2020 has marked an unprecedented crisis that has impacted all our lives. One that has been particularly challenging for regional governments across the world who have been at the forefront of the response to the pandemic. This crisis has also exposed the urgency to tackle what remains one of the greatest challenges of our time, the climate emergency, and the need to act differently, more boldly and ambitiously to build a more
resilient, greener, sustainable, and healthy future.
This year marks the 5th anniversary of the Paris Agreement, a global commitment that continues to be more relevant than ever, with the urgency to raise the ambition to deliver on the agreed goals. In 2020 we also celebrate the 5th anniversary of the RegionsAdapt initiative, created in 2015 to reinforce the key role of regional governments to accelerate climate action and build climate-resilient territories.
During these five years, RegionsAdapt has promoted vertical and horizontal cooperation, knowledge exchange and multi-level governance for the effective implementation of adaptation strategies. In collaboration with both national and local governments, regional governments have contributed to implementing up to 90% of climate adaptation actions, in sectors such as energy, transport, land use, housing, disaster management, as well as water and natural resources management.