Climate adaptation’s delivery gap: Turning national plans into action

By 2025, 143 of 154 developing countries had a National Adaptation Plan process in place, yet implementation has not kept pace. Many countries still lack the institutional capacity, project preparation and finance needed to turn their priorities into strategies, bankable projects and results on the ground.

“Developing countries know what they need to do to adapt to climate change. The hard part is turning that knowledge into projects that will actually be financed,” says Ellena. The brief argues that the central challenge is no longer simply writing plans, but bridging the “missing middle” between identifying a national priority and developing a project or program that can secure finance and be implemented.

“Money, however, is only one part of the problem,” continues Ellena. Challenges in coordinating across national and subnational governance structures can result in weak project proposals; weak proposals struggle to attract finance; and without finance, countries cannot improve the institutions, data and monitoring systems needed to develop stronger projects.

“A country-driven process that strengthens an integrated delivery chain that links national priorities, technical preparation and investment pipelines is expected to mobilize financing, support implementation and then deliver measurable results,” notes Anna Pirani, co-author of the brief.

Two recent initiatives could help connect these stages. The Adaptation Accelerator Hub, launched under Italy’s 2024 G7 presidency, works with governments to translate their own adaptation priorities into coordinated, investment-ready programs and coordinates among G7 partners.

The NAP Implementation Alliance, launched under the COP30 Action Agenda by Brazil, works at the system level to improve coordination among governments, technical partners, climate funds, development banks and investors.

“The policy brief shows that the Adaptation Accelerator Hub and the NAP Implementation Alliance work best when read together, as complementary pieces of the same delivery chain, rather than as separate, competing platforms,” says Ellena.

The brief stresses that “bankability” cannot be the only measure of progress. Institutional capacity, climate data, social protection and support for particularly vulnerable communities may not generate commercial returns, but remain essential to effective adaptation and will continue to require grants, concessional finance and public investment.

Looking toward COP31, where implementation—including on adaptation—will be a central theme, the brief points to several areas worth watching: how far a country-level pilot advances, how clearly the two initiatives’ roles are communicated and how much the project portfolio linked to finance has grown.

Who’s behind this story?

Sadie Harley

BSc Life Sciences & Ecology. Microbiology lab background with pharmaceutical news experience in oil, gas, and renewable industries.

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Andrew Zinin

Master’s in physics with research experience. Long-time science news enthusiast. Plays key role in Science X’s editorial success.

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