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January 28, 2021, Thimphu, Bhutan – The world’s least developed countries called on the international community for a greater focus on adaptation to climate change, in particular locally led adaptation, at the Climate Adaptation Summit held practically this week .
Bhutan, represented by Mr. Sonam P. Wangdi, chairs the Group of 46 least developed countries in the UN climate negotiations. He said: “Our people are increasingly suffering from a climate crisis for which they did little. We need to work together to adapt to the inevitable effects of climate change and build resilience against its impacts. “
“Adaptation support is urgently needed in least developed countries, as our countries have little response capacity but are highly exposed to increasingly intense climate impacts.”
“Our priority is to ensure that our communities and our economies can adapt to the changing climate. The climate crisis is getting worse and our countries are the most vulnerable. Life and livelihoods are in danger every day. Climate adaptation is essential to guarantee a secure future for all our people and future generations ”.
At the Climate Adaptation Summit, several countries and organizations expressed their commitment to the Principles for Locally Directed Adaptation. Wangdi said that “we are inspired by these principles for locally directed adaptation. It is at the local level where communities are most familiar with the climate impacts that affect them and are better positioned to develop and implement adaptation actions that are effective and sustainable in the long term.
At the summit, German Chancellor Angela Merkel announced that Germany will make 100 million euros available to the Fund for Least Developed Countries.
Mr. Wangdi welcomed this announcement of increased support for climate adaptation, saying: “I am pleased that some countries are increasing their dedicated support for actions to adapt to climate change. We welcome the announcement by Germany to contribute additional funds to the LDC Fund. The LDC Fund is the only multilateral fund fully dedicated to climate action in LDCs. Therefore, we appreciate the contributions made to this fund that helps to implement adaptation actions in our countries. We hope that other governments will follow suit to protect our people from the worst climate impacts. There is still a long way to go to close the gap between the level of adaptation funding that is needed and that which has been received ”.
The United Nations Adaptation Finance Gap Report estimated that, by 2030, adaptation costs are likely to be in the range of $ 140 to $ 300 billion per year. Developed countries have yet to meet their commitment to mobilize $ 100 billion in climate finance and, so far, most of what has been delivered is geared toward mitigation actions. A renewed focus on supporting vulnerable countries with climate change adaptation actions is key to protecting the lives and livelihoods of the poorest and most vulnerable as the climate crisis worsens.
