Rethink Retrofitting: Why policymakers must align projects with climate needs
From the beginning, the mood of the 'finance COP' in Azerbaijan has been far from optimistic. In the first week, Adaptation Fund head Mikko Ollikainen spoke about the 'great paradox' at the heart of the latest UNFCCC meet — the urgent calls of world leaders to safeguard vulnerable populations from worsening climate impacts, and the lack of funds to make that a reality.
The UN's Adaptation Gap Report 2024: Come Hell and High Water, released on Nov 7, estimates that the adaptation finance gap stands between $187-359 bn a year. Much larger numbers are floating around in Baku. The report stresses another aspect: need to improve the design and modalities of adaptation projects to ensure that projects enhance resilience of vulnerable communities.
However, planning for adaptation to climate uncertainties is inherently uncertain, due to incomplete data, wrong projections, bad planning and corruption. This uncertainty can lead to failures, with some strategies even exacerbating vulnerabilities, a phenomenon known as 'maladaptation'. IPCC's 6th Assessment Report (AR6), released in 2022, pointed to growing evidence of maladaptation across various sectors and regions.
Farm trouble This may be surprising to many, but Shiv Nadar University agricultural economist Rajeswari S Raina argues that India's irrigation-centric farming policies since the 1960s have undermined the resilience of traditional rain-fed agriculture that accounts for 60% of India's arable land and supports over half its farmers. Rain-fed offers sustainable,
