RegionsAdapt was launched at COP 21 in Paris to inspire and support regional governments to take concrete action, collaborate and report on climate adaptation. Through working in different priority areas, the initiative aims to exchange information on skills and challenges, adopt common standards and, based on these standards, develop joint projects.

Five years on, Regions4 is proud to see that RegionsAdapt encompasses over 70 signatory regions from five continents, who have committed to adopting a strategic approach to adaptation.

In 2019, 28 RegionsAdapt members from 17 countries in each geographic region of the world disclosed their data, representing almost 200 million people, and covering more than 5,3 million km² of the world’s surface area. As of today, 79% of regions have an adaptation action plan in place or in progress, addressing the physical and socio-economic risks of climate change.

The year 2020 will mark a turning point in climate history, as we will be able to assess, among others, the level of achievement for the adaptation goals of the Paris Agreement and its direct link to the Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs).

As per the latest Regions4 report, Climate Change Adaptation in a Multi-Level Governance Context: A Perspective from Subnational Governments launched at COP25 in Madrid last week, not only most subnational governments have an adaptation plan or strategy in place, but subnational governments with longer adaptation planning experience are moving towards outcome-oriented strategies that can track progress on the resilience of our territories. However, this shift presents a number of challenges, especially related to the lack of common metrics and approaches.

In all phases of the adaptation policymaking process, initiatives like RegionsAdapt can play a major role in supporting subnational governments and fostering horizontal cooperation, capacity building and benchmarking, while increasing accountability and transparency.

We, therefore, invite all regions worldwide to join us in order to set a new ambitious adaptation roadmap for the next decade that will undoubtedly be led by regional governments.

To find out more information and join the initiative, please visit: RegionsAdapt    

To join Regions4 constituency please click here.