This eight-part podcast series examining the Paris Agreement ten years on, featuring global climate leaders discussing progress, challenges, and the dramatic shift in power towards emerging economies. The series explores how multilateral cooperation has evolved despite geopolitical fractures, from industrial transformation and innovative financing to the changing rules of climate leadership. This episode looks at the challenges in adapting to climate change.The podcast is based on 28 interviews carried out globally by journalist Sophie Larmoyer on behalf of IDDRI, the Institute for Sustainable Development and International Relations.
A decade after the Paris Agreement, climate adaptation has emerged as an urgent priority as impacts intensify globally, yet implementation remains fragmented and catastrophically underfunded despite mounting evidence of existential threats.
Rising seas and mounting losses
Sea levels have risen 23 centimetres since the early twentieth century, now accelerating at 4.4 millimetres annually - twice the rate of the 1990s. For atoll nations such as the Marshall Islands, barely two metres above sea level, this poses existential threats. Wells once used for washing now contain only brackish water, forcing complete reliance on rainwater.
Impacts have become ubiquitous and severe. In India, 75 percent of districts are now hotspots for extreme climate events affecting 80 percent of the population. Europe has suffered €738 billion in climate damages and 240,000 deaths over four decades, with summer 2025 alone costing €43 billion.
The adaptation funding gap
The Paris Agreement established a Global Adaptation Goal in 2015, but progress remains disconnected. Adaptation fundamentally addresses inequalities, as vulnerability stems from poverty and lack of resources. Maladaptation poses significant risks when well-intentioned actions worsen problems—sea walls may flood neighbouring areas, whilst irrigation systems become unsustainable as droughts intensify.
Adaptation plans require massive financing, primarily from public funds. A 2023 UN report estimated needs at 10 to 18 times current financial flows dedicated to adaptation. Adaptation remains fundamentally local, varying dramatically between regions. The construction sector faces challenges scaling existing solutions for both cold and heat protection as urbanisation accelerates, particularly in Africa.
Agriculture represents a critical frontier. Sahel and North African countries lead in reimagining farming through agroecological transitions, whilst India promotes climate-resilient millets and solar-powered irrigation. Wealthy countries with high productivity resist change, claiming competitive pressures preclude environmental protection.
According to the experts interviewed for this series, businesses must measure climate risks across supply chains to adapt effectively. Insurers increasingly refuse coverage in California and Florida, with certain properties becoming uninsurable earlier than anticipated.
The fundamental challenge, they agree, remains defining risk tolerance, which varies greatly between societies. Current trajectories suggest global warming of three degrees - four degrees for France - rendering adaptation to such conditions illusory.
