7 February 2018: The Network of Regional Governments for Sustainable Development (nrg4SD) released a report titled, ‘RegionsAdapt 2017 Report: Regions accelerating climate change adaptation.’ The publication reviews data from 35 regional governments on the climate risks they face and available adaptation actions.

The report marks the second anniversary of the RegionsAdapt program, a global initiative for regional governments to take concrete actions, cooperate and report efforts on climate adaptation. Thirty-five regional governments reported over 270 adaptation actions implemented in 2017. The report also launches RegionAdapt’s renewed pathway, which encompasses a new round of commitments for regional governments by 2021.

In the publication, participating regional governments reported 208 physical risks that they face associated with climate change. The risks identified as most serious include droughts, changes in the seasonality of rainfall, extreme rainfall events, and heat. Non-physical risks include water supply disruptions and negative socio-economic impacts.

The report also highlights the achievements of RegionsAdapt on its second anniversary, including the growth of the organization to 69 members, representing 26 countries on 5 continents and a combined population of 295 million. Six working Groups were established and various online meetings and webinars were organized to facilitate the exchange of knowledge, solutions and adaptation challenges. The report also announces that 74% of the RegionsAdapt founding members fulfilled the commitments made when the program was created, including the adoption of a strategic approach to adaptation, taking concrete action on adaptation in one of the initiative’s key priority areas, and reporting progress annually. These members will now be invited to carry out self-assessments to improve the effectiveness of their adaptation strategies.

RegionsAdapt was launched at the Paris Climate Change Conference (COP 21) by nrg4SD to inspire and support regional governments to act, collaborate and report efforts on climate change adaptation. nrg4SD seeks greater international recognition of regional governments and promotes cooperation among members in the areas of sustainable development, biodiversity and climate change. The report was released in conjunction with a webinar during which the main findings of the report were presented. [Webinar Press Release – RegionsAdapt] [Press Release – Report Launch] [Webinar – RegionsAdapt] [Report]