Managing climate risks: adaptation without borders

ODI live events

We live in a globalised world. Just as people, goods and services cross borders, so do the impacts of climate change and our subsequent adaptation responses. A localised drought, occurring more frequently and intensely as a result of climate change, disrupts a global supply chain, which in turn affects consumers many thousands of miles away. An adaptation response, to increase irrigation by tapping a transboundary river, affects a shared ecosystem and shifts sensitive political dynamics across a region. The stakes are high, yet our current adaptation plans often fail to recognise or account for such transboundary risks or our global interdependence. Ahead of the UN Climate Action Summit 2019, ODI and Wilton Park convene a high-level discussion to present new research on transboundary climate risk. Together with our partners, SEI and IDDRI, we are also launching a new initiative–Adaptation without borders–to harness the international cooperation needed to effectively govern and manage such risks. We explore how we can raise visibility of transboundary climate risks, gather evidence and analysis, build connections between stakeholders and drive action from both policy-makers and practitioners, to ultimately reposition adaptation as a global public good. We cannot afford to wait. The last four years were the hottest on record. Winter temperatures in the Arctic have risen by 3°C since 1990. As governments grapple with the adaptation actions required today and tomorrow, we must complement local action with enhanced multilateral cooperation–'adaptation without borders’ is a global imperative.