Trend Shift of emphasis from mitigation toward adaptation

Summary

The report sees growing calls to focus on adaptation, living with the new climate, rather than relying only on mitigation to curb warming. Both in the run-up to COP30 and during the conference, adaptation returned to a prominent place on the agenda. Countries increasingly acknowledge that cutting emissions alone is not enough, or that the necessary measures are seen as politically and economically unfeasible, so that the required reductions are not happening. As a result, attention is shifting towards adaptation, finance, loss and damage, and climate resilience. The report also records the European Environment Agency's conclusion that current adaptation policy is itself insufficient to avert rapidly growing risks.