Countries reach hard-fought compromise on climate adaptation metrics in Bonn

Thorny negotiations on the Global Goal on Adaptation almost broke down as developing countries accused richer nations of trying to shirk their responsibilities

Countries reached a last-minute compromise deal on the Global Goal on Adaptation (GGA) at the Bonn climate talks on Thursday night, papering over their differences on how progress to adapt to climate change should be measured, as a fast-warming world increases the urgency of such action.

Established under the Paris Agreement a decade ago, the goal is meant to support countries – especially the most climate-vulnerable – to bolster their resilience and preparedness for extreme weather linked to climate change, from deadly floods and heatwaves to droughts. Where the financing should come from is a crucial part of it, and tracking the access and quality of this finance with yardsticks is another.

But discussions on choosing a wider set of metrics for the GGA almost collapsed at Bonn due to disagreements over how the funding of adaptation support will be measured to ensure developed countries are meeting their obligations to developing nations. 

Observers told Climate Home News that developing countries wanted clear language outlining developed countries’ responsibility to provide finance, as enshrined in the Paris Agreement. They said measuring adaptation progress must include indicators to track whether developed countries are meeting their responsibilities to provide the “means of implementation” (MoI) in UN jargon.

But developed countries resisted, instead proposing a broader definition of adaptation finance, allowing, for instance, developing country budgets to count, talks observer Imane Saidi of Morocco-based think-tank IMAL Initiative for Climate and Development.

But after more than six hours of deadlock that ran late into the night, negotiators found a compromise.

The final text, which lays out guidance to experts working to refine a list of no more than 100 adaptation indicators, includes adaptation finance under the so-called means of implementation (MoI) – but does not say who should provide it or who should receive it. It refers only to “parties”, wording that some observers said reflected a deliberate move by developed countries to dodge their responsibilities under the Paris Agreement.

“It’s good news that the MoI indicators must align with the Paris Agreement. But again, it says ‘to help parties’, not ‘developing country parties’. So it’s a compromise,” Saidi said.

Pooja Dave of Climate Action Network International (CAN-I) said that while the text contains language that developing countries wanted, “we live to fight another day” – suggesting more wrangling lies ahead.

‘Bad faith’ of developed countries

Despite the compromise wording that includes adaptation finance, after years of resistance by donor governments, some developing-country delegates voiced disappointment. India complained the document was adopted too quickly, rushing parties who did not get an opportunity to take an in-depth look at it because it was uploaded while the closing plenary was already underway. 

Bolivia’s lead negotiator Diego Pacheco said negotiations demonstrated “the bad faith of developed countries”, denouncing “their lies and hypocrisy” over financing as they tried to postpone meaningful progress in the GGA. 

While posing as climate champions, he said wealthy nations “do not have the political will to provide finance to developing countries”.

The European Union, meanwhile, said it was “very pleased with the outcomes” reached, having come to the talks in “good faith and in the spirit of cooperation and solidarity”. It said it looked forward “to implementing these decisions as we move forward towards Belém”.

Eyes on COP30

As delegates fly out of Bonn, hopes are that the talks on how to measure the GGA will conclude at COP30 in Belém in November, delivering indicators and outcomes that all or most parties will be happy with.

CAN-I’s Dave said that while a last-minute result was reached in Bonn allowing work on the GGA indicators to move forward, “the real fight will be in Belém”.

Brazil’s Ana Toni, COP30’s CEO, said in London she hoped November’s climate summit would advance the adaptation talks, adding that “finance for adaptation must be part of the indicators for adaptation in [the] GGA”.

Cover photo:  A woman plants mangroves in Timor Leste as part of a resilience project led by the UN Development Programme (Photo: Yuichi Ishida/UNDP Timor-Leste/Flickr)