CLIMATE CHANGE GLOBAL LECTURES

Bridging the Gap: Climate Adaptation for Sustainable Development

Tsinghua University, Beijing, China

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T here is no shared future on this planet on fire without climate adaptation.

Let me repeat: No shared future without climate adaptation. That’s not bad news.

Climate adaptation is a resilience agenda, a growth agenda, a ‘win-win’ agenda. In fact, climate adaptation is integral to the world’s shared future. To prosperity.

Professor Li, distinguished faculty, ladies and gentlemen, students. My name is Patrick Verkooijen and I am the President and CEO of the Global Center on Adaptation. I am also Chancellor of the University of Nairobi. So I am pleased and honoured to be joining you in this formidable bastion of knowledge, Tsinghua University.

I am pleased to deliver to you today my annual lecture as head of the Global Center on Adaptation, or GCA, as we call it. I thank Professor Li Zheng for your kind introduction. I would also like to acknowledge your service as Secretary-General of the Global Alliance of Universities on Climate. I hope we can formalize the University of Nairobi co-driving that important initiative. May I likewise offer to you my gratitude for this opportunity to address the students of Tsinghua University. 

The GCA is the world’s leading global organization helping to adapt our world to the climate crisis. I have come to China because China is a founding member of the GCA. Home to one of our key international offices for Asia – right here in Beijing.

I want to recognize the leadership of China and of President Xi Jinping who pledged to build a global community based on our “shared future” and prosperity. I also want to express my deep gratitude, also on behalf of GCA Chairman Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, to President Xi for his unprecedented global leadership on adaptation and co-founding the GCA. I would also like to recognize Minister Huang Runqiu who sits on GCA’s board. Because I see China’s global leadership being absolutely critical to success in climate adaptation globally. I’ll return to this point. 

But first, I want to frame my lecture for you today in three key parts.

One: the planet on fire. The interconnected global challenges we face: debt, inflation, pandemics, threats to security, trade. The reality on the ground in some of the hardest-hit regions like Africa .

Two: How has the world been responding to climate calamities? What does the scorecard look like? Who is succeeding? Who is falling behind?

And three: Where do we go from here? For those hardest hit. For China. And the world.

Allow me to begin with a story. A story of my own. I am from the Netherlands. Those of you who know us might be aware that 40% of the Netherlands is below sea-level. Extremely prone to flooding. Our very existence is only possible thanks to modern engineering. What you might not know about me is that I was once a climate refugee. When I was a teenager in the Netherlands, we had totally freak rainfall and floods. Worse than anyone’s living memory at the time. To this day, I can still picture my late father sitting on the roof of our house as we evacuated. The floodwaters swamped our whole home. The whole town. Much of the country. The start of climate change.

The disaster was also due to a lack of three basic things: Understanding or recognition – not being caught by surprise. Planning – preparing for the new and changing reality. Financing – funds flowing effectively into planned actions. You have to understand that the world has changed. You need to plan for it. And you have to put the down payment to make the plan real.

Now we know. Since then, seas rose further. Floods worsened. Climate change has intensified. The Netherlands has faced far worse. But we manage, for now. Thanks to the right essential building blocks of climate adaptation.

Around the world though, it’s a very different picture. According to the United Nations (UN), in 2022 nearly 32 million people were displaced by extreme weather events. According to the UN, four billion people were hurt or made homeless in the 20 years between 1995 and 2015 because of weather-related disasters. That’s 200 million people each year affected. We must act.

I’m sure you all know last year was Earth’s hottest ever. In fact, the 10 hottest years in our 174-year record all took place in the last decade. Twelve straight months now are the hottest months of all time. We are racing towards the 1.5 degrees limit in the Paris Agreement within the coming decade.

President Xi Jinping rightly asked the bold question: “Where should humanity be heading?”

Well, as UN Secretary-General Guterres warned just last week, we could hit 1.5 degrees Celsius in the next five years. He said we are headed down a “highway to climate hell” and we desperately need an “exit ramp” – off that highway. While the world must focus on containing warming, we now do so from inside the eye of the storm. Our world already on fire.

We – at the GCA – are not only concerned. No, we are obsessed about the immediate dangers and determined about the responses that our fast-warming climate imply.

I travel to Africa to meet with African leaders. To see that climate change is taking the food off Africa’s table. That’s in nobody’s interest. Not Africa’s, not Europe’s, not America’s, not China’s.

I just came from Bangladesh where I met with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. Bangladesh is a delta nation like the Netherlands. A quarter of the country is about one meter above sea level. In 2020, extreme flooding put a third of it under water. But they don’t have the resources of the Netherlands yet. As the climate crisis accelerates, will Bangladesh be prepared? If not, how does Asia handle a displacement crisis? A low-income nation of 170 million people.

And remember: We do not face a static phenomenon. With climate change, we face dynamic changes. Non-linear developments. As we move to 1.5 degrees Celsius warming from where we are today at 1.2 degrees Celsius, extreme heat spells will actually double. Extreme drought risk may increase by four to eight times.

So we cannot prepare for tomorrow in reference to yesterday or even today. We must project ourselves into a very different future. We have to brace now for massive, fast-paced change.

Here in China, you are no stranger to climate devastation. The BBC famously labelled your 2023 summer: “China’s summer of climate destruction.” In Xinjiang, one town reported 52.2 degrees Celsius! Right here in Beijing there was a temporary ban on outdoor work in a month of consecutive extreme heat days. In 2011, China reported six to eight serious monthly floods. Last August, that number was 82. And last July, it was 130. Thanks to the flooding and extreme heat, whole regions lost 40% of their staple rice crop.

As you will also know from the global climate breakdown reported on as it hits countries around the world, nobody, anywhere, anymore is spared climate devastation. The Lancet has predicted that Dengue is expected to re-emerge in Europe, which also had the historic “Cerberus” heatwave last summer. Where extreme heatwaves have claimed tens of thousands of lives among the frail and elderly. Cities in America have been torched, flooded, flattened.

Fortunately, of the three key ingredients I mentioned for effective adaptation, the world has made huge strides on recognition and understanding. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). The Paris Agreement. The communications of the World Meteorological Organization, science bodies. Organizations like the GCA. Your own Ministry of Environment and other government bodies. This very University. We have all been busy studying, analyzing, publishing, talking, sharing information. We understand climate change like never before. Gaps remain, though, in planning and preparation – but especially in financing.

The cruel injustice of climate change is also that not only are those least responsible usually also the hardest hit. They likewise have the most limited resources and capabilities to respond. The UN Special Rapporteur on Extreme Poverty and Human Rights said: We risk a “climate apartheid” where the wealthy pay to escape overheating, hunger and conflict while the rest of the world is left to suffer. In 10 years’ time, a key GCA report estimated that an additional 100 million could be living in extreme poverty due to storm damage, drought and poor crop yields alone.

The world’s most vulnerable continent is Africa. The IPCC has been very clear on that. It is also home to the largest share of the world’s extreme poor. Most of the Least Developed Countries. And more than half the nations with the highest levels of unsustainable debt. Most vulnerable. Least resources. Severe debt. Also battling the worst inflation of any region. And a climate emergency that only escalates year-to-year.

All this is also happening at a time when the world itself is grappling with multiple, unprecedented threats. International Monetary Fund (IMF) Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva, a GCA Board Member, call these “successive shocks”: The pandemic, war and conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East, and a cost-of-living crisis, among others.

Ladies and gentlemen, how then has the world responded to all this climate chaos? A planet beset by multiple crises. At a “historical inflection point” where the rise of Asia and Africa are resetting the global geopolitical landscape.

Let me start right here in China. I would like to congratulate President Xi on an excellent National Climate Change Adaptation Strategy 2035 published in 2022. The GCA was pleased to be able to offer support on its formulation. It will surely be possible to further strengthen it over time as we learn still more about climate impacts and interactions. But right now, the important thing is: You have the plan. You are prepared. And, I believe, China has been making good on that plan through landmark investments in the projects and activities mandated by the plan.

We have seen it in action ourselves. The GCA is supporting China’s coastal city of Weihai, Shandong province, bringing international practices and developing a city-level climate resilient roadmap. We have also seen your deployment of solutions like the extraordinary “sponge cities” like Nanhui where green infrastructure of trees and plant beds, permeable pavements, and rooftop gardens soak up heavy rain, divert water, and avert floods.

This brings me to acknowledging China’s full accomplishments on the green path. Thanks to China’s efforts to develop renewable energy, global costs of wind power have been cut by 80%, photovoltaic by 90%. Your installed renewable energy capacity has overtaken that of fossil fuels. You have the fastest carbon intensity reduction in the world. You will move from carbon peaking to carbon neutrality in the shortest time span in history – before 2060. “Green”, by the way was the most used word in Premier Li Qiang’s national “work report” speech of March 5th this year.

But what about elsewhere? Europe, America also have adaptation plans and huge investments are underway underpinning these. The European Union (EU), for example, has a comprehensive adaptation strategy and vision to 2050. To become a climate-resilient society. Fully adapted to the unavoidable impacts of climate change. That EU strategy is part of the European Green Deal which aims to mobilize $1 trillion in investment over the decade. Will it be enough? Only time will tell.

In the Netherlands, we are still doubling down on our coastal protection and water management – like never before. Just recently, the Netherlands invested over $2.5 billion in interventions at 30 different locations: Flood plains of rivers lowered or deepened, high water channels created. Adaptation as a constant work in progress.

The kicker is that investing in climate adaptation makes good economic and financial sense. As the GCA’s own research has shown, every dollar invested in adaptation generates between two and ten dollars – in return. This is the downpayment for climate security. Pay now, avoid huge losses later. That’s the mathematics of climate adaptation. In fact, it is the economics of adaptation.

Because if you get caught out like we did in the Netherlands, when I was a climate refugee, you are going to wish that you had rather made that one dollar payment – for climate protection instead of letting so much value simply wash away. By one estimate, climate change is linked to wiping out 9% of the value of the world’s housing stock by 2050. That’s $25 trillion. A huge bill hanging over people’s lives.

But the benefits of adaptation go beyond. They have what we at GCA call a “triple dividend.” Avoided losses, positive economic gains, and enhanced social and environmental benefits. Because those investments in adaptation also bring new jobs – green and resilient jobs. And they protect and promote public health and the environment. That is why climate adaptation is a growth agenda. It’s a sustainable development agenda too.

Because of climate change, the world can no longer have sure development into the future, like before, unless we “climate proof” that development. We won’t achieve the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals of the UN unless we get climate adaptation right.

This effort is happening now in China. Thanks to your national adaptation strategy. You are updating your building codes across the country so that your new infrastructure will handle future risks. Your new roads, airports, factories, housing complexes. Engineers will now factor in climates of the future into the designs and builds of today.

Unfortunately, China’s “fighting spirit” that rises in response to risks and challenges like the climate has not been tapped into yet everywhere worldwide. Especially not in countries most exposed to the climate crisis. For reasons of local resource constraints, as mentioned before: Africa, the small island developing states, Southern Asia. But as we aim to build the global community that President Xi Jinping has called for in this age of climate devastation, everyone needs to worry about the success of adaptation. Including far beyond national borders in other regions of the world. 

Ladies and gentlemen, this brings me to the third section of this lecture: Where do we go from here?
For us, at the GCA, our work began with the Global Commission on Adaptation in 2018, spearheaded by our distinguished chair at the GCA, 8th Secretary-General of the United Nations, His Excellency Ban Ki-moon. China was part of that Commission from the get-go. The Commission found that investing $1.8 trillion globally in climate adaptation schemes over this decade could generate $7.1 trillion in total net benefits. It’s key conclusion was also that to “Adapt our World,” the GCA was needed above all to mobilize support worldwide, to help those hardest hit but lacking the resources to effectively respond on their own.

In returning to the three key ingredients of effective climate adaptation. It’s indeed finance that’s missing the most. Even half of Africa’s countries and nearly all the world’s most climate vulnerable nations. They already have national adaptation plans and strategies in place. And – of course – they understand climate ramifications. Often more than anyone. Because it’s part of their lives: Living within the climate frontlines. 

So what did we, the GCA, do? Well, in 2021, we gathered Africa’s leaders, together with the African Union and the African Development Bank. And they launched with us what has since become the world’s largest single climate adaptation program: The Africa Adaptation Acceleration Program. We call it AAAP. To mobilize $25 billion of climate-proofed development by 2025. We have already mobilized some $10 billion working in 35 African countries, shaping more than 40 large-scale projects with more than 50 million beneficiaries, creating over 700,000 new jobs. And what is the model of the AAAP? We climate-proof individual development projects that are financed by multilateral development banks and IFIs.

The GCA acts as a knowledge broker. We mobilize the world’s leading expertise. And we determine what is needed in every financed project to climate-proof it for the future. It means the funders have their insurance policy. That the project won’t fail. And the communities can reap the benefits all the way down the line.

We have also started to create a AAAP in Asia. Our program began in Bangladesh where we also have a GCA office working on over $1 billion of investments already. Improving resilience of 10 million people and creating thousands of jobs. And we’re currently working on creating a similar program dedicated to small island states – the SIDS.

But remember. The call is to: “Adapt our World.” Even in Africa with the world’s largest adaptation program to-date, we haven’t covered every financed project or every country. We have to keep scaling up. 100% of development finance to Africa climate-proofed. That’s the only target we should have.
So we have to double down. Africa’s adaptation finance needs alone are going to be $50 billion each year come 2030.Current flows of adaptation finance globally are half that amount right now. Climate adaptation is the “poor cousin” of climate mitigation. But we cannot let it be that way. The safety and well-being, right now, of people everywhere has to come first. Because billions of people around the world, their lives are now at stake. We no longer have the luxury to “wait and see.” And fortunately, we also know that if you invest, you save and you prosper.

International adaptation finance is vital to help vulnerable nations build their own capacities, strengthen their own institutions, and develop their own programs to adapt. And ladies and gentlemen, at the Glasgow UN climate COP in 2021, there was an absolutely crucial decision that the developed countries would double their international finance for climate adaptation by 2025. To bring balance to the famous $100 billion a year of climate finance, which is overwhelmingly still focused on climate mitigation, on cutting emissions. Unfortunately, just a year out from when this target should be met, that target is in serious jeopardy.

So I would really like to take this opportunity to appeal to China. Be the champion of this cause: adaptation. Raise it in your high-level dialogues with the United States, and other key fora. Because if the rich nations fail to double down on climate adaptation, the world’s poorest and least responsible will suffer. And in the globalized world of today, we all will feel the consequences of that injustice.

There are champions among the developed nations who have been doubling down by committing and working to double their contributions to adaptation finance: Norway, the United Kingdom, Denmark, Canada, France, my own country the Netherlands, amongst others. But we cannot accept failure come next year’s COP in Brazil. Far too much is at stake. Rather than growing, adaptation finance may even have shrunk. Global climate finance of all kinds doubled to $1.3 trillion annually in the last two years, but the share of adaptation finance shrunk from 7% to just 5% of it.

And yet, there are indications that we can move to higher levels of financing. The IMF’s crucial Resilience and Sustainability Trust or RSF has unlocked billions of new assistance for resilient development. And the GCA is proud to be a technical advisor to the IMF on the RSF.

I must, of course, further underscore that the $100 billion is just the tip of the iceberg of the finance needed to truly adapt our world. Developing countries require $3.3 trillion in adaptation finance by 2035. The task is to move as fast as possible from billions to trillions. 

The trillions that will be mobilized in the EU for adaptation, that are being mobilized in China already, need to be mobilized in every economy. Everywhere. Because a climate shock in one location, they are now so severe and increasingly catastrophic, will be felt in every region in the future. If Africa’s breadbasket regions are torn apart by extreme drought, global prices of grain will go up. Inflation will be affected. Your own pockets will be hit. That, ladies and gentlemen, is why adaptation all over the planet is essential to our shared future as a global community.

Speaking again of China’s own leadership and the importance of that, I would also like to propose to China a further suggestion. President Xi Jinping’s Belt and Road initiative has become a hand across continents – the “BRI”. Spurring the development of the world. Demonstrating that China’s own development is win-win for everyone. There is a lot of momentum about greening BRI and the “Green BRI”, which is a great development. 

Given climate chaos, there’s also a need for “a resilient BRI.” GCA will be very pleased to support China to ensure that the BRI investments are resilient to climate change so that your development projects in other countries will have the same climate adaptation built into them as the ones at home – thanks to your national adaptation strategy. That would be win-win for everyone involved. BRI beneficiaries will see the fruits of China’s cooperation lasting better and longer. And those projects are your flag-bearers overseas. While China also gets an insurance policy for its investments offshore often in extremely climate vulnerable parts of the world. 

With the AAAP, with a resilient BRI, with the doubling of climate adaptation finance by 2025, and scaled-up and balanced international finance after that, we have a shot at adapting our world. And, once more, China’s leadership role in rising to this challenge could not be more vital.

Ladies and gentlemen, I cannot conclude without taking this opportunity to directly address the students in this room. You are the future. It is especially your future that hangs in the balance because of the climate crisis. And youth are the largest population in history today: 1.21 billion young people alive. And, as a Chancellor of another major university in Africa: Nairobi, where we have over 40,000 students. Let’s ask, what can you do to shape the future? Many things.

It starts by being informed and being wise. You are already ticking that box by being a part of this school, this lecture, and your faculty here. But what really matters is when you leave these halls. I urge you to bring with you into your future workplace the passion to work as engines of change for a resilient future of shared prosperity.

I would also like to share a bit about the GCA’s work with youth. We are building a youth adaptation network of over 15,000 young people – in more than 150 countries. I invite you all to join this network. And I strongly encourage your active participation. On the 12th of October this year, we organize a global mobilization of youth on climate adaptation: Youth Climate Adaptation Action Day. To drive youth-led climate adaptation solutions.

In Africa, we are already providing financial support for youth leaders to scale-up the best adaptation solutions. With support packages of up to $100,000 per youth adaptation pioneer in areas such as agriculture, digital solutions, and nature-based innovations. We would be pleased to also develop such programs with China, in partnership with the government and universities.

Ladies and gentlemen, allow me to close by saying this: We seek to build a global community. With a shared future. Harmony. Shared Prosperity. Common Progress. But climate change threatens all of that. We need to tap into the “fighting spirit” to respond.

Thank you for being champions of adapting our world. Thank you, China, to demonstrate the bold leadership we need to secure this planet on fire. Thank you all for your attention today. Together, climate adaptation is unstoppable.

Xiè Xiè. 

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GCA CEO’s Statement on the Occasion of the Spring Meetings

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L adies and gentlemen, climate adaptation finance is losing the battle. The Global Center on Adaptation’s most recent State and Trends in Adaptation flagship report, prepared with the Climate Policy Initiative, which we are launching today, is giving us the numbers. The situation is alarming.

While we should celebrate the fact that global climate finance doubled in the last two years to US 1.3 trillion annually, global adaptation finance lost ground. It is down to 5% from 7% two years ago.

Let us put this into context. Developing countries need $3.3 trillion in adaptation finance over the next decade to 2035. Adaptation finance must quadruple, not by 2035. Today.

And if we look at Africa, the situation is even more dire. Africa only received 20% of global adaptation finance flows. At this level of financing, Africa will only mobilize $195 billion by 2035. How much does Africa need? Eight times more: $1.6 trillion.

Not only is there not enough adaptation finance in Africa. Of all the climate finance for the continent, only 36% goes for adaptation. And here: the proportion is going down from 39% two years ago.

Our key message from the report is simple: Everybody MUST invest more in climate adaptation globally and in Africa.

The good news is that African governments are doing their part. They are investing from their own budgets more than what they get from bilateral development finance institutions. Almost twice as much!

The bad news is that African governments are forced to borrow for adaptation. More than half of adaptation finance in Africa was channeled through debt.

So where is the private sector? Unfortunately, the private sector has financed less than 3% of adaptation action globally and in Africa, this has been mostly philanthropies, NOT the corporate sector.

Our report also reviewed 60 public financial institutions – multilateral, bilateral, and national. Only 13 have made public adaptation-specific commitments.

So, what’s the remedy? Yes, we need more finance. But we also need more projects that can attract that finance.

We need country investment plans for adaptation.

We need more businesses that provide adaptation solutions and innovations that attract private finance.

We need more adaptation programs at scale.

We need more real partnerships for adaptation action.

And we have good examples that can grow and be replicated. In 2021, GCA, the African Development Bank and the African Union jointly launched the Africa Adaptation Acceleration Program with a simple idea: how to bring the best climate adaptation science, policy, and practice to the largest financiers in Africa to show that it makes economic and financial sense; that adaptation can create jobs for the youth.

Since the Glasgow Climate Summit, our partnership has grown and we are now working with the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund and its Resilience Sustainability Trust, AFD, IFAD, and the list is growing.

We are working with the CGIAR system to bring their best adaptation science and innovation to Africa’s agriculture.

We appreciate the development partner support of the UK, Norway, Germany, Canada, France, the Netherlands, Denmark, Sweden, and the Gates Foundation which has made this possible.

What are the results? In less than 3 years, through the AAAP Upstream Facility, we have influenced $9 billion of investments to ensure adaptation is at the core.

Because of that: 13 million farmers, 57 million people and 700.000 jobs are increasing their resilience to climate shocks.

But this is still not enough. The Africa Adaptation Acceleration Program MUST grow exponentially. In fact, it needs to be turbocharged.

We have a model that works at scale and is ready to be replicated. We have adapted the model in Bangladesh and are ready to expand it to the rest of Asia. We are also preparing a similar model for the Small Island Developing States.

We invite you to join in these partnerships.

Because the adaptation revolution that was promised in Glasgow is, indeed, the growth story of the 21^st century.

Let us get on with it.

We can do this.

Why? Because adaptation is unstoppable.

And with that, Africa and the rest of the world is unstoppable.

Thank you.

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GCA CEO’s Opening Remarks at the Adaptation Finance Summit for Africa (COP28)

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C limate change is stealing the food from Africa’s table. Africa is Ground Zero of the climate breakdown. But what happens in Africa will not stay in Africa. All of us can win if we invest in Africa.

Two years ago Africa put the Africa Adaptation Acceleration Program (AAAP) – the world’s single largest adaptation program – on the table as its homegrown solution.

Two years later, the AAAP is delivering – nearly $7 billion of investments already shaped, 150 million more Africans now climate-resilient, 630,000 new jobs created, more than half the countries in Africa participating. Two short years, a lot achieved – but so much more to be done.

Look around this room. Filled with bold ambition. The fierce urgency of now. Facing the greatest challenge there is.

But this is the bottom line: Africa is doing without 90 percent of the resources it needs to adapt. And let’s not forget. As Bill Gates told us five years ago: adaptation is about growth. It’s about health. I’ts about innovation.

Adaptation is the growth story of the 21st century. But we’re not capitalizing on this opportunity yet.

In a world plagued with multiple crises, the question is this: How can we manage to double down on adaptation? Let me offer three solutions:

One: A doubling of finance flows was pledged. Countries need to follow the trailblazers in this room, and make good on those pledges. African leaders have come here with their Compacts. They are committing, and they offer great investment opportunities for all of us.

The fierce urgency of now

Two: The private sector is MIA in Africa on adaptation. MIA: ‘missing in action.’ This has to change, and I am here to tell you that it can. We have to break the next frontier to bring the private sector in. If private finance can be 40 percent of adaptation flows in Asia, it can be 40 percent – and not 10 – in Africa.

The fierce urgency of now

Three: Access and innovation in finance. Countries need access, communities need access and we have to innovate. Adaptation cannot add more debt to debt-stressed economies. We need debt swaps, not debt traps.

The fierce urgency of now.

And the good news is: We can do all of these things because we already are. Just not at the speed and scale required.

And that’s why we are here today. Because it takes leadership.

And what leadership, ladies and gentlemen, we have with us here today.

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GCA CEO’s Opening Remarks at the Africa’s Adaptation Transformation Leaders Event (Africa Climate Summit 2023)

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Y our Excellencies, distinguished colleagues, friends, my name is Patrick Verkooijen and I am the CEO of the Global Center on Adaptation. I want to thank you for joining this powerhouse leaders’ debate on adaptation in Africa today.

I think there is one thing that all of you will agree on. What is Africa’s number one climate priority? Adaptation.

Why? Not only Africa the most vulnerable continent on the planet. But adaptation is big business. It’s about investment, about jobs, about growth.

The good thing is, two years ago we launched the largest adaptation program in the world: The Africa Adaptation Acceleration Program (AAAP). President Adesina, thank you for your leadership. And thank you President Macky Sall for taking this to the global stage. And President Ruto, for putting Africa center stage in global climate leadership. What a team we have.

With the African Development Bank and partners, since Glasgow, we have financed nearly $7 billion of projects in 27 countries benefitting millions of Africans. Because let us be clear: Adaptation is about people.

But there’s no room for complacency. We have a long way to go – adaptation finance should increase tenfold this decade. But I know –and I am sure you agree– that it can be done. And we will make it happen.

International adaptation finance will double by 2025, if we all move together effectively.

Why are we here today:
AAAP Adaptation Compacts.
7 leaders. 7 trailblazers. 7 investment roadmaps.

As they show, there are already billion-dollar pipelines to take forward. The Compacts will be the gravitational force for adaptation in Africa, pulling in investment for building resilience.

What do they do? Clarify the top national priorities, identify critical areas for strengthening, and step up the role of the private sector.

In Asia, 40 percent of adaptation funding is already private. In Africa, that’s just 3 percent. But Africa can be open for business in adaptation. And adaptation can be big business in Africa.

In fact, as our new report shows, foregoing adaptation investments will actually cost Africa over $6 trillion in the next decade, which the continent – in fact the world – cannot afford.

But we all – everyone – all of us in this room, and more – we have to step up. And we will, together.

Because when we make the right investments in adaptation, we all win.

I thank you.

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GCA CEO’s Statement on International Youth Day 2023

T he climate crisis is a lived reality for billions of young people around the world. 2023 is on track to be the hottest year ever recorded, with record-breaking heatwaves taking place around the world. The Horn of Africa is experiencing the longest and most severe drought on record, in Canada 12 million hectares have been ravaged by forest fires, and in July, Beijing faced the heaviest rainfall since records began over 140 years ago.

Yet the impacts of climate change are not felt equally, with young people inheriting a rapidly warming world. The world is home to the largest population of young people in history, with 42% of the global population under the age of 25. Almost nine out of ten of these young people live in developing countries, which are more vulnerable to climate impacts. In Africa, the youth population is projected to reach 830 million by 2050. The consequences of climate breakdown are disproportionately impacting their lives and livelihoods.

In the battle against climate change, every fraction of a degree matters. The landmark IPCC’s Sixth Assessment Report last year showed that current policies will result in global warming of 2.8 ◦C by 2100. Mitigation efforts are critical to reduce further global warming and prevent further losses and damages. At the same time, we have no other option but to also prepare for the changes already happening.

The adaptation agenda is a youth agenda and a jobs agenda. Adaptation actions offer a powerful triple dividend: they avoid economic losses, bring positive economic benefits, and deliver social and environmental benefits. For example, adaptation action in Africa has the potential to equip young people with the skills and resources to become the entrepreneurs that will power the continent’s economic ascent while reducing the impacts of extreme climate events.

GCA is creating adaptation jobs through our flagship Africa Youth Adaptation Solutions Challenge (YouthADAPT), through which we have already disbursed over USD 3 million for projects like Chris Ayale’s KivuGreen initiative. This youth-led enterprise provides real-time forecasts and climate-smart agricultural advice in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, resulting in a 40% rise in agricultural yield and a 30% increase in income for its small-scale farmer users.

Unlocking the untapped potential of African youth to drive resilience and green enterprises is one of the key pillars under the Africa Adaptation Acceleration Program (AAAP). The AAAP is the world’s largest adaptation program with a USD 25 billion ambition over five years, and has already influenced over $5.4 billion of adaptation investments, mainstreaming adaptation in large-scale development projects across the continent.

Young people have the ambition, vision and energy to create a climate-resilient future. In support of the Africa Climate Summit in Kenya in September, GCA is convening a High-Level Intergenerational Dialogue, uniting the voices of young people and global leaders for adaptation, and providing a crucial milestone on the road to COP28. Responding to the need for increased youth involvement in adaptation policy- and decision-making in Africa and globally, we are publishing a guide on youth engagement with National Adaptation Plans and are rolling out our ‘Toolkit for Youth on Leadership & Adaptation’.

At COP28, countries will debate the first Global Stocktake of the Paris Agreement and the Global Goal on Adaptation. The Global Stocktake will tell us just how much more there is to do to secure a livable planet and the Global Goal will tell us what we need to do to get back on track.It is crucial that these help deliver a turning point for present and future generations and that young people should be a part of these key processes.

Young people have a critical role in the journey towards a more prosperous and resilient world. Solutions exist, many developed by young people, waiting to be scaled up and accelerated. GCA is proud to work with young people in our mission to act as a solutions broker for a climate resilient world. I hope more young people will join the thousands already playing their part in the youth adaptation movement, join the
Youth Adaptation Network, apply to the YouthADAPT Challenge, and together build a more prosperous and sustainable future for all.

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GCA CEO’s Remarks at the Opening Ceremony of the Dakar 2 Summit: Feed Africa

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C limate change is stealing the food off Africa’s table. Globally, the climate emergency is making every new crisis much worse – but here in this continent, its impact is far greater.

The war in Ukraine, the debt crisis, inflation, and a looming global recession: In all these crises, climate change is the magnifying glass – and when the sun shines, we all know what happens under the magnifying glass.

We have to stop the greenhouse gas emission trajectory that has set us, on the road, as António Guterres called it, to climate hell. Because if the world ends up with 3 degrees warming…
then this climate Hell will look a lot like biblical Hell.

Think about it: A third of Africa’s land for growing maize will burn up. And by 2050, you can double that terrifying outcome for beans. But even if the world does stay within the Paris Agreement goal of 1.5 degrees warming, Africa will need massive adaptation to survive and thrive.

The good news, as you President Macky Sall remind us, is that the road we take and the destination at which we arrive is not set in stone.

Excellencies, I think if you are here today in the vibrant city of Dakar, it is because you know Africa’s road to food sovereignty is unstoppable. But Africa is at a crossroads – with one highway leading to loss and damages, hunger, and poverty. But the other road – the better road – leads through climate adaptation, lifting up African farmers, delivering food security and prosperity.

So we have a choice to make. Early forecasts tell us that El Niño will be back with a vengeance this year. Here, it will bring droughts to the South and extreme rainfall in the East. And let’s not forget, in 2016, El Niño plunged nearly 30 million people into a food crisis. This year’s El Niño is forecast to be much worse.

So it is vital that Africa’s farmers adapt to the climate shocks of today and the more intense disasters of tomorrow.

But I have good news for you. Investing in adaptation in food security is good economics. It is inaction that is expensive. Our work in GCA shows that if we continue on the current path, the costs of inaction in Africa’s agriculture will be off the scale. More than $200 billion a year.

And the costs of action? Only $15 billion a year.

Adaptation is good business. Resilience pays.

Excellencies, last month, I had the honor of meeting with Kenya’s First Lady Rachel Ruto. So, President Ruto, Mama Ruto told me that all Africans have three mothers – there is Mother Earth, Mother Nation,
and our biological mother. Their wisdom guides us across uncharted territory.

My big brother and very close friend President Adesina lost his beloved mother recently and we all share in his grief. As we say in Dutch, zo Moeder zo zoon – like mother, like son. It is so evident from your work, Akin, that Mama Eunice was an exceptional woman. So in her spirit, and in the spirit of Africa’s three mothers, let me share three messages towards food sovereignty and resilience.

First, adaptation finance for agriculture needs a massive increase. Globally, climate finance for agriculture was $20 billion per year in 2018. This was only 3 percent of total global climate finance. Out of that, smallholder farmers – the lifeblood of Africa – received even less: only half. It’s not enough, but we have good news here too.

The multilateral development banks are scaling up. Climate finance for the agriculture sector quadrupled between 2015 and 2018 to $2 billion. We count on all of them to follow President Adesina’s leadership at the AfDB to increase the share of adaptation finance.
 
My second message: Africa already knows its adaptation solutions: irrigation, drought-resistant seeds, crops, and livestock diversification. But countries need support to implement them at scale. New technologies will transform African agriculture. Just as Africa pioneered mobile money, digital climate technology will be the key to resilient farming.

And finally my third message: Investing in resilient food systems is investing in 21st century jobs. Africa’s youth needs more and better jobs in the agribusiness of the future. Let’s unleash the brainpower and boundless energy of Africa’s talented young entrepreneurs. I have no doubt that the next Bill Gates will be African.

Excellencies, Africa has a program for adaptation. We thank President Macky Sall for that. And this program – your program – is already delivering at scale. It is the AAAP, the Africa Adaptation Acceleration Program. Co-led by President Adesina of the AfDB and the Global Center on Adaptation, and with the extraordinary support of African Union Commission Chair Moussa Faki, Minister Anne Tvinnereim of Norway, Minister Andrew Mitchell of the UK, and France, the Netherlands, Sweden, Denmark, the Gates Foundation and many others, the Africa Adaptation Acceleration Program has brought the best science and practice of adaptation to $5.2 billion of investments during its first 24 months that will strengthen the resilience of almost 20 million people generating 1.5 million jobs.

So far, GCA has supported the African Development Bank and the World Bank through digital climate solutions to deliver with $2.1billion in agriculture projects. These are results at speed and at scale. And by doing so, and through our strong partnership with IFAD, AFD, and others, the AAAP is supporting the delivery of the Feed Africa Strategy. And excellencies, the AAAP is custom-built to support the Food and Agriculture Delivery Compacts.
 
So President Macky Sall, your presence today at this summit gives all of us hope. Africa is taking the right road, as you and your fellow leaders here this week are charting a path towards food sovereignty and resilience.

Remember this: Food sovereignty and resilience is unstoppable.

Even with the climate crisis: Africa’s rise is unstoppable.

I thank you.

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Keynote Remarks of the GCA CEO at the Finance in Common Summit

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What’s good for Africa is good for the world. This has never been more true with the climate crisis. 

Excellencies, friends, my name is Patrick Verkooijen and I am the CEO of the Global Center on Adaptation (GCA).
 
I think if you are here today in Abidjan, it’s because you know Africa is unstoppable. We all believe in it. But Africa is also at a crossroads. And the international community itself is at a crossroads too. If COP27 – in just a few weeks – fails, all the gains of Glasgow will have been squandered. Global cooperation will suffer a massive setback that nobody can afford. 

So the importance of this year’s Finance in Common Summit cannot be overstated.

As a prelude to this Third Global Summit, we as GCA organized the first-ever Africa Adaptation Summit last month, and I am pleased to be able to report out on its key outcomes as we start our deliberations this week and as we march towards COP27.

What was the Africa Adaptation Summit? An international, action-forcing, high-level dialogue chaired by President Macky Sall of Senegal in his capacity as Chair of the African Union and co-convened by the African Development Bank and the GCA, hosted at the world’s largest floating office in Rotterdam. Over 70 leading figures of the international climate, development and finance community joined African Heads of State and other Leaders. 

What was on the table? Africa, adaptation, finance.

What were the key messages coming out?

One: Africa is in the eye of the storm. Climate crisis, pandemic recovery, and now the fallout of Ukraine – the food and price crises. Regional debt is approaching levels last seen in the early 2000s.

Two: Africa is ground zero of the climate crisis. As climate change hits home across the globe today, there is one region which is suffering more than any other – Africa. Think about it: 9 out of the 10 countries most vulnerable to climate change are in Africa. All of us, everywhere, would feel the fallout of Africa not adapting. It cannot be contained.

Three: The doubling in adaptation finance. The Glasgow commitment of doubling finance flows for adaptation has to be delivered.

Four: Capitalizing Africa’s Adaptation Acceleration Program. 

And five: Delivery of the Upstream Financing Facility – the delivery belt of adaptation mainstreaming in the millions to leverage the billions of the Development Finance Institutions (DFIs) – to shift the trillions, in tandem with the full capitalization of the African Development Fund’s Climate Action Window. 

Simply put: the Africa Adaptation Summit was about putting the priorities on the table. And raising the political temperature.

The COP is where we need to see results come through. Now is the time to see concrete delivery: on adaptation – on finance for adaptation – for Africa. Because let us be clear: Africa is facing a massive funding crisis to adapt to a climate crisis it did not create. 

Let’s look at the numbers: Current annual spending on adaptation across the continent is how much? Just over $11 billion with over 50% of this finance comes from the International Financial Institutions (IFIs), and around 23% from national governments, leaving a growing adaptation finance gap of over $41 billion per year. But we have to address this finance gap. 

African leaders reminded us last month that adaptation is a growth agenda, a jobs agenda, a prosperity agenda. And to capture these dividends, we need to do two things. We need to dramatically increase the flow of adaptation finance, and at the same time, we need to unlock new sources of financing, including from the private sector. 

Well, you might ask: how can this be done?

It is obvious: Africa has a program for climate adaptation for the continent. It is the AAAP: the Africa Adaptation Acceleration Program. Africa-led, Africa-owned and jointly developed by the African Development Bank (AfDB)– under the leadership of President Adesina – and the GCA. 

It is by far the world’s largest adaptation program with a 25 billion ambition over five years. And the good news is: it’s proven to work. Since launching last year already over $3.5 billion in projects have been delivered across 19 countries in Africa through the AAAP Upstream Financing Facility.

How? By mainstreaming the best science and solutions into downstream investments of the IFIs, by supporting African governments and finance institutions to access global climate finance, and by leveraging the capital of the private sector.

And the AAAP Upstream Financing Facility is good value for money with a demonstrated leverage ratio of 1:100. 

Simply put: it is the insurance policy that the $25 billion in AAAP projects will generate truly effective climate adaptation outcomes in food security, rural livelihoods, digital solutions, nature-based infrastructure and youth employment. 

In Senegal, we launched a partnership to join forces with four innovative, Senegalese finance institutions to unlock $1 billion in global climate finance. 

Here in Côte d’Ivoire, the AAAP Upstream Financing Facility is working with the Ministry of Finance to increase the share of adaptation investments financed by the country’s forthcoming €2 billion Sustainable Bond Program. 

But to move forward at the scale and pace that is needed, we need to reorient financial flows at a global scale. We all need to join forces to mainstream adaptation in all large-scale projects of the DFIs and bring together innovative solutions like AAAP with powerful actors like the Public Development Banks to chart the way forward. 

Last month, during the Africa Adaptation Summit, building on our core partnership with the AfDB, followed by the World Bank, the European Investment Bank (EIB), and the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), we joined forces with Agence Française de Développement (AFD) to leverage AAAP as the vehicle to accelerate adaptation action in Africa. We are already working with many of you and I look forward to working more and more with every Public Development Bank and finance institution in this room, here in Africa and elsewhere. 

By delivering on AAAP, we can set in motion a resilient transformation across Africa. And excellencies, it will also secure the success of the COP which is very much hinging on evidence that adaptation finance is flowing to Africa at scale now. And when this is Africa’s moment, the scale has to be in the billions. 

The African Development Bank already mobilized $12.5 billion, so we are halfway there. Now the Climate Action window of the Bank must have the outstanding replenishment pledges banked by COP27. And the AAAP Upstream Financing Facility also needs another $125 million banked by COP27. 

We have one shot to deliver on this pledge. 

Excellencies, colleagues and friends, as you are here this week in the vibrant city of Abidjan, charting a path towards a green and just transition for a sustainable recovery, remember that adaptation is unstoppable.
 
Even with the climate crisis: Africa is unstoppable.

I thank you.

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GCA CEO’s Statement at the 18th Session of the African Ministerial Conference on the Environment

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Excellencies, good morning.

What is good for Africa is good for the world. This has never been more true than with the climate crisis.

My name is Patrick Verkooijen and I am the CEO of the Global Center on Adaptation (GCA).

I was honored to be invited by his excellency Macky Sall, the President of Senegal and of the Africa Union, to address you this morning. President Macky Sall was in Rotterdam last week where the GCA is headquartered. And he was joined by President Akufo-Addo of Ghana, also the Climate Vulnerable Forum Chair – and by the Presidents of Ethiopia and the Democratic Republic of Congo, who is hosting the pre-COP.

This was the Africa Adaptation Summit, and I am pleased to be able to report to you on its key outcomes as we look to COP27 – a matter of weeks away now. What was the Africa Adaptation Summit? An international, action-forcing, high-level dialogue jointly hosted by the African Union, the African Commission, the African Development Bank, the Africa Adaptation Initiative, and hosted at the GCA, which is the world’s largest floating office.

Over 70 leading figures of the international climate and development community: governments, mayors, youth, business, and international actors like the IMF chief, the World Bank the UN Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohamed.

What was on the table? Africa, adaptation and COP27.

What were the key messages coming out? 5 main points:

One: Africa is at a tipping point: climate crisis, pandemic recovery, and now Ukraine – the food and price crises.

Two: Africa is the most vulnerable continent: Why? Because the IPCC has said so. And you all are living the climate emergency.

Three: The doubling in adaptation finance – truly seeing its implementation.

Four: Capitalizing the Africa Adaptation Acceleration Program – the $25 billion.

And five: Delivery of the AAAP Upstream Financing Facility – the delivery belt of adaptation mainstreaming in millions to leverage the billions – to shift the trillions. Now, we did have $55 million in new pledges under AAAP at the Summit. But it is by far not enough.

African leadership at the Summit was incredible.

President Macky Sall is the leader Africa needs for this COP. He is in fact the global leader the world needs right now. His vision for a resilient and emergent Africa is what adaptation is all about.

High-level representation from donor countries could have been stronger, as you might have heard. But this is a one-two program. The Adaptation Summit in Rotterdam was about putting priorities on the table. The COP is where we need to see results come through. Excellencies, Colleagues, What is clear is that this is Africa’s moment. The last Africa COP was over half a decade ago. You are not just Africa.

Because Africa – Senegal – is also chairing the Least Developed Countries Group and Ghana is leading the Climate Vulnerable Forum. This is already most of the parties. And what is crystal clear – What was the common message of African leaders last week? It’s that adaptation is the priority for Africa. And what does Africa need from the COP?

We’re inside a climate emergency already. Time for talk is over. The time for action has come. Time for delivery is here. Now’s the time to see concrete – on adaptation – on finance for adaptation – for Africa.

There are two ways to achieve this by COP: One, the Glasgow doubling pledge. Great development. This should help deliver the $100 billion for sure, but this is a separate and vital commitment. We need to have greater transparency on how the doubling will happen. Countries have been calling for a standalone implementation plan for that. I think this is something the African Group can build on.

Two, funding flowing into country programs on the ground. Now, there are many small-scale, piecemeal adaptation funds and projects around. Many of them are really valuable.

But there is a single, large-scale adaptation program, not just for Africa, but anywhere in the world. In 2015, Africa delivered the vision with the Africa Adaptation Initiative. And in 2021, Africa delivered the plan. This is the Africa Adaptation Acceleration Program or AAAP. It is by far the world’s largest adaptation program with a 25 billion dollar ambition over five years. It has been proven to work. Since launching last year already $3 billion in projects have been delivered across 19 countries in Africa. Food security, rural livelihoods, digital solutions, nature-based infrastructure, and youth employment.

Adaptation is a growth agenda. It’s a jobs agenda. It’s a prosperity agenda. And when this is Africa’s moment, the scale has to be in the billions. I am extremely confident that if Africa is clear on its priorities in this respect, Africa will see results. There is real momentum around this. The African Development Bank already mobilized $12.5 billion, so we are halfway there. Now the Climate Action window of the Bank must have the outstanding replenishment pledges banked by COP27. And the AAAP Upstream Financing Facility also needs another $200 million banked by COP27. The GCA is proud to be a supporting partner to the AAAP and AAI – including through the AAAP Upstream Financing Facility.

Excellencies, Ministers, we are already working with many of you and I look forward to working more and more with every ministry in this room. As you are here today and tomorrow in the westernmost point of Africa, setting your COP27 priorities. Remember that: Adaptation is unstoppable. Even with the climate crisis: Africa is unstoppable.

I thank you.

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GCA CEO’s Statement on International Youth Day

O n International Youth Day 2022, I recognize the critical role that young people play in adapting our world to the impacts of the climate emergency. Climate change is threatening the future of our youth. Young people did not cause the climate crisis but they will be forced to confront its consequences.

The latest findings of the IPCC show that even with global warming limited to 1.5°C, the world faces unavoidable climate hazards over the next two decades. As a result of climate change, deadly hurricanes are projected to become more frequent in Latin America and the Caribbean, a region also afflicted by widespread drought. The unprecedented heatwaves across Europe and the United States, floods in Asia, and droughts in East Africa this summer sound a loud warning bell of what is to come, with young people in poorer countries among those most vulnerable. Therefore, redoubled efforts to meet the Paris Agreement targets must be matched with accelerated support to prepare and respond to impacts now unavoidable.

It would be easy to feel overwhelmed by the enormity of the challenge ahead, but whenever I speak to young people on climate change I am always energized by their positivity, innovative ideas, and commitment. Young people are already at the forefront of raising awareness globally of the climate emergency, holding politicians and policymakers to account. Young people across the globe are also leading the way in creating and delivering the solutions that will protect lives and livelihoods and build a sustainable future. Making the case and making a difference in communities all around the world – young people are leading the way and showing what is possible.

Today, the world is home to the largest generation of youth in history, with 1.8 billion young people worldwide. Our youth will inherit a world with a climate radically different to that of their parents and grandparents. This will require radical new thinking on how we build our cities, farm our food, and live alongside nature. With the youth population in some developing countries set to increase by as much as 62%, it is imperative that young people are at the heart of the world’s effort to adapt to climate change.

The Global Center on Adaptation (GCA) is proud to have youth leadership as a core focus of our work. Through the Africa Adaptation Acceleration Program (AAAP), a program that we seek to replicate in Latin America and other parts of the world, we are helping to create new adaptation jobs and supporting youth-led businesses that are scaling innovative solutions to the impacts of climate change. And our YouthADAPT Challenge has provided crucial business incubation skills and funding to innovative youth-led businesses, allowing them to recruit more staff and scale their impact.

To showcase and celebrate the power of young people to drive the adaptation agenda, in Costa Rica today, GCA is convening the Latin American and Caribbean Youth Adaptation Forum on this International Youth Day. Concluding a series of consultations around the world, led by my Youth Advisory Panel, these global dialogues have brought together youth leaders and policymakers on how to deliver the Paris Agreement and create a climate-resilient world.

As a father, I recognize the debt my generation is burdening upon the next and I also recognize that this burden will not be felt equally by all young people around the world.

On International Youth Day, I am humbled to pay tribute to the inspiring and pioneering young people around the world who are seizing the opportunity to combat climate change. And I call upon all decision-makers to join GCA in supporting efforts to increase finance for climate adaptation and resilience building, creating adaptation jobs, and involving young people in the decisions that will fundamentally shape their lives.

Let us seize this opportunity on International Youth Day to secure a safer, greener, and more prosperous future for all today.

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GCA CEO’s Speech at the Leaders’ Dialogue on Adaptation Action in Africa: Inauguration of the Global Champion for the Africa Adaptation Acceleration Program

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Your excellency, President Uhuru Kenyatta.

Habari Zenu Wakenya.

This is a very special day for me, for the Global Center on Adaptation, and for the Africa Adaptation Acceleration Programme, the most ambitious climate adaptation plan made for Africa, designed in Africa, owned by Africa – and from today with a Global Champion worthy of its ambition and stature.

I am certain that I am not the only one in this hall to want to thank you, Mr. President, wholeheartedly for being here today. So, on behalf of everyone here, let me begin with a show of appreciation for you, Mr. President, as we celebrate this defining moment in the battle that lies ahead of us – the battle of our lives to contain climate change, to adapt to it and by doing so to tame it.

And in President Kenyatta we have a champion lion tamer indeed!

Mr. President, your strong record on standing up for Africans on climate change is well known and globally unmatched. President Kenyatta, you pioneered Kenya’s commitment to land degradation neutrality, ratified the Paris Agreement and made Kenya one of the first countries globally to announce and submit very ambitious Nationally Determined Contribution targets.

And there is much more in fact.

President Kenyatta has passed a raft of policies, from the Climate Change Act to the National Climate Change Action Plans, as well as adaptation and green economy plans, to name a few. President Kenyatta’s leadership on climate resilient agriculture and green infrastructure projects have delivered green jobs, increased access to markets, and strengthened the resilience of Kenya’s people.

This is why I am optimistic and more determined than ever about the path ahead of us – because I know that with the AAAP we have a roadmap that delivers, and with President Kenyatta, we have a Global Champion to drive this agenda for Africa and the world.

I am optimistic but that doesn’t mean that I am complacent or naive about the challenges that lie before us.

The war in Ukraine has created a global food, fuel, and fiscal crisis that will have deep and far reaching consequences for Africa’s people and economies for many years to come. The storm clouds are gathering. Africa will continue to suffer disproportionately in the world because of the climate crisis – a crisis you did not cause! 

And let us not forget – Africa is still recovering from the economic consequences of Covid-19. If Covid taught us anything it is that nobody is safe until we are all safe. And this truth applies with the same certainty to our changing climate and the need to adapt to it. NOW.

And as President Kenyatta has taught us – in fact, taught the world – investing in climate adaptation is not only the right thing to do, it is the economic smart thing to do! Because every dollar, pound, euro or Kenyan shilling invested in climate adaptation has a much higher return on investment. So this is not the time to neglect the climate emergency. Truly there is a mountain to climb.

Now that brings me to a journey I made to Makueni County this week and to a song that was sung to me. It was in Akamba and I will not torture you by trying to speak that beautiful language but here is the translation: “You climb a mountain and you find good things on top of it.” I also learned that Makueni means “big, bold, mighty”.

Big, bold, and mighty is exactly the spirit and the ambition that Africa needs .. and that AAAP delivers.
I also visited Samburu this week, where the community is investing in its resilience with support from the African Development Bank  by building waterpans and boreholes that not only reduce the need to seek pasture far from home but also create economic opportunities to grow crops… diversify incomes.. and build resilience for forage during the lean times caused by failing rains.

So I asked myself, what do these two communities in Makueni and Samburu have in common?

First, of course, is their spirit and their willingness to innovate, to ensure they will continue to thrive.
They are the living proof of what we can achieve. So thank you people of Makueni and Samburu for being such a source of inspiration for the world. But secondly, with the right support these solutions can and will be scaled up across Africa. And this is where the AAAP comes in.

In Kenya and the broader Horn of Africa, GCA is working with the African Development Bank, led by my big brother and close friend President Akin Adesina, and other development partners to scale up adaptation solutions for food security by bringing innovative digital solutions as well as drought-resistant grass varieties and crops to build on the success of the work in communities like Makueni and Samburu.

And excellencies, AAAP delivers rapidly and at scale. Over the last year, GCA has already mainstreamed adaptation solutions into US$3 billion worth of investments on the ground. With our partners, AAAP will mobilize $25 billion for adaptation in Africa over the next five years.

President Kenyatta – I am delighted to announce today that AAAP is expanding its focus in Kenya. Today, GCA is launching a strategic AAAP partnership with the University of Nairobi that will be supported with a grant of 140 million Kenyan Shillings. Through this partnership GCA and the University will shape investments to climate proof Kenya’s infrastructure, unlock climate finance, and create green jobs for Kenya’s youth.

Vice Chancellor – thank you for the leadership you and your faculty have already demonstrated in building this African center of excellence and in supporting Kenya’s and Africa’s climate ambitions.
 
Dear students – I invite you to lean forward and take advantage of this opportunity to engage in the adaptation agenda for Africa.
 
You are the future of the adaptation challenge and we look to you to develop innovative solutions for a resilient continent.
 
I will be back on this stage later this year with the Vice Chancellor to announce the winners of the Disruptive Technologies Entrepreneurship Challenge where GCA and the University will award 15 million Shillings to scale up the most innovative solutions for climate resilient infrastructure here in Kenya.
 
Your excellency, President Kenyatta, I believe we are on the cusp of a very exciting journey to a more resilient continent.

I want to thank you, Mr. President. By accepting the challenge to be our global champion, you are giving a voice to the voiceless – not just here in Kenya but across Africa and around the world – who are crying out for action.
 
Let us move forward in the spirit of Makueni.
Let our ambitions be big,
Let our actions be bold,

And let our impact, under the leadership of President Kenyatta, be mighty so we can all prosper and thrive.

I thank you.

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Cheikh Anta Diop University Honorary Lecture: Building A Safer, Greener, Prosperous Continent For Africa’s Youth

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Honorable Vice Chancellor Cheikh Becaye Gaye, esteemed faculty, and – in particular – students.

My name is Patrick Verkooijen and I am the CEO of the Global Center on Adaptation.

It’s a pleasure to be with you today. When I look around this hall I can see that the future of Senegal is bright. You represent the expectations of this great country, this great continent.

I have no doubt that you are all fired by ambition to make the most of your opportunities…… to build lives and careers that are worthy of your talents.

It is in the nature of life that every generation faces new challenges. I think it is fair to say that your challenges are among the greatest that any generation will ever face – they are existential and they are approaching faster than many wish to believe.

We cannot bury our heads in the sand. The climate emergency is a reality and the urgency to respond will be nowhere greater than in Africa. It will have life-changing consequences.

I do not use the word “life” lightly.

The science tells us that unless we make deep and fast reductions in emissions we will not 1.5 degrees Celsius of warming.

If we do not stay within 1.5 degrees large parts of Africa will become uninhabitable. This is the limit for maintaining life on our planet as we know it.

Even if we keep within the Paris Climate Agreement goal of keeping the world within 1.5 degrees of warming, the economic costs of climate change in Africa will still be enormous.

Students: I make no apologies for raising the alarm.

I don’t need to remind you that Africa is fighting multiple crises on several fronts, the economic fallout of covid-19, an energy and food emergency triggered by the war in Ukraine – all compounded by the climate emergency.

Senegal has not emerged unscathed. Water-related extreme events in Senegal already cost the country more than 10% of GDP every year, threatening the country’s growth and position as a regional economic powerhouse.

So Africa, which is home to the world’s youngest population, will be disproportionately affected by a climate crisis it did not cause. Left unchecked, the consequences of this crisis will be hitting you even harder in the next two decades – at the very peak of your potential to be useful and productive members of society.

But being alarmed by what lies on the horizon isn’t a prescription for despair.

There is a proverb that you may be familiar with: “Tomorrow belongs to those who prepare for it today”. And there are many things that we can start doing today to adapt to a future that will have to be greener, more resilient, and more sustainable if we are to have any future at all.

Let me repeat this because it needs to be underlined: unless work gets underway urgently at a massive scale, large parts of Africa will cross the threshold of financially and economically viable adaptation.

My key message for you today is this: it is time for bold climate action. And young people should be at the heart of it. Adaptation is an investment in your future prosperity.

I am here speaking to you because I believe – I know – that adaptation is not only possible; it makes economic sense. When done right, climate adaptation presents significant opportunities for productivity, economic benefits, and poverty alleviation. Your ingenuity, your innovative flair, and your boldness will turn this decisive moment in our history to your advantage.

Last year, GCA’s State and Trends in Adaptation report found that a dollar invested in weather and climate information services gives between 4 and 25 dollars in benefits.

A dollar invested in resilient water and sanitation not only saves lives; it creates between 2 and 12 dollars in economic benefits.

The cost of action is not zero. Integrating resilience into agriculture and food systems in Sub-Saharan Africa will cost $15 billion annually.

But do you know the cost of inaction? $200 billion annually.

So this is an opportunity you must seize.

For us at the Global Center on Adaptation, the real story on climate adaptation in Africa is a story of resilience, of responsibility, of solidarity, of opportunities for a safer, greener, more prosperous continent.

I would like to specifically highlight what we are doing with the African Union under the leadership of your president; President Macky Sall.

Together with the African Union, the African Development Bank, we are driving the growth and prosperity agenda of tomorrow through the largest adaptation program ever.

The Africa Adaptation Acceleration Program (AAAP), is Africa’s response to the climate crisis, mobilizing $25 billion for adaptation in the areas of food security, resilient infrastructure, climate finance, and youth employment.

In its first year, we have already influenced climate adaptation responses through three billion dollars of investments.

Let me give you one example of how AAAP delivers impact in food security.

Across the Sahel, including in Senegal, temperatures are rising 1.5 times faster than the global average. As a result, droughts and floods are growing longer and more frequent, undermining food production.

To address this, GCA is mainstreaming adaptation within a $300m investment that will transform the lives and livelihoods of over five million smallholder farmers by putting vital climate data and analytics into their hands through climate-smart digital agriculture technologies. This will reduce climate risk for farmers and increase agricultural productivity by 40 to 70%.

The COVID crisis has demonstrated that trillions of dollars can be mobilized by the international community overnight. At the same time, we know that only a small portion of this covid finance came to Africa.

And the same is true for climate finance. Africa needs to access large-scale climate financing in order to capture the benefits of adaptation and foster growth and prosperity for everyone.

But the sad reality is that most African institutions are at the moment locked out of accessing global climate finance. This moral and economic injustice needs to be addressed.

Senegal has the plan. Senegal has the leadership with President Macky Sall. Now Senegal needs the financing from the international community to match the ambition.

And that is why I am delighted that we at GCA are joining forces with four innovative, Senegalese financial institutions to unlock $1bn in global climate finance for investments in food security, resilient infrastructure, and youth, jobs and entrepreneurship.

Honorable Faculty and students.

I am also honored to announce today the partnership with GCA and West Africa’s premier knowledge institution to leverage the talents of your students and faculty to ensure Senegal’s road to economic growth and prosperity will be underpinned by resilient infrastructure.

So that when the rains come, as the flood waters rise, your families will still be able to go to work, students will not be left out of school, and a pregnant mother will still be able to go to the hospital.

In closing, let me challenge each of you to join this journey with me. Many of you have big dreams, innovative ideas, and boundless energy.

The AAAP puts youth and young entrepreneurs at the heart of the solution for climate adaptation. In Glasgow last November, we announced the first cohort of the AAAP youth entrepreneurship winners. Each winner was granted $100,000 to build green enterprises ranging from drought-tolerant farming to the innovative use of drones for resilient cities.

This October, I will be back here in Dakar to announce the next round of winners for 2022. My challenge to you is to put forward your bold business plans to join the green adaptation jobs revolution.

My pledge is that we at GCA will walk alongside you, we will provide our knowledge and expertise, we will give you the tools to make yourselves be heard.

I truly believe that you and your generation have the vision and the ambition to achieve the adaptation to climate change that will secure the future for our world.

The opportunity is here for the taking. Let us seize it.

I thank you.

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High-Level Remarks of the GCA CEO at the meeting on the 16th replenishment of the African Development Fund

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Dr. Akinwumi Adesina, President of the African Development Bank Group, ADF Deputies, Executive Directors, other members of the African Development Bank’s Senior Management, distinguished Ladies and Gentlemen.

Thank you for the opportunity to address you today at this crucial meeting on the 16th replenishment of the African Development Fund (ADF). My name is Patrick Verkooijen, CEO of the Global Center on Adaptation. I’m joining you today from our headquarters in Rotterdam, on the world’s largest floating office.

It is an honour for GCA to work on climate adaptation with the African Development Bank under the leadership of my big brother and friend Dr. Akinwumi Adesina, Africa’s “Optimist-in-Chief.”

Today, I want to deliver three messages.

First, climate adaptation is not an independent challenge that Africa must tackle separately. It is not an “either/or” question but an opportunity for “and.” An opportunity for leverage.

Second, the needs for climate adaptation are enormous but African countries themselves are already moving forward and financing a portion of those needs. They have no option. But they need partners. They need you.

Third, GCA and the Bank are not waiting. There is an Africa-owned and Africa-led program for investments in climate adaptation – the Africa Adaptation Acceleration Program (AAAP). Action is already happening on the ground. But that initial action is not nearly enough.

For all these three reasons the proposed increase in ADF resources and the climate set aside are critical for the continent today.

First, climate adaptation is not an “either/or” challenge. The Sustainable Development Goals can only be achieved if education, health, and infrastructure services like water are adapted to the increasing shocks of climate change.

Adaptation is critical for private sector development. Last year, we interviewed SMEs from all over Africa. More than three quarters said that they have been directly impacted by climate change, by losing their assets or their customers. Africa needs private sector development and adaptation.

The world watches in horror at the war in Ukraine. Food prices are increasing rapidly with direct impacts on African economies and households. But I don’t want to imagine if the crops this year in the region are impacted by climate shocks like droughts or floods. If farmers’ work is lost because of the common climate shocks suffered by Africa every year, then farmers, households and countries will face a triple shock: the COVID economic crisis, the implication of the Ukraine war, and the climate shocks of 2022 and 2023. So, it is not Ukraine or adaptation. It should be Ukraine and adaptation.

Finally, it is not climate adaptation or mitigation. The world must stay within 1.5 degrees warming. The recent IPCC report is the loudest alarm siren we are hearing. This target is possible. But if the world does not achieve it, large parts of Africa will cross the threshold of financially and economically viable adaptation. Large portions of drylands in many Africa countries will become uninhabitable. So, it is not adaptation or mitigation. It is adaptation and mitigation.

Ladies and Gentlemen, let me discuss my second point. The needs are enormous. GCA calculations made as part of the State and Trends in Adaptation 2021 report focused on Africa show that the continent needs $330 billion between now and 2030 to achieve its NDC targets. But this is not what the African countries are asking for. African governments already committed in those NDCs to put $66 billion of their own funds. They have no choice. Africa must adapt. But it cannot adapt alone. The financing gap is enormous.

Adaptation should not be seen as a cost, but as an investment. Our State and Trends in Adaptation 2021 report also shows that, in Africa, adaptation pays off. Adaptation is good business. For example, investments in climate-smart agriculture can give as much as four dollars in benefits for every dollar invested. Moreover, the costs of inaction are ten times higher than the cost of action. Adaptation is a smart investment.

African nations are already investing and have committed to invest more. But they cannot do it alone. They need the world to partner with them. ADF16, and its climate set aside, are part of the partnership Africa needs.

Dear ADF Deputies, my third point is that Africa, the Bank and GCA are not waiting. African nations have called for an ambitious Africa Adaptation Acceleration Program (AAAP). This is an Africa-owned and Africa-led program. It aims to deliver $25 billion of investments adapted to the rapidly changing climate. GCA, together with the African Development Bank and the African Union, and other partners like the World Bank, EIB and IFAD, are moving forward with the implementation of AAAP investments.

GCA is mobilizing $250 million for the AAAP Upstream Financing Facility. The initial contributions from development partners have helped us bring the best science and global adaptation practice to more than $3 billion of investments already approved by the AfDB’s Board of Directors. The leverage of 1 to 100 of the Upstream Facility is real.

First, the Bank is financing a $350 million project to build resilience for food and nutrition security in the Horn of Africa. GCA experts worked with the Bank team to bring the best models of digital climate information systems to ensure the project activities and the beneficiary farmers have the tools to adapt and build more resilient food systems.

In another example, the Bank is financing an $80 million Youth Enterprise Development program for South Sudan. GCA adaptation specialists are working with the Bank experts to help create the skills, jobs, and SME for adaptation businesses in areas such as agriculture or infrastructure.

Honourable ADF Deputies. Africa cannot wait to invest in adaptation. Africa and its partners like the Bank and GCA are not waiting.

And I hope you do not wait. The mobilization of resources for ADF16 and its climate set aside are urgent for the continent. We hope you hear the voices of African leaders.

At “the African COP”, at COP27, President Adesina, President Macky Sall, as Chairperson of the African Union, and I will convene a High-level gathering of African and world leaders. The continent needs your support. A clear commitment at COP27 for ADF16 and its climate set aside is the response Africa needs.

Africa has the plan. Africa has the commitment. Now, with a fully capitalized ADF-16, it will have the vehicle.

Let’s make it happen.

Thank you.

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Speech by the GCA CEO at Financing Climate Resilient Infrastructure in Ghana: Ministerial Dialogue and Report Launch

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Honorable Ministers, Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen, it is an honor to be here today.

At the COP26 climate summit in Glasgow last November, I was honored to meet President Akufo-Addo. I learned from him about Ghana’s pioneering efforts in the climate crisis. We agreed I would visit Ghana this year to see and hear about that work firsthand. It is my privilege to fulfil that promise and be with you today as Ghana marks its leadership in addressing the climate emergency.

Honorable Ministers, what a source of inspiration you are.

The climate emergency has put Africa at the cross-roads. Africa is the world’s most vibrant continent and the world economy’s growth powerhouse. But you are also heading directly into the eye of the storm.

Africa is the world’s most vulnerable and threatened continent to the impact of climate change, according to the IPCC’s latest findings. 1.5 degrees of warming will be the reality for all of us by 2030. For Africa this will be about 3 degrees.

Global heating is accelerating at a rate never seen before. Some of the already dangerous and damaging impacts like extreme heat spells will actually double in incidence by then. The lives of millions upon millions are on the line. So, there are just two ways forward for the continent: adapt or die. Nothing is more corrosive to Africa’s economy than climate change.

The only real solution is to think big and act at scale. At the Global Center on Adaptation, we are here to walk alongside you and your African neighbors to make the transition to a climate resilient society as swift and as effective as possible.

Excellencies, my key message here today is this: adaptation is not only possible; it makes economic sense. GCA’s State and Trends in Adaptation 2021 report, which I was proud to launch with President Uhuru Kenyatta in Nairobi at the end of last year, finds that a dollar invested in weather and climate information services gives between $4 and $25 in benefits. A dollar invested in resilient water and sanitation not only saves lives; it creates between $2 and $12 in economic benefits. The cost of action to integrate resilience measures into agriculture and food systems in Sub-Saharan Africa may be $15 billion annually.

But do you know the cost of inaction? $200 billion annually.

So this is an opportunity we must seize.

Excellencies, ladies and gentlemen, the message from all African leaders in Glasgow, not just President Akufo-Addo, was loud and clear: Africa needs to scale up adaptation now. This is what drives us at GCA.

I would like to specifically highlight what we have done with the African Union last year, creating a $25 billion dedicated climate adaptation program with the African Development Bank, under the leadership of my friend and brother President Adesina. The Africa Adaptation Acceleration Program (AAAP) is an Africa-owned and Africa-led response to the climate crisis. African leaders have asked for this program and endorsed its design, including an upstream facility led by the GCA which supports investment pipeline development.

In its first year, through the AAAP, GCA has shaped climate adaptation responses within a billion-dollar pipeline of investments of the African Development Bank in the areas of food security, resilient infrastructure, climate finance, and youth employment.

We are now scaling this up with our partners at the World Bank.

Let me give you one example of the impact of AAAP as the largest adaptation initiative globally and how investments in adaptation and investments in development are two sides of the same coin.

In food security, GCA is mainstreaming adaptation into investments that transform the lives and livelihoods of over 5 million smallholder farmers in the Sahel by scaling up the use of climate-smart digital agriculture technologies within a $300 million investment. These interventions will increase food security and reduce Africa’s food import bill, which will top $110 billion by 2025.

Let us not forget that the impacts of climate change will act as a threat amplifier to cascading, external shocks here in Africa. The war in Ukraine has exposed Africa to rising food insecurity and soaring energy prices. If ever there was a time to strengthen adaptation on the continent, it is now.

What is true at the level of the continent is equally true for Ghana. And what is true for food security is equally true for resilient infrastructure. The launch of the roadmap for resilient infrastructure today applies AAAP’s bold, solutions-focused approach and is a testimony to Ghana’s leadership across government on adaptation.

Some of the findings from the roadmap are quite startling. Half of all of Ghana’s energy generation capacity is exposed to flooding. By 2050, climate risk could lead to $3.9 billion in damages to the transport sector; three fold the investment of $1.3 billion made in the sector in 2019. 80 percent of the population in some districts in Ghana risk being cut off from healthcare and women will bear the brunt.

Excellencies, I don’t need to remind you that Ghana will become hotter, wetter, and drier. Given how we know the climate crisis is evolving, these are very alarming statistics. But, this is not the full story.

For us at the Global Center on Adaptation, the real story on climate adaptation in Africa is a story of resilience, of responsibility, of solidarity, of opportunities for a safer, greener, more prosperous continent.

It is this story that is captured in the roadmap we are launching today. A roadmap that reviews the many sectors and economic activities impacted by climate change. But equally; a roadmap that focuses on solutions and actions.

Excellencies, let us be clear, the roadmap we are launching today is only as strong as the financing that supports it. Ghana, like many African countries, is disproportionately exposed to the climate emergency it did not create. The international community has a moral and economic responsibility to support Ghana’s efforts in freeing up fiscal space for adaptation investments. For that, we should first look at the billions of debt currently owed by climate vulnerable nations such as Ghana to rich ones. If we restructure all or much of the debt by allowing servicing payments to be reinvested in making the underlying assets more resilient and secure, everybody wins.

Africa’s Climate summit later this year in Egypt forces us to think big. We need more moves like the International Monetary Fund’s channeling of finance from its latest $650 billion of Special Drawing Rights into a resilience and sustainability trust to support poor and emerging nations.

Earlier this month, when I spoke with the chairman of the African Union, President Macky Sall of Senegal about Africa’s priorities for COP27, he reconfirmed the critical importance of adaptation finance for development, particularly as Africa seeks to build back from Covid-19, and respond to the deepening impacts of the war in Ukraine.

By accelerating the priorities of this roadmap to safeguard the future of Ghana, I am positive we can secure a safe and prosperous future for this great nation and be a beacon of hope and inspiration for the rest of the continent, in fact the world.

The opportunity is here for the taking. Let us seize it.

I thank you.

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Address by the GCA CEO to the People’s Majlis (Parliament of the Maldives)

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Assalamu alaikum.

Honorable Members, Mr Speaker, What a source of inspiration you are for the world.

In 2009, you awoke society from a slumber – a planet sleepwalking into climate danger. Your underwater cabinet meeting captured the world’s attention, and its imagination, prompting us all to consider, and start to confront, a planetary crisis.

My name is Patrick Verkooijen and I am the CEO of the Global Center on Adaptation. We are the only international organization with a mission to ensure our society, and all its communities, can adapt together to the global crisis of climate change. And I am honoured to be given the opportunity to address this parliament because the Maldives is the embodiment of the frontline of the climate crisis. But you are also much more than that.

The impact of our changing climate has also forced you to confront the crisis earlier and more concertedly. After all, two thirds of your almost 1,200 islands suffer chronic shoreline erosion from rising seas. You have fought back by being bold and successful in forging solutions.

This is not my first mission to an atoll nation but this is my first – and I hope not last – visit to the Maldives. I was very grateful that yesterday – thanks to Minister Shauna of President Solith’s cabinet – I was able to visit the major new developments of phase one and two over the bridge at Hulamale’. You might not think of it like that. But Hulamale’ is a climate adaptation project. Why? Because it will be the home to 200,000 people – close to half your current population – safe from the sea-level rise projected in this century and a water supply protected from salt intrusion. As a single project, it is quite possibly the biggest and boldest adaptation effort on the earth today.

It took the Netherlands, where I am from, with all its civil engineers and resources centuries to put in place the infrastructure that allows about one third of the country to exist below the level of the sea. Here in the Maldives you have reclaimed phase 2 of Hulamale in a matter of weeks.

Yet, we all know it is not enough, and neither would it likely be your vision for the future of this nation as a whole. For one, you may reclaim more islands as safe-havens, but you could ultimately lose everything else that’s unprotected. Island building may work well in some cases – like in Male’ – but is ultimately not a global solution.

Mr. Speaker, It might surprise you, but for a brief period back in 1993, I myself was a climate displaced person. Europe was hit by severe floods and my own home town was completely flooded. We were forced to evacuate, leaving my father sitting on the rooftop. He didn’t want to abandon the home and all our possessions. We survived and since then, the Netherlands has put a lot of effort into beefing up so-called “Nature Based Solutions” to complement the shortcomings of our water infrastructure.

Last summer the floods returned to Europe with heavy rains of the same magnitude but in the Netherlands, we were hit hard but managed to significantly reduce the impact. In Germany, just upstream from us, there was a level of destruction, and a claiming of lives and livelihoods, that was totally shocking for us all.

What we take home from this is:

One: Mr. Speaker, I believe we can say “We are all Maldivians” in this climate fight. We are all vulnerable already today – everywhere. But also, this means that failing the Maldives means failing us all. We are all Maldivians since by not defending this small island nation and its people from climate devastation, we only prove that we will be incapable of defending the planet and society as a whole.

Two: to overcome the power of nature we have unleashed by wrecking the planet we should be turning to nature and harnessing its power to persevere. Nature-based solutions – here in the Maldives: mangroves and reefs, for example, should be central to getting the job done.

Also yesterday, I was fortunate to visit a reef in South Male’ atoll. I was deeply saddened to find an underwater coral graveyard, but not so surprised either: this has become the hallmark of the global devastation of reefs happening in every Ocean today. I am also aware of the solutions you have started to pioneer on coral reefs locally – even 3D printing of reef structures – but we have to move faster and we have to have solutions that function at scale.

In the Netherlands it’s mid-winter right now, and I, for one, am really feeling the heat. But I am certain you have all been feeling the heat. The IPCC confirmed in the second half of last year that the world will now warm by 1.5 degrees by 2030. This is a decade earlier than the IPCC was highlighting just three years prior.

This massive increase in heat has been shown by the ILO to have an especially heavy toll on workers across South Asia. This is because the combination of rising heat and high humidity is a costly, toxic and often lethal combination. If you are not already having your houses and offices insulated like we do in the Netherlands against the cold, that will have to change. Because the heat is coming for you, and it will be nothing like what you have experienced in the past.

It is not only the air that warms, as you will also be aware. The Oceans are also heating up. This is why 90% of all coral reefs are predicted to be dead by 2030. Fisheries, one of your traditional mainstay industries, will also be affected. And Maldives risks losing its edge as a tourist destination to crumbling reefs.

Mr Speaker, we are already living inside the eye of the storm. You know very well the leadership that is required to avert climate catastrophe. You yourself are the founding president of the Climate Vulnerable Forum (CVF) and its lead envoy. Your group clearly emerged at COP26 – thanks very much to your own leadership and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s – as the leading global voice for action in the UN climate negotiations. It’s above all the CVF that put 1.5 degrees into the Paris Agreement, and the Global Center on Adaptation is proud to also act as your Managing Partner and to host the CVF and V20 secretariat.

As a part of my delegation here today are executives from the CVF and V20 secretariat who will be meeting with your government to work on your own national climate prosperity plan. Some 30 CVF members are lining up to develop these plans with Bangladesh being the first. Also the brainchild of Speaker Nasheed, the CVF prosperity plans are strategies that aim to deliver climate action while boosting economic growth and key socio-economic indicators like biodiversity, jobs and health.

In your updated NDC, the Maldives has committed achieve carbon neutrality by 2030. And in this very parliament you have even passed a “Climate Emergency Act” underpinning that. I am sure as no doubt your climate prosperity plan will show, carbon neutrality will be a very good thing for the Maldives. It’s good for the planet, good for our health and good for the economy.

Mr. Speaker, the Maldives cannot save the planet from itself if others fail to follow your act. Global leadership has been strengthening, however, global emissions are still rising. The world needs your leadership from this House to be shown by other parliaments across the globe. That will be vital to keeping the Maldives safe.

Fortunately, we have a vehicle for that. A number among you took part in the launch of the CVF parliaments’ platform which the GCA will support with a dedicated unit. And I have discussed with Speaker Nasheed the special role that this parliament will play in that global parliaments’ platform. And I am pleased to announce today that the GCA will assign an official to collaborate directly with your parliament here in Male’.

And let us also be very, very clear: Action in Maldives and action around the globe requires finance – money is a must. Also in 2009, when you came to Copenhagen Mr. Speaker, the world agreed to $100 billion annual finance for developing countries. The world has failed to deliver that promise. It has failed the Maldives and it has failed itself.

Climate change, as I mentioned earlier, has been found to be happening far faster than we previously thought. And its repercussions are far more widespread and devastating than we thought a decade ago.

Independent information points to you already spending about 50 percent of your 2.5 billion dollar national budget on adapting to climate change. So climate adaptation is already your number one public fiscal expense!

After the 2008 global financial crisis, the United States congress approved $700 billion in single bail-out a handful of big banks and lenders. Nowadays, the trillions of domestic COVID pandemic bailouts in G20 economies have made that once historic spend look like small change.

And yet, nothing today is more systemically corrosive to the world economy than climate change. The only real solution also on finance is to think big and act at scale.

For that, we should first look at the trillions of debt currently owed by poor, debt-distressed, climate-vulnerable nations to rich ones. If we restructured all or much of this debt by allowing servicing payments to be reinvested in making the underlying assets more resilient and secure, everybody wins. This could immediately free up far more than $100 billion a year for nature-based and resilient investments and creditors should be more than satisfied with better safeguards against losses triggered through climate catastrophe.

The Global Center on Adaptation, through our offices in Europe, Africa, China and around the world, we are pleased to play the role of solutions broker and to facilitate cooperation including on financing.

I also would like to specifically highlight what we have done with the African Union last year, creating a $25 billion dedicated regional climate adaptation program of the GCA with the African Development Bank, under the leadership of my friend and brother President Adesina. In its first year, through what is known as the Africa Adaptation Acceleration Program (AAAP), the GCA have shaped climate adaptation responses within a billion-dollar pipeline of investments of the African Development Bank. We are already driving impact in the areas of digital solutions for food security, nature-based infrastructure, access to finance, and developing jobs for youth. Small islands desperately need such a funding program of their own.

Mr Speaker, your underwater cabinet meeting shone a light on the crisis we face. Today, we need to do the same thing for the solutions to the crisis. Should we not work together to forge a global small island states “Accelerated Adaptation Program” on a similar scale to our $25 billion dollar African program?

The Global Center on Adaptation already has a South Asia program headquartered in Dhaka, Bangladesh. And our research and expertise will be available to you from that hub. But should we not launch such a bold adaptation program for SIDS together this year from the Maldives – as a showcase of our ambition?

We do need to think big. We need more moves like the IMF’s channeling of finance from its latest $650 billion of Special Drawing Rights into a Resilience and Sustainability Trust to support poor and emerging nations. Or the V20 Finance Ministers’ proposed guarantees scheme, which could leverage $15 of climate adaptation and renewables projects for every $1 of public funds contributed.

Mr Speaker, Honorable Members, I hope you will see GCA as your partner as together we combat climate change, for what happens here is important not just for Maldives. Because by joining forces we can demonstrate what is possible when commitment is combined with leadership. By accelerating the actions to safeguard the future of the Maldives, I am positive we can secure a safe and prosperous future for this great island nation.

I look forward to working with you all.

I want to come back finally, once more, to my earlier point: we are all Maldivians, after all.

We need to come together. Only together can we prevail against an existential threat like the climate crisis.

I thank you.

Photos and video courtesy of People’s Majlis

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The Inaugural GCA CEO’s Annual Lecture

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Honorable President Kenyatta, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, Mr. Vice Chancellor, Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen, Students: We are living inside the eye of the storm.

My name is Patrick Verkooijen and I am the CEO of the Global Center on Adaptation.

The climate emergency has Africa at the cross-roads. Business as usual is a sure-fire route to chaos. But adapt to it and Africa will thrive. That is why I have come to Nairobi to deliver this, the inaugural annual lecture of the GCA CEO.

I was last in Kenya ten years ago. It’s good to be back. I was supporting a climate-smart agriculture project in Kisumu with 60,000 farmers. I met a farmer there: Anne Akinyi. She was involved in the program which combined traditional agriculture processes with a new focus on tree planting, inter-cropping, mulching, and sequestering carbon. These approaches were clearly yielding a triple dividend: Agricultural productivity doubled, the resilience of farmers became much higher and agriculture became part of the climate solution. You could visibly see the difference with the immediate surrounding areas not part of the program: they had water shortages and much lower production.

Anne was joined by 60,000 other small-holder farmers. What the program lacked was scale. Imagine this program across the whole of Africa. That would be real adaptation in action. We don’t need to learn how to adapt. We are already doing it. What we have is a problem of speed and of scale. Adaptation is far too piecemeal and way too slow.

We need more ambition, which is entirely possible: At Paris we had emission commitments on the table that had us headed for more than 3 degrees of climate chaos. The World Bank produced a 4 degrees report because we were knocking at the door of 4 degrees. Six years on, the combined pledges of the world’s economies have us closer to 2 degrees. We have to keep strengthening them to hold the line to 1.5°C. But we need the same ambition raising for adaptation. Only, we have even less time.

The IPCC just confirmed we now enter the 1.5°C world in 2030. Certain impacts, like extreme heat spells, will double by then. And the urgency to respond will be nowhere greater than in Africa. For accelerated adaptation to be a reality here, we need the financing to work. But I am here, to tell you, that we can do that too.

The Africa Adaptation Acceleration Program (AAAP) is already a $25 billion initiative. We need to deliver it and build it up, and set in motion bold financing in parallel. Twenty-five billion dollars over five years is still a drop in the ocean compared to the challenges we face. This is the floor, not the ceiling, for adaptation finance.

Most disasters in Africa are flood-related but drought has by far the greatest impact: affecting five times the number of people. Last year more than one in five people in Africa faced hunger. Given how we know this climate crisis is evolving, that is a very alarming stat. But again, this is not the full story.

For us at the Global Center of Adaptation, the real story of climate change in Africa is a story of resilience, of responsibility, of solidarity, of opportunities for a safer, greener, and more prosperous continent. It is this story: the solutions and the innovations, the hard facts of science and the leadership of communities, the need for coordinated action, and the urgent call for more and smarter financing.

This is the story we capture in State and Trends on Adaptation 2021, the report we are launching today. A report prepared with leading institutions and researchers from Africa and the world. A report that reviews the many sectors and economic activities impacted by climate change. But equally: a report that focuses on solutions and actions.

As we were preparing this report, we interviewed youth and small entrepreneurs around Africa on climate change. I was impressed by their stories of resilience. The story of Lucia Gulugulu, a young community nurse from Zimbabwe, is particularly compelling. I learned from her how she was caught off guard by what – at first – looked like another rain but turned out to be Cyclone Idai. Surrounded by destruction, she set up a ‘youth corner’ at her clinic to educate patients on the links between climate disasters and health.

Or the inspiring story of 24-year-old Cidia Chiassungo in Maputo. She organized a youth movement called United for Beira to ship relief items to affected regions after road connections were lost. These are the stories of action and solidarity that are captured in the report. These are the actions of individuals that should inspire us all to step up today because the window of opportunity for adaptation is closing fast. Why? Because the level of climate change in Africa in the next 10 years – taking us to 1.5°C – is already locked in. Far more drastic cuts between now and then could enable us to hold the line at 1.5 °C.

But even if the Paris Climate Agreement goals are achieved, the economic costs of climate change in Africa will be enormous. Africa will suffer higher GDP losses than most other regions of the world. These impacts can only be reduced with adaptation.

Africa needs to scale up adaptation now. If Africa had been prepared with resilient economies and communities to the damaging weather events over the last decade, the strong growth rates countries had achieved before the COVID pandemic would have been even higher.

At the same time, if the Paris Climate Agreement goals are missed, if the world warms 2°C, 3°C, 4°C or beyond, the economic and social costs for Africa will be catastrophic. Our analysis finds that Africa will suffer significant economic costs over the next couple of decades at several percentage points of GDP per year.

There are silver linings in that Africa has experienced less fatalities in recent years due to climate disasters. However, the economic costs to Africa of climate catastrophe keeps climbing. Climate change is not just losses but also macroeconomic risks. It will affect public finances by requiring increased public expenditure and government debt, as well as by reducing government revenues. All of this affect fiscal stability. The risks also encompass the private sector: losses on assets and higher operating costs, as well as lower revenues. All this can affect cash flow and company performance for business in Africa.

Finally, climate change is a new and significant negative pressure on the sovereign credit ratings of African countries. As impacts increase, if we don’t adapt effectively, these will increase the cost of borrowing. That would reduce the continent’s investment potential. As these economic costs come from climate change, it is only adaptation that can reduce them in Africa for the next decade.

Let us be clear: The poor in Africa cannot afford these impacts. Why? What is certain is that climate change disproportionately impact the poorest and most vulnerable in Africa. Impacts within countries will be uneven, hitting the poorest and most vulnerable the hardest.

In fact, worldwide, climate change, if unchecked, will push 122 million new people into extreme poverty by 2030. Of these, Sub-Saharan Africa would see 43 million new poor. Even if development is rapid and inclusive, up to 12 million people in Africa could be pushed into poverty in this time due to climate change alone.

Poverty is also closely linked with security and displacement. Half of the African countries considered highly vulnerable to climate change are also considered fragile or even extremely fragile states. As the poor in these fragile states are hit harder, climate change will affect the security and the stability of Africa.

In Sudan, for example, climate-related disasters already contributed to massive displacement in the past two decades. In West Africa, by 2050, in a worst-case scenario, we could see 50 million internal climate migrants. With effective adaptation, we can reduce that number by threefold. This is why it remains vital that adaptation efforts do not forget the most vulnerable groups.

The small enterprises in Africa cannot afford the impacts of climate change either. All of the small and medium enterprises we interviewed in West Africa said that they are already affected by climate change. Seventy percent of SMEs in East Africa gave the same answer. Three quarters faced lower productivity and sales; half suffered physical damage to their locales or equipment.

Our report has one main message for all sectors of society: if the world stays within 1.5°C, adaptation in Africa is not only possible; it makes eminent economic sense. It is the smart thing to do. But we must start now and scale up fast.

We have to make climate adaptation everyone’s business. The results in the State and Trends report are clear: Adaptation pays. A dollar invested in weather and climate information services gives between 4 and 25 dollars in benefits. A dollar invested in resilient water and sanitation not only saves lives; it creates between 2 and 12 dollars in benefits. African countries that invest a dollar in climate-smart crops can see between 2 and 14 dollars in benefits. Adaptation makes economic sense.

We also looked at the other side of the coin. What are the costs of inaction? The solutions to make agriculture more resilient and better adapted to climate change are known. What is the cost of adaptation of agriculture and food systems in Africa? It’s $15 billion per year. Then what of the cost of inaction? The cost of more frequent and severe crisis response, disaster relief, and recovery pathways? $200 billion dollars a year. 13 times more.

It is in fact inaction – not action – that is expensive.

Delaying adaptation action will only increase costs. Either we “delay and pay”, or we take bold action starting now and prosper. Because, let us not forget, Africa is changing. It is changing fast. This is an opportunity we must seize.

With 43 percent of its population under the age of 15, Africa has the largest youth population in the world. Africa’s young people today have more education than their parents do. The future of Africa’s youth must not be robbed by climate change.

Africa will have more than a third of the global workforce by 2040, with more than one billion citizens ready to work. Africa needs more jobs, better jobs, decent jobs. And adaptation can be part of the solution. Africa’s massive endowment of nature can be harnessed as both an engine for green jobs for adaptation and resilient and as a pathway for a more sustainable development.

African cities are changing fast too. Sub-Saharan Africa’s cities are growing the fastest in the world. About 40 percent of Africa’s population live in urban areas, and it will double in number by 2050. An important challenge is that 60 percent of Africa’s urban residents live in low-income, unplanned communities.

About half of African cities are located in the lowest elevation coastal zones. As sea level rises, the risks of floods and coastal erosion increase. At 40 percent urbanization today, Africa has the advantage that most of its cities are still to be built. And they can be built resilient and adapted to a rapidly changing climate. We have a choice here to avoid the mistakes of other cities worldwide.

Against this background, we asked ourselves in the State and Trends report: What are the most critical foundations for a sustainable and resilient African growth? Let me start with two: infrastructure and women.

First, Africa needs resilient and adapted infrastructure. Lots of it. Many claim that resilient infrastructure is expensive and unaffordable. On average, resilient infrastructure is only three percent more expensive, provided you plan it well and build it flexibly. What is expensive is to rebuild bridges and dykes after floods. What is expensive is to face power cuts when hydropower dams dry out.

Second, African countries are failing to take advantage of the unique knowledge, skills, and perspectives that women have. Women’s knowledge about sowing seasons, traditional multi-cropping practices and livestock management, is indispensable for climate adaptation. African women are true leaders in the recovery of families after disasters. African women need to be empowered to make the continent resilient and prosperous. After all, already ten years ago Anne taught this to me in Kisumu.

Many positive changes are happening in all corners of the continent. But to unlock the full potential, we must have financing flow at scale. How much is needed for adaptation? Based on 40 African countries that calculated their adaptation investment needs, that number is $331 billion through 2030. That is roughly $33 billion a year.

How much is coming to Africa now? About $6 billion in 2017 and 2018. If this trend continues, Africa would see just $66 billion by 2030. There are some bright spots: for example, Multilateral Development Bank finance grew from $3.6 to 4.7 billion last year versus 2019. However, all of this is still far short of the $331 billion needed.

Adaptation investment needs to be mobilized from a wider variety of finance sources, where the private sector is key. So, we need to be focused with public resources to orientate them for maximal leveraging of the private sector. The private sector generates 75 percent of economic output and 90 percent of employment in Africa. But again, most private sector climate activities are focused on mitigation not adaptation. This has to change.

We are fighting a battle on two fronts now. Climate change has absolutely ceased to be a question of emissions alone. Addressing growing climate impacts is as important for the world today. At the same time, access to finance is the biggest barrier to African MSMEs. This was the finding of a major GCA survey conducted with the World Business Council on Sustainable Development. Adaptation is a win-win for the private sector, and it is a major business opportunity.

Climate adaptation finance can also be boosted through innovative financing, leveraging of pandemic stimulus resources, and trade. For example, innovations in finance like “Climate for Debt” swaps that enable restructuring of debt to support resilience can unlock significant new resources for action. The huge public stimulus to COVID-19 needs to focus as much as possible on a green and resilient recovery. Kenya is a great example with some of the highest proportion of green spending in its pandemic stimulus. Other African nations would do well to follow that lead.

And finally, promoting trade. Trade provides a cushion for shocks to food security for example, by ensuring supply of staples can meet demand when local production is hit. By leveraging comparative advantages over time, trade in resilient goods and services will also create more jobs in the economy.

We need to also consider enabling conditions. All our research shows that good climate risk and resilience data points are hugely important for investment. Likewise, if we are going to increase financial flows by multiples, we have to build capacity of African financial institutions and government entities to mobilize resilient investments.

And we should remember that NDCs are moving targets. The ambition of existing national adaptation plans is almost certainly not high enough to protect African economies and communities from a worsening climate emergency.

African governments are also saying that they are ready to contribute. Based on an analysis of the 15 current NDCs that provide a breakdown of cost estimates, African countries are willing to put close to 20 percent of funding, if the world comes forward with the rest. If the world mobilizes $24 billion a year to $18 billion more than the $6 billion that has been coming-, African countries on average indicate that they could mobilize $6 billion a year. Africa has very little responsibility – historically or in the present day – for global greenhouse gas emissions compared to other major regions of the world. Can the world mobilize this funding?

It was precisely with the African Development Bank that we joined forces to design of the landmark Africa Adaptation Acceleration Program (AAAP). Unlike other adaptation plans in Africa, the AAAP is a comprehensive adaptation program that addresses the nexus of climate change, COVID-19, and the economy. The AAAP will support all African countries in designing and implementing transformational adaptation of their economies and post-COVID recovery development paths.

The AAAP is an Africa-owned and Africa-led response to the climate crisis. African leaders have asked for this Program and have endorsed its design, including an upstream facility led by the GCA which supports investment pipeline development. This is in addition to an investment facility which is led by AfDB and directly finances adaptation projects.

The AAAP is the translation of the Africa Adaptation Initiative (AAI) into actual projects and programs on the ground.The AAAP focuses on 4 bold pillars where urgent action is needed and where investments in adaptation and resilience building can yield high dividends to achieve the SDGs. The program is mobilizing the 25 billion in resources to support 30 million smallholders and reduce malnutrition for at least 10 million people. It will support one million youth with entrepreneurship skills and job creation. The AfDB, under the strong leadership of President Adesina, has already committed half of the total, $12.5 billion. Together with all African nations, we are mobilizing the additional $12.5 billion.

Adaptation represents only 21% of climate finance flows from developed countries to the developing world. The developed world committed to deliver $100 billion in balanced flows to adaptation and mitigation every year between 2020 and 2025. The Glasgow COP must deliver on this commitment. For AAAP, we expect that $6 to 8 billion will be mobilized at COP26, and the remaining will be mobilized at COP27. Glasgow must show that the world cares about Africa’s adaptation. That is why we are convening the largest ever adaptation for Africa summit at COP26 on 2 November. It will showcase the continent’s many solutions ready for scaling. Glasgow must deliver for Africa.

In closing I want to revert back to where I began: With Anne Akinyi from Kisumu. In Luo, Akinyi means born in the morning. We are at the sunrise of an adaptation revolution for Africa. However, right now, today, this continent is truly at the crossroads. Adapt or die might sound too strong. And yet, thousands of lives and millions of livelihoods have already been sacrificed in Africa due to inadequate adaptation. But, Anne, in a small village, close to Kisumu, gives me hope.

Adaptation is not only the right thing to do but also the smartest thing to do.

The opportunity is here for the taking. Let us seize it.

I thank you.

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