Cop31 must deliver funding where it is needed most

Sir, – Global leaders gathered in Antalya, Turkey, this week for Cop31 must ensure that previously committed funding that will enable lower-income countries adapt to the growing impact of climate change begins to flow. We need to see world leaders shift from funding commitments to funding delivery, with urgency befitting a climate crisis. Climate change is hitting hardest in fragile and conflict-affected countries that are home to almost one billion people.

Where climate finance is desperately needed is often also where conventional climate finance is hardest to access. Climate-adaptation finance is used to fund a range of programmes, from climate-smart agriculture practices and rainwater harvesting to flood protection measures and early warning systems. It helps communities build resilience in the face of the increasingly frequent impacts of climate events. At Cop31, there must be greater recognition of the specific barriers facing fragile and conflict-affected areas.

Countries need adequate resources, capacity and technical support to deliver national adaptation plans, and translate these into action from national to local levels, ensuring people most vulnerable to the impact of climate change are supported. It is vital that adaptation action reflects local realities. The recent floods in Nepal and Bangladesh demonstrate how quickly communities can lose homes, livelihoods and access to essential services, and how overwhelming and expensive the task of recovery and rebuilding is.

Recovery cannot simply mean rebuilding what was lost. It must also mean recognising the true human cost of climate change, and committing to adequately addressing the vulnerabilities that leave communities exposed to repeated shocks. – Yours, etc, LAURA BAHLMAN, Concern Worldwide, Dublin 2.