The Adaptation Academy: Classrooms for Catalyzing Climate Action

As climate change continues to dominate the current headlines thanks to COP26, we at ClimateReady wanted to take a look into the essential adaptation work that takes place between the annual conferences. Countries regularly develop commitments and implement programs to build climate resilience. Often, the development and shaping of country-level activities comes down to a small number of individuals such as national adaptation focal points. Who are these people working on national climate commitments? And what efforts are underway to support them? On this episode of ClimateReady, we hear from participants in the first ever Adaptation Academy — a capacity building program under the leadership of the UNFCCC to provide technical training and peer to peer connections among those individuals responsible for national adaptation planning, implementation, and reporting (https://unfccc.int/castt-adaptation-academy). The first courses wrapped up last month, with more planned for 2022. We hear from a range of voices coming from Panama, Jamaica, Cameroon, and the Philippines about their experience in the Adaptation Academy, and how this nascent program is bringing together academia, NGOs, and government institutions to build the technical capacity needed to meet the goals of the Paris Agreement. This episode is part of a four-part miniseries focusing on COP26 and international climate policy.