The Adaptation Fund of the Kyoto Protocol: A model for financing adaptation to climate change?

Article type: Research Article

Authors: Horstmann, Britta | Abeysinghe, Achala Chandani

Note: [] Britta Horstmann, Researcher, German Development Institute/Deutsches Institut für Entwicklungspolitik (DIE), <[email protected].>; Achala Chandani Abeysinghe, Researcher, International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED), <[email protected].>

Abstract: The Adaptation Fund of the Kyoto Protocol is seen by many as a model for financing adaptation activities, which should also play a strong role in the institutional design of the Green Climate Fund under the UNFCCC. The article analyses whether the status of operationalization of the Adaptation Fund meets international institutional criteria and requirements for an effective and efficient fund arrangement. These are derived from the UNFCCC and the Paris Agenda on Aid Effectiveness. The analysis shows that the Adaptation Fund meets most of the funding requirements. Due to its institutional features, particularly the direct-access modality, the Adaptation Fund has the potential to practically link international climate change with development finance for adaptation to climate change. However, the analysis also shows that there are a number of challenges remaining, including criteria which the fund does not meet yet and the practical implementation of fund operations, particularly at the national level.

DOI: 10.3233/CL-2011-043

Journal: Climate Law, vol. 2, no. 3, pp. 415-437, 2011