Inadequate information in national adaptation policies limits the ability to track national adaptation progress in Africa. Enhancing coverage, consistency and robustness of these policies offers a clear path to establish effective, nationally led adaptation-tracking infrastructure.
Recommendations for policy
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NDCs and NAPs can inform adaptation assessments if they cover all elements of the adaptation cycle, are internally consistent and provide robust indicators to measure progress.
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The UAE–Belém work programme on indicators should champion robust indicators that reflect climate risks, adaptation needs and priorities outlined in national policies.
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NAP technical guidance revisions by the Least Developed Countries Expert Group can enhance NDCs–NAPs linkage, driving consistent adaptation planning, implementation and tracking.
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The research community can aid global and national efforts by establishing a database of indicators and methods that governments can use to build or enhance tracking systems.
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Enhanced researchers–practitioners–governments collaborations are needed to accelerate testing and refinement of indicators and to produce evidence on adaptation progress.
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Further reading
Decision 2/CMA.5 Global Goal on Adaptation (UNFCCC, 2023); https://unfccc.int/documents/637073. UNFCCC decision sets 11 GGA assessment targets, requiring further work on indicators and country reporting capacity.
Berrang-Ford, L. et al. Tracking global climate change adaptation among governments. Nat. Clim. Change 9, 440–449 (2019). The study’s approach to tracking national adaptation, inspired by the adaptation cycle, informs our conceptual framework.
Leiter, T. Do governments track the implementation of national climate change adaptation plans? An evidence-based global stocktake of monitoring and evaluation systems. Environ. Sci. Policy 125, 179–188 (2021). This global review highlights plan quality for effective tracking systems and informs our study criteria.
Adaptation Gap Report 2023: Underfinanced. Underprepared. Inadequate Investment and Planning on Climate Adaptation Leaves World Exposed (United Nations Environment Programme, 2023). The report summarizes global adaptation progress, using plan adequacy and effectiveness criteria.
Berrang-Ford, L. et al. A systematic global stocktake of evidence on human adaptation to climate change. Nat. Clim. Change 11, 989–1000 (2021). The research protocols guided our NDC and NAP analysis.
Acknowledgements
This work was supported by The World Bank project “Accelerating Impacts of CGIAR Climate Research” (AICCRA) (A.C.N. and T.S.R.). We thank G. Wamukoya for direction and consultation.
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Nowak, A.C., Njuguna, L., Ramirez-Villegas, J. et al. Enhanced policy adequacy facilitates national climate adaptation tracking across Africa. Nat. Clim. Chang. 14, 787–788 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41558-024-02055-6
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41558-024-02055-6
