As a virtual delegate, I had the privilege of participating in the Bonn Conference 2023. I would like to express my heartfelt gratitude to the Indian Youth Climate Network (IYCN) for providing me with the platform to engage in a high-level global dialogue, learn from experts, and adapt to the pressing climate challenges we face. I even want to thank my friend Aditya Khedkar who helped me curate the global talks.

The first talk which I witnessed was India’s Intervention in the GST Technical Dialogue Roundtable on Adaptation and Loss & Damage:

The Indian delegation at the Bonn Conference 2023 emphasized the significance of successfully implementing the Global Stocktake (GST) while addressing two critical issues: adaptation and loss & damage. However, it raised concerns that certain key messages failed to consider essential elements, including:

Adaptation and means of implementation,

Adaptation and development,

Excessive focus on maladaptation, and

Adaptation and Climate Resilient Development.

While adaptation is primarily a local process, external assistance and knowledge are crucial sources of support for every nation. The lack of financial resources significantly hampers the adaptation process. Means of implementation cut across all thematic issues and form a fundamental aspect that needs to be considered.

Socio-economic development plays a fundamental global role in promoting adaptation and addressing vulnerability issues. It is important to note that adaptation increases the costs of development, and it would be simplistic to view development as a co-benefit of adaptation without considering its associated costs. Adaptation represents an additional and new expense for development.

India expressed concern about the excessive emphasis on maladaptation. Adaptation involves managing development while addressing increased climate risks. However, without clarifying this relationship, sweeping suggestions about maladaptation can undermine broader development efforts and potentially lead to the misallocation of financial resources towards maladaptive actions.

Climate-resilient development opportunities are not distributed equitably worldwide. If climate-resilient development encompasses mitigation and adaptation, priority-setting can affect adaptation. Developing countries’ carbon budgets can be quickly depleted, and India, supported by scientific literature, asserts that climate finance should be benchmarked against the disproportionate carbon emissions of developed countries at an appropriate carbon price.

#bonnclimateconference #adaptation #lossanddamage #resilience #globalstocktake