On the 25 and 26th of January, The Netherlands played host to the 2021 Climate Adaption Summit (CAS) – a global conference which brought together world leaders, business leaders, community leaders, international organizations, and civil society – to showcase best practice solutions and inspire collaboration, commitment and investment in climate change adaptation and mitigation, for a climate resilient future.
ESSB Researchers Mary-Kate Burns, Alexandrina Rotaru, Iain Todd and Cas Bulder, who are currently examining just transitions within the context of Covid-19 and the EU’s Green Deal, attended the conference. In their recent study, they found that finance and governance were the greatest barriers to a successful energy transition after post-Covid; that government investment are a key solution; and that there is a crucial need to align fairness and justice within the economic recovery from Covid, for those vulnerable in our own societies as well as developing countries.
Climate Adaptation and Climate Mitigation
The event represented a shift in the global narrative on climate change that currently focuses on mitigation (preventing further climate change), towards a more comprehensive standpoint, emphasising both the importance of mitigation, as well as adaptation (responding to current climate change realities). Building resilience became one of the core pillars of the Summit, and adaptation was the key word in that sense. World leaders showcased initiative by pledging a higher share of financing into climate change adaptation, with Dutch Prime-Minister Mark Rutte, pledging a 50/50 distribution of finance aimed at both mitigation and adaptation. Meanwhile, others such as the Republic of Ireland’s Minister for Overseas Development Aid Colm Brophy, called for a greater share of finance for local communities since those most affected by climate change have the greatest motivation and knowledge to adapt.
In terms of tangible deliverables, the Summit will deliver an Adaptation Action Agenda aimed at promoting, guiding, monitoring, and sharing experience on climate resilience, and building together.
Investment was another key focus of the event, and General Director Dominic Waughray of the World Economic Forum, explained that climate action failure and extreme weather events are the most likely long-term risks we will face over the next decade, and called for a sharp rise in ambitions and translation into action. While investment in adaptation would raise economic growth and provide millions of jobs, the current global spend on adaptation and mitigation would have to be increased by 10-fold to fulfil ambitions. For COP26 President Alok Sharma, the “economic case for adaptation” has never been clearer, and 2021 will be a critical year for the climate.
Covid-19 And Climate Action
Reflecting on the challenge of climate action in a time when economies are grappling with the impacts of the Covid-19, Deputy Speaker of the Republic of the Philippines Loren Legarda, warned that economic disruptions and public health emergencies will continue to happen, if we do not address the climate crisis as a bigger concern and threat than Covid-19.
Going forward, CAS speakers could all agree that the Covid crisis and the climate crisis have something in common: they both impact the vulnerable most. This mirrors the results of the team’s earlier research, in that the pandemic makes those already struggling more vulnerable, and recoveries should include government tax regimes which place a higher priority on social justice, especially for vulnerable groups. It was refreshing to hear government and business leaders talk of the urgent need to direct financial support towards developing regions, not in the form of loans, but in aid and partnerships. For DSN CEO and Chairman Feike Sijbesma, the race to net zero and the race to full climate resistance, entails a moral humanitarian obligation for richer countries to support developing countries, for whom climate change is a reality every single day.
Time Is Running Out
The six hottest years in history have all occurred since 2015. According to the IPCC, all countries, albeit unequally, are already experiencing the climate impacts of a 1⁰C global warming. Entering the new decade, we were warned that the next ten years will be a fight for survival, with 2030 considered the deadline for preventing catastrophic effects of a 2⁰C global warming. The reality of climate change has never been clearer, and climate adaptation and mitigation are a matter of life or death for hundreds of millions of people and species.
Upon the research carried out thus far, the team has concluded that radical investments the green transition and climate resilient societies are urgently needed, and the content of national Covid recoveries will determine the short- and medium-term trajectory of the climate transition. The conference was a welcome realisation of the urgent work that is needed.
Mary-Kate Burns, Researcher at the EUR and holds a MSc in Sustainability Science and Policy from Maastricht University.
Alexandrina Rotaru, Management of International Social Challenges student at EUR, interested in resolving contemporary world issues from a wide array of perspectives, especially concerned about sustainable development.
Iain Todd, Post-Doc Researcher at EUR, having gained his PhD on the energy transition in South Africa from the University of St Andrews.
Cas Bulder, Researcher and a recent graduate from the Governance and Management in the Public Sector Master at Erasmus University.