Let us get serious on climate change
The weather is telling us what reports have been warning for years. The past several winters have been erratic. This is reflected in the changing weather patterns. Some countries and regions are buried under heavy snow, and others are waiting for a single drop of rain.
In Jammu and Kashmir this was stark. Till late January this year, the winter was almost snowless. Rivers shrank, springs weakened, and water bodies touched critical levels.
When snow fails to fall in the Himalayas, it is not just a dry season. It is a warning about water, agriculture, and survival for millions downstream. This is climate change in real time. And the cruel part is that those who contributed the least to it are paying the highest price.
According to the UN Environment Programme’s Adaptation Gap Report released in late 2025, developing nations will need USD 310 billion every year by 2035 just to meet modelled adaptation costs. Based on the needs listed in their Nationally Determined Contributions and National Adaptation Plans, the figure rises to USD 365 billion annually.
International public adaptation finance fell to USD 26 billion in 2023, down from USD 28 billion in 2022. That means the money available is 12 to 14 times less than what is needed. Ironically, this gap is not closing. It is widening, even as climate shocks grow more frequent and severe.
Notably, Asia, Africa and Latin America are on the frontline. From floods and cloudbursts to prolonged droughts and extreme heat, these regions are experiencing climate impacts first and hardest.
In Kashmir, a snowless winter means stressed water supply for the next summer. In sub-Saharan Africa, failed rains mean hunger. In small island states, rising seas mean lost homes. And yet adaptation finance flows are falling, despite repeated pledges by rich nations to scale up support. Without that money, vulnerable communities are left to cope on their own.
What is worse, much of the little finance that does arrive comes as loans, not grants. This is pushing developing countries deeper into non-concessional debt. Climate change is thus becoming a debt trap: nations must borrow to survive floods today, and pay interest tomorrow, while facing the next disaster with even fewer resources.
This deepens inequality. The burden falls on those who did the least to cause the crisis. Here two things must change, and change fast. First, public finance from developed, industrialized nations must rise sharply. Meeting the USD 365 billion target by 2035 is not charity. It is responsibility.
Adaptation funding protects lives, livelihoods, and global stability. Without it, climate shocks will spill across borders through migration, food crises, and conflict.
Second, private finance must be mobilized. The UNEP report estimates the private sector could contribute around USD 50 billion annually by 2035 if governments create the right policies and use blended finance tools to reduce risk.
Insurance, resilient infrastructure, climate-smart agriculture — these need investment at scale. But money alone is not enough. Developing countries must also act. Every nation needs a clear national adaptation policy or plan that integrates climate resilience into development planning — in water, health, agriculture, and urban design.
And last, the developed nations must honor their commitments and massively increase adaptation finance. Developing nations must prioritize adaptation in their budgets and policies. We have to act now. In the climate crisis, tomorrow really can be too late.
