Category: Adaptation

Gridlock as Riyadh COP16 Fails to Deliver Drought Protocol Deal

The recent desertification COP in Riyadh under the UN Convention to Combat Desertification failed to deliver what African countries wanted most: a legally binding protocol on drought, marking another disappointing outcome from the Rio Conventions this year. 

Global Goal on Adaptation: The Scores and Misses in Baku 

COP 29 in Baku brought some clarity to the technical process and work on indicators within the Global Goal on Adaptation (GGA), but a major question mark hangs over the political impetus underpinning the discussions, especially after the largely disappointing outcome on finance that marked the COP. 

The COP that No-One Likes

It is normal for countries to leave the COP disgruntled but resigned to the outcome, with wins and losses for everyone. But this year’s finance COP left a deeply bitter taste in the mouth for developing countries, with Nigeria calling the US$300 billion finance target a joke, and more questions than answers about whether to disband the COP process entirely. But there were some wins on trade, adaptation and carbon markets within the morass of despair on finance. In our roundup we look back and discuss the key issues and outcomes.

Your Guide to COP29: A Tamer but Still Tumultuous Affair

African countries are going to COP with a long menu of agenda items to address: the new finance target (NCQG), revised NDCs, adaptation, mitigation and just transitions, loss and damage, and trade. In this explainer we discuss the key issues, points of contention, and some of the African positions ahead of the COP.

The Global Goal on Adaptation (GGA) at COP 29: Key negotiation topics and an African perspective

At COP29 countries will continue to flesh out the details of the GGA through the development of indicators to track their implementation. Luckson Zvobgo is actively working on these indicators. He explains why they matter and what Africa’s priorities are for their development.

What to expect from African leaders at the Biodiversity COP

Ahead of COP16, African countries are looking to push for a global biodiversity fund under the direct control of the COP, meaningful indicators to measure the achievement of the global biodiversity targets, and obligatory payments for the use of digitally sequenced genetic information.

South Africa Finally Gets its Climate Change Act

The long awaited Climate Change Act charts a course for the government to implement decade’s old climate policy, and signals to the international community the nation’s commitment to its emissions trajectory and adaptation ambitions.

Getting the Global Goal on Adaptation up and Running

The global goal on adaptation it is wide reaching but disappointingly vague. Recently, countries met to flesh out indicators to measure it, creating an opportunity to craft something more meaningful and useful, that can spur action and channel climate finance where it is needed most.

Agriculture at COP28: Outcomes and implications for Africa

The African continent boasts vast agricultural potential and yet most countries are net food importers. For years agriculture has been a negotiation priority for many African states however progress at the COPs has been slow. At COP28, agriculture featured more prominently including within the UAE Declaration on Sustainable Agriculture, the Global Goal on Adaptation as well as the Global Stocktake. However, the failure to reach any agreement under the Joint Work on Implementation on Agriculture and Food Security was a missed opportunity.

What happened with the Global Goal on Adaptation at COP28?

Taken together, the outcome on the global goal on adaptation misses an opportunity of facilitating climate resilient development in developing countries. In this overview, CSIR  holistic climate change impact area manager and South African Presidential Climate Commission member, Dr Brian Mantlana, unpacks the outcomes of COP28 for the goal, arguing its laughable timelines and the lack of financial commitments makes it a farce.