World’s adaptation financing falls dangerously short, warns UNEP report

heatwaves are not only lethal but economically destabilising. International Labour Organisation warns of productivity losses approaching 2.5 percent of GDP by 2030. 
| Photo Credit:
istock.com

The world’s adaptation financing is dangerously insufficient, the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) Adaptation Gap Report has warned in its 2025 document. The funding gap — now at least twelve times what is provided — is not an abstract statistic; it is a direct cause of lost lives, destroyed homes, and shattered livelihoods. 

Each dollar not invested in preparedness multiplies cost of recovery, turning financial neglect into humanitarian loss, says Sanjay Srivastava, the S Radhakrishnan Chair Professor, National Institute of Advanced Studies (NIAS), Indian Institute of Science Campus, Bengaluru. 

Adaptation is no charity

Srivastava was earlier chief of disaster risk reduction at the Bangkok-based UN-ESCAP. “Without accelerated investment, global adaptation goals will remain out of reach,” he told businessline in the context of the COP30 underway at Belem, Brazil.

India’s leadership at COP30 underscores that adaptation is not charity — it is policy. India calls for the world to make this the “COP of Adaptation.” For decades, our climate diplomacy has sought balance — shared responsibility and domestic vulnerability, Srivastava pointed out. 

Extreme heat threat

Now it argues that adaptation must stand equal to mitigation in ambition, urgency, and investment. For instance, extreme heat now represents India’s most immediate adaptation challenge. Wet-bulb temperatures combining heat and humidity could breach safe human thresholds in parts of coastal Karnataka, Odisha, and Andhra Pradesh by mid-century, Srivastava warned, quoting studies. 

Such heatwaves are not only lethal but economically destabilising. International Labour Organisation warns of productivity losses approaching 2.5 per cent of GDP by 2030. In Dakshina Kannada, Udupi, and Uttara Kannada, where humidity traps heat even at night, communities report mounting fatigue, anxiety, and cognitive strain. 

SHIELD initiative

To address this, the NIAS, in partnership with Kasturba Medical College Manipal and Manipal Academy of Higher Education (MAHE),has initiated Coastal Heat–Health and Mind Resilience Initiative, or SHIELD (Safeguard Humanity through Integrated Emergency Learning and Disaster Risk Reduction).

SHIELD connects climate data with hospital records and community health systems to demonstrate how local innovation can turn vulnerability into resilience. It was presented on October 13, International Day for Disaster Risk Reduction, at MAHE. Data, health, and community systems can deliver high cost-benefit ratios, turning today’s resilience deficit into tomorrow’s dividend, Srivastava said.

Published on November 12, 2025