A recent United Nations report issued a stark warning: the financial aid rich countries provide to help developing nations adapt to the growing threats of climate change – such as devastating storms and intense heatwaves – is on the decline. In 2023, wealthy nations allocated approximately $26 billion for climate adaptation, a 7% decrease from the previous year, according to the U.N. Environment Program. This puts the major pledge of delivering at least $40 billion in annual aid by 2025 in serious jeopardy, a sum that is already considered a mere fraction of what vulnerable countries truly need to face worsening climate crises.
These findings underscore a broader slowdown in global efforts to combat climate change. Adding to the concern, President Trump is withdrawing the United States from the landmark 2015 Paris climate agreement, which saw nearly every nation commit to reducing emissions driving global warming. As world leaders prepare for the annual U.N. climate summit in Belém, Brazil, next month, these vital discussions are already clouded by discord and a lack of progress.
Further compounding the grim outlook, another U.N. report noted that only about a third of countries have managed to update their national plans for curbing emissions by the set deadline. Ilana Seid, an ambassador from Palau and chair of the Alliance of Small Island States – a powerful advocacy group at the U.N. climate talks – voiced deep concern, stating that “The overall sluggish progress should send shock waves through every citizen.”
The urgency of the situation was tragically highlighted by Hurricane Melissa, a Category 5 storm that battered Jamaica, causing widespread destruction. Ms. Seid lamented, “At this very moment, people from small island developing states are enduring the devastating effects of an unprecedented hurricane season, knowing they have limited resources to recover and will face an arduous process to access the necessary finance.”
The Paris Agreement aimed to restrict the global average temperature increase to “well below” 2 degrees Celsius (3.6 Fahrenheit) above pre-industrial levels, though the world has already warmed by roughly 1.3 degrees Celsius. Countries committed to submitting and regularly updating voluntary emission reduction plans. However, current pledges indicate the world is headed for an increase of approximately 2.7 degrees Celsius (4.9 degrees Fahrenheit). Scientists emphasize that even small increments of warming dramatically amplify risks from heatwaves, wildfires, droughts, severe storms, and species loss.
As the struggle to cut emissions persists, U.N. discussions have increasingly shifted towards helping communities protect themselves against the inevitable impacts of a hotter planet. Climate adaptation strategies range from planting drought-resistant crops and elevating buildings to avoid floods, to relocating entire communities away from vulnerable coastlines. It also encompasses crucial infrastructure upgrades for roads, power grids, hospitals, and other essential facilities to enhance their resilience against a spectrum of disasters.
Henry Neufeldt, a lead author of the U.N.’s adaptation report, explained that many necessary climate risk measures don’t offer clear returns for the private sector, meaning the public sector must step up to provide substantial funding. The report estimates that by 2035, developing countries will require between $310 billion and $365 billion annually for adaptation efforts.
The question of financial contributions from wealthy nations has long been a contentious issue in international climate negotiations. Historically, industrialized countries, including the United States and European nations, have been the primary emitters of heat-trapping greenhouse gases through the burning of fossil fuels. Meanwhile, developing countries in regions like Africa bear the brunt of climate disasters, despite having contributed minimally to the problem.
Four years prior, affluent nations had committed to doubling their adaptation contributions to at least $40 billion annually by 2025. Yet, the U.N. report indicates a probable failure to meet this target. Aid for adaptation from wealthy nations and development banks already saw a decline from $28 billion in 2022 to $26 billion in 2023, with no clear signs of an imminent reversal. While the Biden administration attempted to provide $3.1 billion in adaptation aid in 2023, Mr. Trump’s administration, largely dismissive of global warming, has dismantled most such programs.
Despite these setbacks, the report highlighted some positive developments. At least 172 countries have now implemented at least one national climate adaptation plan. Many have successfully reduced risks from weather events through measures like flood barriers, air-conditioning, and early-warning systems for tropical cyclones. Consequently, global deaths from extreme weather, including floods, droughts, and heatwaves, decreased by about two-thirds between 1970 and 2021, as per the World Meteorological Organization.
However, experts caution that many nations are still reacting to disasters – for example, upgrading flood defenses after a major rainstorm – rather than proactively implementing comprehensive plans for future hotter temperatures. Inger Andersen, executive director of the United Nations Environment Program, emphasized the urgency: “The reality is simple. If we do not invest in adaptation now, we will face escalating costs every year.”