Climate change impacts are no longer a future threat, but a devastating reality unfolding worldwide. Billions of people are already experiencing the severe impacts of climate change.

These impacts are most pronounced in the agriculture and food systems, as increasing weather and extreme climate events have exposed millions of people to acute food insecurity and reduced water security. The most severe impacts are seen in developing countries, and globally among Indigenous peoples, small-scale food producers, and low-income households. There is an urgent need for agriculture and food systems to adapt to the changing climate to ensure accessible and affordable healthy food for all. Effective holistic measures across food systems can help to build climate resilience while providing mitigation as well as biodiversity benefits, enabling progress towards global goals for climate, nature, and sustainable development.

Despite the urgency of climate adaptation, it has been a secondary priority on the international climate agenda. It was only in 2015 under the Paris Agreement that countries set the Global Goal on Adaptation (GGA) for enhancing adaptive capacity, strengthening resilience, and reducing vulnerability to climate change.

Finally, in 2023, after nearly a decade of lagging progress, countries adopted the UAE Framework for Global Climate Resilience to operationalize the GGA, providing a clear structure with targets to guide global adaptation efforts and enhance support for adaptation in developing countries.