What does it mean to “adapt” to climate change? (Part 1)

Before Investing Trillions to Help Developing Countries, We Need to Understand it Better

Sand pumping operation in front of the Galveston, Texas sea wall, 2015. Photo credit K. Christensen, Houston Chronicle, Jan. 6, 2017

Developing countries at the recent Glasgow climate negotiations, COP26, made a strong plea for much more finance to help address the risks of climate change — extreme temperatures, more frequent and intense storms, coastal flooding, wildfires, droughts, and more. In the language of the climate change negotiations, the pleas were to finance “adaptation,” as opposed to finance actions to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, or “mitigation.” The moral argument for adaptation is compelling. The poorest countries have contributed the least to climate change yet are among the most at risk. Extreme weather events can set back development with lasting consequences for health, food security, and political stability. All of Africa is responsible for only a few percent of global greenhouse gas emissions, while the 46 Least Developed Countries, home to over 1 billion people and among the populations most vulnerable to climate change, collectively emit barely 1 percent. Yet most climate finance in these countries goes to mitigation projects and little information is available regarding how climate funds are being spent.