Small Island Developing States (SIDS) are considered “a special case for sustainable development” due to their unique vulnerabilities and needs. Positioned on the front lines of the climate crisis, SIDS face existential threats from rising sea levels, extreme weather events, and cascading socio-economic impacts. For SIDS, adaptation has always been an urgent and unavoidable priority.

Yet, despite growing recognition of climate risks, global progress on adaptation remains inadequate. Efforts are often ad hoc, small in scale and wholly insufficient to build the resilience that people, communities and economies around the world urgently need. Adaptation finance has never been sufficient for supporting the level of adaptation actions needed in developing countries, especially in SIDS. As mitigation efforts continue to lag behind the ambition needed to avoid exceeding the 1.5°C limit, the cost and difficulty of adaptation are set to rise. In fact, hard limits to adaptation may occur much sooner than expected.

In this context, the Global Goal on Adaptation (GGA) indicator package becomes a critical tool. It will measure global progress of adaptation action, including the effectiveness of adaptation support to achieve the GGA targets. It will also inform the kind of scalable, ambitious, comprehensive policy measures, adaptation investment strategies and adaptation actions needed at the local, national, regional and global levels to reduce vulnerabilities through addressing underlying drivers and inequalities, and building resilience in developing countries, including SIDS.

At the Bonn Climate Change Conference (SB62) in June 2025, Parties will be deliberating on the list of GGA indicators developed by technical experts and will be commencing the selection of the final indicator package for the Global Goal on Adaptation (GGA), to be agreed at COP30 in November 2025.

This briefing paper provides guidance and a proposed assessment approach to support SIDS in reviewing, selecting and prioritising GGA indicators throughout 2025, with a focus on SB62 and the intersessional period leading to COP30. This proposed approach is designed to reflect SIDS’ needs, priorities and circumstances.

Climate overshoot implications for local adaptation planning

New perspective piece argues climate overshoot – the temporary exceedance of the 1.5°C limit of the Paris Agreement – may not be relevant for short-term adaptation planning, but it should be considered for long-term plans and policies, such as infrastructure-based measures and for irreversible impacts such as sea-level rise.

Adapting East and Southern Africa’s livestock to climate change

This paper presents a decision-making framework to help livestock farmers in Eastern and Southern Africa select context-specific adaptation strategies in response to climate change. The framework uses a decision tree to evaluate options based on different climate scenarios and systems, offering tailored guidance for various livestock types and regions.

Solar geoengineering: a note to inform discussions on physical climate impacts, risks and governance issues

With international efforts on climate action still not on track to limit warming to 1.5°C, technological fixes that aim to intentionally alter the Earth’s climate, such as solar geoengineering, might seem like appealing options for tackling global warming. But they come with questions in terms of feasibility, impacts and risks, governance and geopolitics, and who may or may not benefit.

Technical guide for the development of long-term low emission development strategies in Africa

This technical guide proposes concrete steps and actions to help African countries develop strong, high-performing Long-Term Low Emission and Climate Resilient Development Strategies that chart a low-emission development path, build resilience, encourage innovation, and create new opportunities for green growth.

A review of loss and damage in the Caribbean (1994 to 2024)

Loss and damage from climate change has been the lived reality of Caribbean small island developing states (SIDS) for decades. Despite efforts to adapt, it is reversing development gains, leaving lasting financial stress, and causing irreparable damage, including the loss of cultural heritage. This report is the first to provide a systematic overview of how Caribbean countries are framing and reporting on loss and damage.

The 1.5°C limit and risks of overshoot

This briefing looks at what the 1.5°C limit means in terms of adaptation and loss and damage for the most vulnerable countries and regions. It finds that slowing down warming is critical to buy us time to adapt and also to avoid irreversible loss and damage. Even if warming rises above 1.5°C (overshoot) we can bring it down again with ambitious emissions reductions.

Le seuil de +1,5°C et le risque de dépassement de ce seuil

Ce rapport examine ce que la limite de 1,5 °C signifie en termes d'adaptation et de pertes et dommages pour les pays et régions les plus vulnérables. Il constate qu'il est essentiel de ralentir le réchauffement pour nous donner le temps de nous adapter et pour éviter des pertes et des dommages irréversibles. Même si le réchauffement dépasse 1,5 °C, nous pouvons le faire baisser à nouveau en réduisant les émissions de manière ambitieuse.

Effectiveness of water-related adaptation decreases with increasing warming

When it comes to water, adaptation to climate change becomes less effective when warming is above 1.5°C, according to a new study looking at water-related climate risk at 1.5°C, 2°C, 3°C, and 4°C of warming. The study finds adaptation needs to go hand-in-hand with ambitious emissions reductions and decarbonisation.

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Decarbonisation targets and 1.5℃ pathways

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Tracking what matters: SIDS priorities for global adaptation indicators

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Climate overshoot implications for local adaptation planning

Humid heat exceeds human tolerance limits and causes mass mortality