O ur way of life is under threat. With climate change impacting our lives, we see more forest fires, floods and droughts. Food production, water availability and infrastructure are under pressure and at risk.

Commitments made in Paris and Glasgow must be kept – otherwise communities that did the least to cause climate change will continue to suffer the most. As we work to keep the 1.5°C goal alive, we must also adapt now if we are to have any future at all.

The good news is: adaptation solutions exist – but they need to be implemented with speed and scale. By scaling up climate-smart agricultural techniques and technology, we can empower smallholder farmers and strengthen global food security. By integrating resilience into infrastructure investments, our cities and water systems we can ensure our development is sustainable in the face of climate change. By developing innovative finance instruments, we can incentivize urgently needed adaptation action. By empowering youth through jobs and entrepreneurship, we can help future generations thrive in a greener and more resilient world. By collaborating with the private sector, we benefit from cutting-edge innovations while strengthening the resilience of critical supply chains.

Success at COP27 will depend on whether the needs of Africa, the world’s most climate-vulnerable continent, are met. Progress and transparency on implementing the COP26 agreement to double adaptation finance by 2025, demonstrating funds flowing to country-led programs, will be central to the success of COP27. Africa has a bold Africa-led, Africa-owned adaptation plan, the Africa Adaptation Acceleration Program (AAAP). Ensuring the full capitalization of the AAAP will serve as a landmark contribution towards the success of the forthcoming “African COP.”

We need all hands on deck – from governments and civil society to the private sector. Together with the COP27 Presidency, in Sharm el-Sheik, let us turn promises into progress, and secure a safer, greener, and more prosperous future for all.