Adaptation Gap Report 2021 - Key Messages

This document of key messages highlights that climate change had become an immediate and increasingly severe threat by 2021, with climate impacts intensifying worldwide and the likelihood of global temperatures exceeding 1.5°C within the next two decades increasing. It emphasises that the growth in climate impacts is outpacing efforts to adapt, while some impacts are already irreversible, underscoring the urgent need for stronger adaptation action. The document identifies a substantial shortfall in finance for implementing adaptation plans and notes that COVID-19 recovery stimulus packages could support greener and more resilient recovery, although this opportunity has not been fully realised. It also reports continued progress in integrating adaptation into national policies and planning, financing adaptation, and implementing measures worldwide, while stressing that greater ambition remains necessary.