By Wangusi Joyce
Climate activists at COP29 have issued an urgent call to action, highlighting the glaring failure of Global North governments to deliver adequate climate adaptation finance.
Despite adaptation being on the summit’s agenda, the Adaptation Fund is severely underfunded, with only US$61 million pledged towards a 2024 target of US$300 million. This marks a continuation of last year’s shortfall, when new pledges totalled just US$188 million, leaving vulnerable nations without the resources needed to help them cope with worsening climate impacts.
Activists from across the UNFCCC NGO constituencies called on negotiators at COP29 to prioritise adaptation as a matter of climate justice. With the Adaptation Fund running on empty and time running out, the message was clear: Global North countries must step up to meet their responsibilities, fulfil their commitments, and ensure no community is left behind in the face of escalating climate impacts. The Adaptation Fund remains one of the few mechanisms delivering high-quality, community-focused finance, through direct access instruments to developing countries. Its current underfunding sends a troubling signal about a global commitment to climate justice.
Pooja Dave, Policy Coordinator at Climate Action Network International said: “Adaptation has consistently been treated as the runt of the climate negotiations’ litter – neglected, undervalued, and forced to survive on scraps. It’s high time that adaptation finally receives its rightful place at the front of the pack.
The growing Adaptation Finance Gap and the meagre pledges to the Adaptation Fund reflect systemic failures in both political and economic structures. Today’s high-level ministerial dialogue on adaptation finance must go beyond symbolic gestures. It must deliver substantial pledges and reaffirm the global community’s collective responsibility to ensure no one is left behind in the face of spiralling climate impacts.”
The lack of political will from Global North governments is particularly stark when contrasted with their continued willingness to fund genocide, subsidise big polluters, expand oil and gas production and false solutions.
Members of the Campaign to Demand Climate Justice, Asian Peoples’ Movement on Debt and Development, Climate Action Network, YOUNGO, and the Agape Earth Coalition joined forces for a powerful action inside the COP29 venue that coincided with today’s negotiations on adaptation finance. They delivered three critical demands: finance that matches the scale of the crisis; justice for frontline communities; and accountability for decades of unmet pledges from wealthy nations.
Elsewhere, Dr Rosalid Nkirote, the executive Advisor at the African Coalition of Communities Responsive to Climate Change (ACCRCC) voiced deep concern over the ongoing climate finance negotiations at COP29. While Africa contributes the least to global greenhouse gas emissions, our communities bear the brunt of its devastating impacts, from prolonged droughts to catastrophic floods. COP29 must deliver tangible progress, ensuring climate finance is accessible, equitable, and impactful at the grassroots level.
“We call on developed nations to honor their commitment to mobilize $100 billion annually, a promise that remains unmet over a decade later. Furthermore, we urge the establishment of robust mechanisms to ensure transparency, accountability, and the prioritization of adaptation finance. Communities in Africa are on the frontlines of climate resilience and must be empowered to drive solutions tailored to their needs”, she said.
Henry Neondo, an Advocacy Specialist said innovative financing mechanisms such as loss and damage funds and debt-for-climate swaps should move beyond rhetoric to implementation, directly benefiting vulnerable populations. Climate finance must not come as loans that deepen debt burdens but as grants that enable sustainable development.
ACCRCC stands firm: Africa’s voice must shape the climate finance agenda. We demand justice, equity, and swift action to safeguard livelihoods and secure a sustainable future for all.