New Report Calls for Private Sector Investment in Climate Adaptation

The World Economic Forum is over. As you might have expected, climate change was part of the discussion. An interesting report capturing the latest thinking on climate change adaptation and climate finance was launched during the forum in Davos.

The 40 page report Climate Adaptation: Seizing the Challenge, has as main goal, assisting decision-makers in the public and private sectors gain a better understanding of climate adaptation.

Here us a summary of some key findings of the report:

• Reductions in emissions of greenhouse gases are not happening fast enough. Preparing societies for the impacts of climate change, i.e. adaptation, must therefore happen in tandem with mitigation efforts.
• Up to 65% of the increase in the projected losses due to climate change could be averted cost effectively through adaptation investment. Decision makers need to look at ?total climate risk? when considering adaptation investment and finance ? this takes into account existing risk, future risk due to development and additional risk due to climate change.
• Private sector funding will be needed to finance investments ? the cash-strapped public sector will not be able to provide it all. Public sector funding can be leveraged effectively however and the public sector can also provide a framework that makes this investment attractive.

You may read the entire report here.

Credit for the report should be given to the World Economic Forum that produced it.

Other resources on climate adaptation:

• The Mediation Adaptation Platform: For Climate Change Adaptation Methods and Tools
• New guide to climate finance at COP19, Warsaw
• Climate Adaptation:  Weather Monitoring and Alerting Demonstration Project in Guinea, Africa
• Climate Finance and Gender Equality: Lessons for Sustainable Development
• Mainstreaming Climate Change Adaptation into Development planning: A Guide for Practitioners
• REDD+ Measurement, Reporting and Verification (MRV) Manual