The United Nations said in a report that wealthy nations need to give as much as ten times current levels of funding to help developing countries adapt to climate change.
Inger Andersen, executive director of the United Nations Environment Program, said that rich countries will feel the effects of climate change if developing nations can't adapt.
Ms. Andersen said that the idea of a wall around your state is not realistic.
She said that people are not moving because they want to. They have to move.
As world leaders prepare to gather in Egypt next week for the annual United Nations climate summit, a report titled "Too Little, Too Slow" came as a result. There is a growing gap between current levels of aid for adaptation and what is required as climate shocks get worse.
Climate adaptation refers to steps to better protect people against the consequences of climate change, for example, planting crops that are resistant to heat or dry weather, raising buildings to reduce damage from flooding, or moving communities away from coastlines and other vulnerable areas.
Reducing emissions of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases has been the focus of much of the climate focus from world leaders. The world is set to warm 2 to 3 degrees by the end of the century, with the average global temperature already increasing by 1.1 degrees.
Climate experts and leaders are looking at how to cope with the effects of climate change as efforts to reduce emissions move slowly.
At the United Nations climate summit in Glasgow, countries pledged to double the amount of funding available for adaptation to developing countries.
It might be a stretch. Global adaptation funding increased by 4% in 2020. Florida lawmakers have asked for $33 billion from Congress to rebuild after a single storm.
According to the report, even if nations doubled their money for adaptation, it wouldn't be enough.
Developing nations need an average of $200 billion a year during this decade. The cost of adapting to climate change in developing nations will increase to $565 billion by the year 2050.
The amount of adaptation funding is insufficient and it is often spent in ways that aren't likely to be effective over time. It said that adaptation efforts tend to be narrow in scope and focused on short-term needs.
adaptation projects can make other climate problems worse if they are not properly planned. Increased use of air conditioning can cause greenhouse gas emissions to go up. Water shortages may be worsened by a dam controlling flood risk.
There are some reasons for optimism. Eighty-four percent of countries have an adaptation plan. The report said that most of the plans show consideration for gender and historically disadvantaged groups.
According to the report, the risk is that countries won't be able to adapt to climate shocks.
According to the United Nations, large-scale retreat will soon become vital.
In most low-lying coastal areas, relocation is a last resort. Plans to relocate will be the only effective strategy at higher levels of warming.
It will only make the problem worse if wealthy countries don't spend more money on adapting to climate change.
She said that the price in human lives would go up if we kicked this can down the road. Fortress Europe is not possible. Fortress America is not possible. The thing doesn't work.
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