Germany commits €60 million to climate adaptation at UN conference in Brazil
Germany will contribute €60 million (about $69.7 million) to the Adaptation Fund to help countries most affected by climate change increase resilience, Environment Minister Carsten Schneider announced at the UN Climate Change Conference in Brazil on Monday.
That payment mirrors a €60 million commitment Germany made at last year’s conference in Baku, Azerbaijan, underscoring Berlin’s ongoing support for adaptation efforts.
“Where societies are unable to adapt to the new climate conditions, there is a threat of hunger and poverty and people are forced to leave their homes,” Schneider said, highlighting the human consequences of inadequate adaptation.
Rising global temperatures increase the frequency and intensity of floods, droughts, forest fires and storms. Scientists also warn that warmer conditions enable the spread of dangerous infectious diseases, compounding risks to public health and livelihoods.
According to the German government, it has been the Adaptation Fund’s largest donor since the fund’s establishment in 2007. Berlin says it has channelled roughly $1.4 billion into about 200 projects across 108 countries, reaching more than 50 million people with adaptation measures such as climate-resilient agriculture, flood defenses and community early-warning systems.
Delegates at the Brazil conference are also awaiting a further announcement from Germany after Chancellor Friedrich Merz pledged a “substantial sum” for Brazil’s Tropical Forest Forever Facility. That mechanism is designed to reward countries that preserve rainforests and to impose penalties on activities that lead to deforestation.
Why this matters
Rainforests are vital for global climate stability: they store large amounts of carbon, support biodiversity and sustain livelihoods. Financial mechanisms that reward forest conservation and fund adaptation projects are seen as essential tools for reducing climate-driven displacement and minimizing the social and economic impacts of a warming world.
