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Global Network News
Report: Harnessing Nature to Build Climate Resilience – The aim of this brand-new UNEP report is to highlight the opportunities and recommendations for scaling up the use of ecosystem-based adaptation (EbA) around the world. It assesses the barriers currently impeding the application of EbA, along with 5 categories of action for overcoming said barriers. The report can also be found in French and Spanish.
Video: How can we protect our cities from heatwaves? As the planet warms, the world’s demand for air-conditioning will surge, producing yet more carbon emissions in a vicious spiral. But bringing trees and green spaces into our cities is a win-win solution. In fact, experts claim that trees contribute up to USD $500 million to the economies of ‘megacities’ because of benefits arising from cooling and filtering air pollution.
Report: Ecosystem-based Adaptation and the SDGs - The EbA and SDGs Working Group of the Friends of EbA (FEBA) Network, coordinated by SwedBio and IUCN, have launched a report that dives into of the connections between EbA and each of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals, with each of the 17 sections exploring solutions for addressing threats posed by climate change and ecosystem degradation.
Radio: Can our cities survive climate change? - Extreme heat, droughts, wildfires, storm surges and flooding will increasingly cause damage and deaths in urban areas. So, how can we make cities more resilient to the inevitable impacts of a warming planet? In July, Alvin Chandra, an adaptation expert at UNEP, featured on the BBC radio show The Real Story to discuss these kinds of vital questions and the proposed adaptation solutions.
Adaptation Fund Climate Innovation Accelerator - As part of the Adaptation Fund Climate Innovation Accelerator, UNEP and The Climate Technology Centre and Network (CTCN) are administrating $5 million-worth of grants (up to $250,000 each) to enhance climate resilience in developing countries. The deadline for applications in the third call for proposals is now 30 September 2022. Apply here!
Factsheet: Ecosystem-based Adaptation in the Mediterranean Region 2019-2023 - A project is strengthening the capacities of countries in the Mediterranean region to implement ecosystem-based adaptation, and to access international climate financing with a view to influencing wider development processes. The project is part of the larger $43.3 million Mediterranean Sea Programme: Enhancing Environmental Security.
The Current State of Play on Financing Loss and Damage – The term ‘Loss and Damage’ refers to the harms caused by anthropogenic climate change, and it is an increasingly salient topic in international climate discussions. An article by the World Resource Institute (WRI) explores the current progress of discussions on Loss and Damage, including some of the challenges associated with financing.
Green Climate Fund Re-accredits UNEP - The Green Climate Fund (GCF) board has approved a decision to re-accredit UNEP and to update the accreditation to medium-size project budgets (i.e., with a maximum cap at USD $250m). On the same day, the GCF Board approved 4 new climate change projects, valued at USD $380 million in total (excluding cofinance). Learn more about the Green Climate Fund here.
Policy Brief: Innovative Approaches for Strengthening Coastal and Ocean Adaptation - This policy brief provides an overview of the value of integrated adaptation solutions and the challenges and opportunities to increase their uptake and scaling, based on the outcomes of a series of events in 2021 as part of Technology Day.
Podcast: Making Sense of the IPCC Report – In this episode of the America Adapts podcast, Katherine Mach, a lead author of the IPCC Sixth Assessment Report, explains the process of drafting the report and the role of the media in communicating its findings. You can listen to the episode here, and all other America Adapts episodes can be found here.
News From The Regions
Africa
UNEP Lessons Learned In Climate Adaptation From 3 African Countries – UNEP has published a set of new brochures to capture valuable lessons from 3 adaptation projects in Africa – in Tanzania, Lesotho and Madagascar. The 3 projects, all of which are now complete, were funded by the Adaptation Fund and the Global Environment Facility’s Least Developed Countries Fund. Find more climate adaptation case studies here.
São Tomé and Príncipe develops National Adaptation Plan for climate change - The Government of São Tomé and Príncipe, in partnership with UNEP, has launched a process to develop a National Adaptation Plan (NAP) to reduce the country’s vulnerability to climate change impacts. The country is already facing the impacts of climate change, and NAPs are widely viewed as a crucial governance mechanism for building resilience.
EBAFOSA’s Climate Action Digest – The Ecosystem-based Adaptation for Food Security Assembly's (EBAFOSA) latest Climate Action Digest focuses on Integrating Climate Action Solutions into Food Systems in Nigeria to Inform Coherent Pro-SDGs Policy Implementation. EBAFOSA constitutes the Global Adaptation Network's regional network for the Africa region, and you can learn more about the initiative on their website here.
News from the Regions
Asia Pacific
In South Asia, record heat threatens future of farming - A prolonged and deadly heatwave has hit large swaths of India and Pakistan, affecting hundreds of millions of people and sparking food and energy shortages. A UNEP story looks into the crisis and some of the adaptation options that countries can look to – such as developing climate-resilient seeds, diversifying crop choices, carbon-friendly cooling with nature-based solutions, climate forecasting, and more.
Asia Pacific Adaptation Network: Newsletter – The Asia Pacific Adaptation Network (APAN) have released a brand new climate adaptation newsletter for the region, which you can find here. If you’d like to receive the latest adaptation news and updates in Asia Pacific, then be sure to subscribe to the newsletter on the APAN homepage here. APAN represents the Global Adaptation Network's regional network for the Asia Pacific region.
Webinar: Understanding Loss and Damage in Asia and the Pacific – The Asia Pacific Adaptation Network hosted a webinar in late July on the current science, policy dimensions and mechanisms around the topic of Loss and Damage. The event drew together more than 200 participants, and you can watch the recording here. The topic of Loss and Damage posed a major sticking point in negotiations at COP26 in 2021.
Pacific Island leaders declare a climate emergency – At the 51st Pacific Islands Forum in Suva, Fiji, the Forum leaders issued a communiqué on 15 July affirming that climate change “threatens the livelihoods, security and wellbeing of its people and ecosystems”, as evidenced by the science and the “lived realities in Pacific communities.” Pacific islands are especially threatened by climate change due to their low-lying topography and vulnerability to sea level rise.
Factsheet: Ecosystem-based Adaptation in Bangladesh 2020-2024 - Climate change impacts, including droughts and floods, are harming communities that live in Haor and the Barind Tract of Bangladesh, damaging agricultural productivity and fisheries. Using the approach of ecosystem-based adaptation, a project is restoring the Haor wetlands and the dryland forests of the Barind Tract to protect communities from these climate impacts.
News from the Regions
Latin America & the Caribbean
Nature4Cities in the LAC Climate week - The Pathways to Transformative Adaptation event, taking place during the Latin America and the Caribbean Climate Week, explored the transformative potential of nature-based solutions through the presentation of the Nature4Cities project, which is creating the enabling conditions for the scaling-up of nature-based solutions for adaptation in urban areas in 7 countries. Watch the recording here (Spanish)
Report: State of the Climate in Latin America and the Caribbean 2021 – Prepared by WMO, this report is a critical source of science-based information and data on the changing climate in the region, including recommendations to enhance climate resilience and adaptation policies. Find the report here, which also highlights the impacts of climate change on agriculture and food security, migration and displacement, and socioeconomic development.
Integrating Nature-based Solutions into City Planning in Latin America and the Caribbean - This report highlights the importance of nature-based solutions for adapting to climate change. It compiles good practices and recommendations from the CityAdapt project in El Salvador, Mexico and Jamaica for scaling up nature-based solutions. Find the report here (Spanish).
Upcoming Events
August 22-26
National Adaptation Plan Expo
August 29 - September 1
Africa Climate Week
September 1
IPCC 6th Assessment Report Launch
September 6-9
22nd Meeting of the Adaptation Committee (AC22)
September 14-15
European Urban Resilience Forum
September 20-23
17th Meeting of the Executive Committee of the Warsaw International Mechanism for Loss and Damage
October 25-27
5th National Adaptation Forum
For more information, please contact Marcus.Nield@un.org
