WWF: Tripling adaptation finance is not enough – it must turn promises into protection

COP30’s goal of tripling adaptation finance by 2035 will not be enough to close the adaptation finance gap, leaving developing nations with, at most, 29% of what they require, warns UNEP’s 2026 Adaptation Gap Report: Ready? Not.

At COP31, closing the funding gap will only be part of the job. WWF is calling on governments to pair increased funding with clear responsibilities, coordinated action, community involvement and checks on results.

Dr Stephen Cornelius, WWF International Climate and Energy Deputy Practice Lead, said: “People need protection, not just funding promises. More money must be matched by systems that turn it into action. That means being clear about who is responsible, joining up national and local action and giving communities a real say. Plans that stay on paper protect no one. We must cut emissions faster, but that does not remove the duty to protect people from the harm they face today.”

WWF’s Global Climate and Energy Policy Head, Fernanda de Carvalho, said: “The world is not adapting fast enough to protect people and nature from climate impacts. With global warming set to exceed 1.5°C, communities will need even more support to withstand its impacts. Well-funded, effective adaptation can reduce harm, but the scale of funding remains inadequate.

“COP31 must triple adaptation funding, make it predictable and easier to access, and get it to the countries and communities that need it. Governments must also put the Global Goal on Adaptation into practice and link it to national plans. The real test is whether people and nature are better protected.”

UNEP’s report identifies eight institutional factors that can help or hinder adaptation, interact and reinforce or weaken one another’s effects. They are:

• Legal and policy frameworks
• Mandates, roles and responsibilities
• Mechanisms for vertical and horizontal coordination
• Stakeholder engagement and participation
• Monitoring, evaluation and accountability
• Knowledge exchange and social learning
• Mobilisation, management and allocation of finance
• Legacies and associated path dependency

ENDS