Editing IPCC:AR6/SYR/Longer-Report (section)

==== 2.3.2. Adaptation Gaps and Barriers ====

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'''Despite progress, adaptation gaps exist between current levels of adaptation and levels needed to respond to impacts and reduce climate risks (''' '''''high confidence)''''' '''.''' While progress in adaptation implementation is observed across all sectors and regions . ''very high confidence)'' , many adaptation initiatives prioritise immediate and near-term climate risk reduction, e.g., through hard flood protection, which reduces the opportunity for transformational adaptation '''[[#footnote-058|99]]''' ( ''high confidence'' ). Most observed adaptation is fragmented, small in scale, incremental, sector-specific, and focused more on planning rather than implementation. ( ''high confidence'' ). Further, observed adaptation is unequally distributed across regions and the largest adaptation gaps exist among lower population income groups ( ''high confidence'' ). In the urban context, the largest adaptation gaps exist in projects that manage complex risks, for example in the food–energy–water–health nexus or the inter-relationships of air quality and climate risk ( ''high'' . ''confidence'' ). Many funding, knowledge and practice gaps remain for effective implementation, monitoring and evaluation and current adaptation efforts are not expected to meet existing goals ( ''high confidence'' ). At current rates of adaptation planning and implementation the adaptation gap will continue to grow ( ''high confidence'' ). { ''WGII SPM C.1, WGII SPM C.1.2, WGII SPM C.4.1, WGII TS.D.1.3, WGII TS.D.1.4'' } .

'''Soft and hard adaptation limits''' '''[[#footnote-057|100]] have already been reached in some sectors and regions, in spite of adaptation having buffered some climate impacts (''' '''''high confidence)''''' '''.''' Ecosystems already reaching hard adaptation limits include some warm water coral reefs, some coastal wetlands, some rainforests, and some polar and mountain ecosystems ( ''high confidence'' ). Individuals and households in low lying coastal areas in Australasia and Small Islands and smallholder farmers in Central and South America, Africa, Europe and Asia have reached soft limits. ( ''medium confidence'' ), resulting from financial, governance, institutional and policy constraints and can be overcome by addressing these constraints ( ''high confidence'' ). Transitioning from incremental to transformational adaptation can help overcome soft adaptation limits ( ''high confidence'' ). { ''WGII SPM C.3, WGII SPM C.3.1, WGII SPM C.3.2, WGII SPM C.3.3, WGII SPM.C.3.4, WGII 16 ES'' }

Adaptation does not prevent all losses and damages, even with effective adaptation and before reaching soft and hard limits. Losses and damages are unequally distributed across systems, regions and sectors and are not comprehensively addressed by current financial, governance and institutional arrangements, particularly in vulnerable developing countries.. ( ''high confidence'' ). { ''WGII SPM.C.3.5'' }

'''There is increased evidence of maladaptation''' '''[[#footnote-056|101]] in various sectors and regions.''' Examples of maladaptation are observed in urban areas (e.g., new urban infrastructure that cannot be adjusted easily or affordably), agriculture (e.g., using high-cost irrigation in areas projected to have more intense drought conditions), ecosystems (e.g. fire suppression in naturally fire-adapted ecosystems, or hard defences against flooding) and human settlements (e.g. stranded assets and vulnerable communities that cannot afford to shift away or adapt and require an increase in social safety nets). Maladaptation especially affects marginalised and vulnerable groups adversely (e.g., Indigenous Peoples, ethnic minorities, low-income households, people living in informal settlements), reinforcing and entrenching existing inequities. Maladaptation can be avoided by flexible, multi-sectoral, inclusive and long-term planning and implementation of adaptation actions with benefits to many sectors and systems. ( ''high confidence'' ). { ''WGII SPM C.4, WGII SPM C.4.3, WGII TS.D.3.1'' }

'''Systemic barriers constrain the implementation of adaptation options in vulnerable sectors, regions and social groups (''' '''''high confidence).''''' Key barriers include limited resources, lack of private-sector and civic engagement, insufficient mobilisation of finance, lack of political commitment, limited research and/or slow and low uptake of adaptation science and a low sense of urgency. Inequity and poverty also constrain adaptation, leading to soft limits and resulting in disproportionate exposure and impacts for most vulnerable groups ( ''high confidence'' ). The largest adaptation gaps exist among lower income population groups ( ''high confidence'' ). As adaptation options often have long implementation times, long-term planning and accelerated implementation, particularly in this decade, is important to close adaptation gaps, recognising that constraints remain for some regions ( ''high confidence'' ). Prioritisation of options and transitions from incremental to transformational adaptation are limited due to vested interests, economic lock-ins, institutional path dependencies and prevalent practices, cultures, norms and belief systems ( ''high confidence'' ). Many funding, knowledge and practice gaps remain for effective implementation, monitoring and evaluation of adaptation ( ''high confidence'' ), including, lack of climate literacy at all levels and limited availability of data and information ( ''medium confidence'' ); for example for Africa, severe climate data constraints and inequities in research funding and leadership reduce adaptive capacity ( ''very high confidence'' ). { ''WGII SPM C.1.2, WGII SPM C.3.1, WGII TS.D.1.3, WGII TS.D.1.5, WGII TS.D.2.4'' }

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