – and there is a critical need for higher levels of international financial support for adaptation in developing countries.
Actions on the ground
Together, these three revolutions will protect lives, livelihoods, homes and jobs in the face of climate change. We cannot simply wait for them to play out in their own time. We must take positive, practical actions on the ground now.
The Global Center on Adaptation is doing just that – with programmes covering key areas, such as: Finance, Food security, Nature-Based Solutions, Water, Cities, Locally-led Action, Infrastructure and Disaster Prevention.
It isn’t just the Marshall Islands at risk
Such efforts mean a young woman in Bangladesh can hear a siren of an incoming typhoon and move her family to safety. A farmer in Zimbabwe uses a new variety of maize that is more resistant to drought. In Denmark, engineers redesign city streets to make them less prone to flooding. A business executive in Indonesia uses data and maps on water risk to inform his investments. An urban planner in Colombia paints roofs white to deflect dangerous heat.
This is the practical end of climate adaptation and we need to do more it. Much more of it. Determined to act before it’s too late, the Marshall Islands are transforming themselves into a real-life laboratory preparing for the effects of climate change. They are building sea walls, designing coastal protection systems, expanding capacity to store rainwater and much more besides.
The Marshall Islands offer a warning of things to come, but also a beacon of hope. Humans have an amazing capacity to rise to immense challenges. This may be the biggest yet. I believe we can adapt successfully, but the time for just talking about it is over.
>> Read about the 3 revolutions we need to happen and practical actions underway in our report – Adapt Now
The ideas presented in this article aim to inspire adaptation action – they are the views of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of the Global Center on Adaptation.
