The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) today released its Adaptation Gap Report 2025: Running on Empty, revealing a growing gap between the adaptation needs of developing countries and the finance available to meet them.
According to the report, adaptation finance needs in developing countries are projected to reach US$310 to 365 billion per year by 2035, while actual international public finance flows stood at just US$26 billion in 2023. The report warns that this growing gap is putting lives, livelihoods and economies at increasing risk as climate impacts intensify worldwide.
While most countries have adaptation plans in place and funding from climate finance mechanisms rose in 2024, UNEP cautions that both public and private finance must increase substantially to meet future needs. The report calls for a global effort to scale up adaptation finance and avoid adding to debt burdens in vulnerable countries.
The report’s launch featured remarks from Inger Andersen, Executive Director of UNEP, and Henry Neufeldt, Chief Scientific Editor of the report. The full launch event can be viewed here.
Read more about UNEP’s Adaptation Gap Report series here.
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