UN Climate Change News, 18 May 2021 – As part of the process to review the overall progress made in achieving the Global Goal on Adaptation (GGA), the Adaptation Committee (AC) held a webinar on 11 May, presenting the findings from their technical paper focused on methods to review the GGA.
The Global Goal on Adaptation is a pivotal component of the Paris Agreement, pointing the world toward enhancing adaptive capacity, strengthening resilience and reducing vulnerability to climate change – all within the context of limiting global temperature rise to as close as possible to 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels.
The review on the overall progress made in achieving the GGA will provide a big picture on the current state of adaptation. The purpose of the review is to capture a snapshot of collective on-the-ground adaptation efforts to pinpoint the status of localized and universal progress made in achieving the GGA.
The Adaptation Committee’s guidance on the review of the global goal
The Adaptation Committee, the world’s leading voice on adaptation, is tasked with understanding how the review of the GGA can take place. In 2019, countries requested the AC to study various approaches to review the overall progress made in achieving the GGA, and to reflect the outcome of this task in the Committee's 2021 report.
Establishing a sound and inclusive methodology for understanding adaptation progress at the global level is necessary to ensure that the GGA is adequately reviewed as part of the first Global Stocktake. The Adaptation Committee has been working towards this since early 2020.
One of its outputs is an in-depth technical paper to support consideration of the topic. The report reviews the relevant scientific literature; outlines some of the critical challenges; examines existing systems for reviewing adaptation progress; and reflects on the range of potential approaches for reviewing progress towards the global goal.
The technical paper’s findings were shared during an AC webinar on May 11, 2021. With more than 100 participants from around the world, the webinar offered a valuable space to discuss how to conduct a meaningful review of progress to date, with Parties and observers providing feedback. The review will capture the current state of adaptation efforts and will feed into the first Global Stocktake 2022–2023 on implementation of the Paris Agreement.
How the Adaptation Committee Is Moving Forward
Leading up to its 20th meeting in September 2021, the Committee will continue its consideration of approaches to review progress towards the global goal. The outcomes will take into account participant input from the recent webinar and will be reflected in the AC’s 2021 annual report.
Complementing the work of the Adaptation Committee, the COP 25 and incoming COP 26 Presidencies will host a series of workshops this year on the GGA as part of each of the Regional Climate Weeks. These workshops will aim to further the Parties' and observers’ understanding of each other’s views on how progress can be made on the Global Goal on Adaptation and how assessment of progress can contribute to the Global Stocktake. Stay tuned for more updates throughout the year, starting with the upcoming Informal Presidency workshop on the Global Goal on Adaptation [LatAM RCW Session] to be held on May 19, 2021.