During London Climate Week, a parliamentary dialogue shone the spotlight on the critical political capital parliaments hold in ensuring that global climate adaptation targets can be realized.
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he Global Center on Adaptation (GCA), the Southern African Development Community Parliamentary Forum, and DanChurchAid recently co-hosted a parliamentary dialogue for parliamentarians from Africa and Europe during London Climate Action Week.
While holding varying perspectives, participants agreed that adapting to the impacts of climate change is a necessity, and parliaments hold critical political capital in ensuring that global climate adaptation targets can be realized.
Dr. Ede Ijjasz-Vásquez, Senior Advisor to GCA’s CEO highlighted that global climate finance had doubled to US$1.3 trillion annually in the 2021-2022 period compared to the US$653 billion tracked on average in the 2019-2020 period.
Dr. Ijjasz-Vásquez’s presentation stressed a growing concern that global climate adaptation finance is becoming less prioritized. According to the State and Trends in Climate Adaptation Finance 2024 report, the proportion of total climate finance allocated to adaptation dropped from 7% between 2019 and 2020 to 5% between 2021 and 2022. He said countries, particularly those at the forefront of the devastating impacts of climate change, continue to be confronted with the pressing need to find innovative ways to increase climate adaptation finance.
The Right Honorable Roger Manciene, Speaker of the National Assembly of the Seychelles and President of the Southern African Development Community Parliamentary Forum, emphasized that parliaments have a lot to contend with but must remain mindful of the dangers that climate change represents for the region and the world. He stressed that climate adaptation is everyone’s business and that parliamentarians must ensure that it permeates national plans.
Right Honorable Advocate Jacob Francis Nzwidamilimo Mudenda, Speaker of the Parliament of Zimbabwe, underscored that Africa, despite contributing around 3% of global carbon emissions, suffers disproportionately from the impacts of climate change. He emphasized that African parliaments ought to provide thought leadership in translating protocols that respond to the adaptation agenda at the national and regional levels.
Right Honorable Jabulani Mabuza, Speaker of the Parliament of Eswatini, provided insights on the efforts made by Eswatini on the climate adaptation agenda. He stressed that despite these efforts, there is a continued need to strengthen the monitoring of climate finance, build capacity to access climate adaptation finance, and engage continuously across the African continent and beyond on best practices to “leapfrog towards more effective adaptation finance mobilization and adaptation action.”
In sum, participants agreed that the climate emergency is a reality for many communities currently experiencing its impacts. They acknowledged that parliamentarians have a crucial role to play in both legislative processes and as vocal advocates for a greater focus on climate adaptation.
There was consensus that by ensuring that climate adaptation is a key component of national development and integrating adaptation finance into broader development policies, parliamentarians can help create a resilient and sustainable future for all.
