COP30 approved this Saturday (22) the first global set of indicators to measure progress in adapting to climate change. The package, known as Belém Adaptation Indicators, inaugurates the operational phase of the Global Adaptation Goal (GGA) and ends the technical cycle started at COP28, in Dubai.
The indicators adopted are voluntary and do not create new obligations. The text states that they are not prescriptive, do not have a punitive nature and cannot be used as a condition for access to international climate financing — a central demand of developing countries during the negotiations.
The decision also creates the so-called Belém–Addis Vision on Adaptation, which foresees two years of technical work to guide the implementation of indicators in national policies. The process will be led by the Convention’s subsidiary bodies and supported by scientific committees.
According to the document, the indicators should feed into the next Global Stocktake cycles and may be voluntarily incorporated into NAPs, NDCs, BTRs and other instruments provided for in the Paris Agreement.
The text reinforces the commitment previously made by developed countries to double adaptation financing by 2025 and “raise the trajectory” of contributions until 2035, with a request for efforts to be made to “at least triple” the amounts over the period. There are no absolute numbers in the decision.
The decision recommends that the Green Climate Fund (GCF), the GEF and the Adaptation Fund expand technical and financial support so that less developed countries and small island states can apply the new indicators in their planning systems.
The decision’s annex lists indicators for areas such as water, agriculture, health, biodiversity, infrastructure, livelihoods, warning and monitoring systems. The adoption of this material is presented as a voluntary reference to guide national policies.
