https://unfccc.int/news/strengthening-coastal-adaptation-through-innovative-technology

This year has seen unprecedented and life-threatening extreme climatic events across the globe, including flooding, forest fires and extreme heat. It is increasingly evident that innovative strategies under the Paris Agreement will be needed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions while adapting to the impacts of climate change.

In addition to technology, the critical role of healthy, biodiverse ecosystems in such mitigation and adaptation strategies is increasingly important. Combining conventional or technology-based engineering with a nature-based solution is seen as the way forward to build the climate resilience of oceans and coastal ecosystems.

Against this backdrop,  innovative approaches on adaptation technologies was the focus of an event on 13 October 2021, organized by the Technology Executive Committee (TEC), in collaboration with the IUCN FEBA and the Nairobi Work Programme (NWP) expert group on oceans.

Building on the outcomes of the first event on a similar topic held in September, the spotlight this time was on scaling up and implementing integrated approaches, particularly in relation to supporting countries in formulating and implementing their National Adaptation Plans (NAPs) and national climate action plans, (NDCs).

This event also highlighted the essential role of the ocean as a source of food security for humanity, a resource for industries and transport, and a new frontier for energy, biomedical research, and ocean and climate science.

Underlining the importance of innovative technologies, The SBSTA Chair Tosi Mpanu Mpanu said in his opening remarks: "The continually evolving challenge of both mitigating and adapting to climate change creates a moving target-that means that business-as-usual application of technologies will not be sufficient to achieve the commitments of the Paris Agreement".

Xianfu Lu, Senior Strategy and Outreach Specialist, Climate Investment Fund (CIF), shared perspectives from the Pilot program for Climate Resilience (PPCR), a flagship initiative under the Climate Investment Funds (CIF). The PPCR has a USD1.2 billion portfolio of adaptation projects including investments in technological infrastructure and nature-based solutions in coastal areas in several countries.

"CIF finance has been used to pilot flood-resilient crop varieties in coastal areas and to establish an ecosystem of agribusinesses for enhancing the resilience of smallholder farmers," Ms. Lu said. She also noted the importance of monitoring progress given the complexity of nature-based solution benefits, adding: "We need clear assessment benchmarks to help us track and monitor progress, which in turn, would help us make stronger business case for investing in nature including ocean and marine ecosystems."

Sharon Dale Gonzalez, Director of Climate Change and Fisheries and Aquaculture Biodiversity of the Production Ministry of Perú, spoke about building capacity for implementing selective fishing techniques and stressed the importance of formulating adaptation policies that focus on strengthening ancestral knowledge with modern technological systems.

In his closing remarks, TEC Chair Stephen Minas spoke about these being "times for making history" as regards the ocean-climate nexus: "Very soon we have the UN Climate Change Conference COP 26 in Glasgow. Next year we have the final session of the intergovernmental conference on high seas biodiversity, alongside many other negotiations and initiatives concerning ocean resilience and adaptation. This collaboration between TEC, Nairobi work programme, IUCN and FEBA has been a significant step forward in addressing the challenges ahead."

The TEC will organize a third event on ocean and coastal adaptation at COP 26 in November 2021 in collaboration with the same partners, focusing on scaling integrated technological and ecosystem-based approaches to climate change adaptation at various levels of policy, financing and implementation.