At COP29, Regions4 and the Government of Catalonia, held at the Spanish Pavilion at COP29, on Saturday the 16 of November, a session on “Evaluating Sub-State Government Adaptation Strategies,” with the goal of advancing territorial climate justice. The event examined how subnational governments are not only implementing global climate goals but are also developing localised indicators and measuring systems that can feed into broader adaptation frameworks and influence the Global Goal on Adaptation (GGA).

We treasure what we measure

To introduce the session, the moderator,  Natalia Uribe, Secretary General of Regions4, started the event reminding the audience that we face the reality of falling significantly short on emission reduction targets, and experience more frequent extreme weather events worldwide, such as the devastating floods in Valencia, Spain, the urgency for adaptation becomes increasingly critical. The latest Adaptation Gap Report reminds us that adapting to climate change must go beyond reactive measures. Instead, it must evolve into a more anticipatory, strategic, and transformational approach. 

She explained that during COP29, the international community is gathering to further the conversation on addressing the Global Goal on Adaptation which was captured by the UAE Framework for Global Resilience at COP28. Discussions focus on agreeing on common indicators to track the success of the Global Goal on Adaptation. As the saying goes, “We treasure what we measure,” and establishing a robust monitoring framework is essential to evaluate governments’ progress toward adaptation. With a growing focus on enhancing the effectiveness of adaptation efforts, discussions center on the complexities of measuring adaptation across various regions, sectors, and local contexts.  

While global frameworks are crucial, subnational governments (SNGs) are increasingly recognised as pivotal players in not only delivering adaptation on the ground but also informing global climate strategies. Regions4 has been working actively with its members to influence the outcomes of the Global Goal on Adaptation by co-leading the Adaptation working group of the Local Governments and Municipal Authorities Constituency (LGMA) to ensure that regional progress is captured when evaluating progress on the global goal. 

The Complexity of Measuring Adaptation: A Global Challenge

Measuring adaptation remains a complex task. It spans a diverse range of sectors, actors, and local realities, each presenting its own unique set of challenges. This diversity complicates the development of universal metrics. However, it also offers an opportunity to adopt more qualitative approaches that can be tailored to local needs. 

During the first panel of the session the government of Catalonia, Minas Gerais and Andalusia, explained how they play a critical role in developing the right incentives, strategies and mechanisms to adapt to climate change and measure this progress. 

• Catalonia’s Experience: Addressing Climate Justice and Equity 

Sonsoles Letang, General Directorate at the Government of Catalonia, presented how Catalonia’s Strategy for Adaptation to Climate Change 2021-2030 integrates climate justice by providing tailored adaptation guidelines for each vulnerable socio-economic sector, ensuring no one is left behind. The strategy takes a dual approach, linking mitigation and adaptation, particularly through sustainable agriculture and water efficiency programs. 

One of the strongest aspects of Catalonia’s adaptation plan is the establishment of financial instruments to support its implementation, including a dedicated climate fund. This fund supports both private sector initiatives and public programs aimed at mitigating and adapting to climate impacts. Through loans, carbon credit markets, and subsidies for citizens, Catalonia is mobilising resources to ensure that vulnerable sectors have the financial means to transition to more sustainable practices. Monitoring these efforts is a priority for the regional government, with a set of detailed adaptation indicators that track progress across multiple sectors (see below for more information about the indicators). 

• Andalusia’s Adaptation Plan: Measuring Success in the Face of Climate Change 

Catalina García Carrasco, Minister for Sustainability and Environment in the Government of Andalusia, shared insights into Andalusia’s adaptation policies. The Andalusia region has focused on key sectors such as water management and air quality, with a comprehensive quality plan designed to track progress and outcomes. 

Andalusia’s emission compensation mechanism, aimed at reducing carbon emissions, has been paired with environmental restoration initiatives, including deforestation mitigation and soil rehabilitation. The Andalusia Observatory plays a critical role in monitoring adaptation efforts, providing key data to inform decision-making and measure progress in real time. 

• Minas Gerais, Brazil: Integrating Climate Justice into Adaptation 

Marília Carvalho de Melo, Secretary of State for Environment and Sustainable Development in Minas Gerais, Brazil, spoke about her government’s commitment to climate justice, which is enshrined as a key pillar in the state’s Climate Action Plan, alongside Mitigation, Adaptation and Innovation. The plan was published last year. Minas Gerais is Brazil’s second-largest economy, and its plan prioritizes addressing historical inequalities and providing climate resilience solutions for vulnerable populations, including women and marginalised groups. 

The state’s climate vulnerability index helped identify the most at-risk communities, allowing for targeted interventions within the Climate Action Plan. In partnership with local municipalities, Minas Gerais has worked to implement over 150 environmental health projects, including water access and sustainable groundwater management in rural areas. These efforts are complemented by educational programs focused on environmental health and climate change awareness. 

Instruments for Measuring Adaptation 

The second panel of the session focused on the practical instruments being developed to measure adaptation. 

• Catalonia’s Evolving Climate Adaptation Indicators: Advancing Justice and Human Rights

Gisela Torrents, from the Catalan Office for Climate Change, provided an in-depth look at how Catalonia has developed their Global Indicator for Climate Change Adaptation since 2014. This evolving tool has been updated three times, and in 2024, it will expand to include 32 new indicators, bringing the total to 74. The indicators are designed not only to monitor climate impacts but also to promote climate justice by measuring the adaptation capacity of vulnerable communities, including migrants, women, and low-income groups. In this new review, the indicators are based on human rights considerations, covering areas like water, energy, and food security, with a couple of specific indicators selected for each area. Adaptation, as emphasised, is not just an analytical tool—it is a right for everyone, not just a privilege for the few. 

• Highlighting Locally Led Adaptation Principles for Climate Justice

Rebecca Carter, Director of Climate Change Adaptation and Resilience at the World resources Institute (WRI), discussed how WRI supports subnational actors in implementing eight Locally Led Adaptation (LLA) principles. WRI explained how implementing and measuring these principles would inherently connect to raising climate justice and suggested that these principles could even lead to effective indicators. These would measure devolved decision-making power to the lowest level, ensuring that vulnerable communities are engaged in the process; access to finance; addressing inequalities, and the support of local governance. She also emphasised the effectiveness of cross-sector collaboration, which helps avoid redundancy and improves efficiency. 

• Sharm El Sheikh Adaptation Agenda and Race to Resilience: Tracking Global Resilience Progress

Marco Billi, from the High-Level Climate Champions team, shared insights on how the Sharm El Sheikh Adaptation Agenda offers a global framework with 45 key adaptation outcomes for non-state actors, and how the Race to Resilience, in alignment with other frameworks and platforms, tracks this progress in building resilience for over 4 billion people by 2030. These initiatives seek to capture the contributions of local and regional governments in building resilience. As Billi emphasised “Without a clear assessment of impact, it is difficult to understand where we stand, what is working, and attract more finance”. 

• Advancing MEL in Climate Adaptation: Insights from the Adaptation Gap Report 2024

Timo Leiter, Distinguished Policy Fellow from the London School of Economics (LSE), discussed the state of Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning (MEL) at different levels of climate adaptation planning. While an increasing number of countries are developing MEL mechanisms to track their adaptation efforts, 60% of countries with National Adaptation Plans (NAPs), many still do not track their implementation. Most countries focus more on completion rates than on assessing the effectiveness of these actions.  

The Adaptation Gap Report 2024 found that only five countries assessed the adequacy of their NAPs, all of which reported that their efforts were inadequate in addressing climate risks. Leiter emphasised the importance of regional and city-specific MEL systems as necessary complements to national systems.  

He also highlighted Regions4’s collaboration in this year’s UNEP Adaptation Gap report and underscored the need for practical, useful connections between national and subnational MEL systems.  

At the global level, a refined set of global adaptation indicators is being developed, with hopes that they will be used in the 2028 Global Stocktake (GST). In addition, voluntary indicators are being considered for countries to adapt to their local contexts. 

Conclusion: Strengthening Local and Global Adaptation Efforts 

As the session concluded, it became clear that subnational governments are playing a critical role in driving adaptation efforts. Their contributions, informed by local realities and the needs of vulnerable communities, must be recognised and integrated into global adaptation frameworks. Through initiatives like RegionsAdapt, which tracks adaptation progress across more than 80 regions globally, Regions4 continues to champion the inclusion of subnational data in global climate negotiations. 

The discussions at COP29 reinforced the importance of monitoring not only the quantity of adaptation actions but also their quality. By embracing both quantitative and qualitative indicators, we can ensure that adaptation efforts are meaningful, inclusive, and transformational—particularly for the communities most vulnerable to climate change. 

Regions4 remains committed to advocating for the inclusion of local and regional adaptation targets within the global framework. As we continue to engage with international processes, we must ensure that adaptation efforts are truly aligned with the needs of the people and the planet. 

More Insights from COP29:

• Read our Regions4 COP29 Outcomes and Achievements Article
• Explore our “From Cali to Belem: The Leadership of Subnational Governments for Climate Action and Biodiversity” Event Article