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UN Environment Programme Warns Developing Countries Get Just 10 Cents for Climate Adaptation
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Global adaptation finance needs $305 billion annually by 2035, far above current funding Rich countries provided about $28.2 billion in 2024, leaving a $277 billion gap
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Gap as COP31 nears
The UN Environment Programme warned that developing countries could meet less than a third of their climate adaptation financing needs even if wealthy nations deliver on a commitment to triple funding by 2035.
The UN Environment Programme said its 2026 Adaptation Gap Report estimates that developing countries will require approximately US$305 billion annually by 2035 to adapt to worsening climate impacts, while international public adaptation finance flows increased by only US$1 billion between 2023 and 2024.
UN secretary-general António Guterres said, “The latest Adaptation Gap Report exposes a staggering shortfall. For every dollar developing countries need to adapt, they receive just 10 cents,” as negotiators prepare for COP31 in Antalya, Turkey.
UNEP Executive Director Inger Andersen warned, “The world is not ready to adapt to current climactic conditions, never mind what overshoot of 1.5°C will bring,” as the report links the shortfall to intensifying climate impacts.
Tripling still leaves shortfall
Even if the COP30 aspiration to triple international public adaptation finance by 2035 is achieved, funding would reach only US$85 billion to US$120 billion annually, covering between 20 and 29 per cent of projected needs after accounting for inflation. Rich countries are falling well short of the $305 billion needed each year, with funding from developed countries rising by $1 billion to $28.2 billion in 2024 but remaining a fraction of what is required.
The report estimates that international public adaptation finance flows from developed to developing countries reached US$28.2-31.7 billion in 2024, a US$1 billion increase over the previous year. The UN report said the first funding round of the Fund for responding to Loss and Damage generated requests worth US$2.8 billion against an initial funding envelope of US$342 million, underscoring unmet demand as losses and damages mount.
Implementation barriers and stakes
Beyond the financing shortfall, institutional weaknesses are another major obstacle preventing countries from translating climate adaptation priorities into practical interventions. Governments are making progress through climate change framework laws, improved coordination across government institutions, policy-learning platforms and dedicated mechanisms for mobilising and managing climate finance, but stronger institutional arrangements are needed to ensure adaptation plans translate into implementation.
WWF said COP31 must triple adaptation funding, make it predictable and easier to access, and get it to the countries and communities that need it, while Dr Stephen Cornelius argued, “People need protection, not just funding promises.” Finance for losses and damages is falling short of identified needs, while complex procedures and limited capacity make support difficult to access, even as it highlighted that the first round of the Fund for responding to Loss and Damage generated requests worth US$2.8 billion.