Adaptation to climate change is too slow – that's the message coming out of the global Climate Adaptation Summit (CAS 2021).

Governments from around the world, business leaders, mayors, international organizations, academia, civil society and youth representatives are participating in the summit, which is being held online because of COVID-19 and will finish on January 26.  

At the two-day meeting in The Hague, the Netherlands, discussion is focused on how countries are adapting to the changing climate and the consensus is that not enough is being done. 

The goal of CAS is to try to develop united practical solutions to the challenges and the inevitable effects of climate change over the coming decade.

The summit coincides with the return of the U.S. to the Paris 2015 Climate Agreement. 

President Joe Biden's climate envoy, John Kerry, assured world leaders in his first public appearance on the international stage that international climate action is a top priority for the new administration, stating "we are proud to be back." 

Many world leaders speaking at the conference, such as France's President Emmanuel Macron, the UK's Prime Minister Boris Johnson and Canada's Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, have also pleaded for more investment in adaptation to climate change. 

China's Vice-Premier Han Zheng called on the international community to redouble their national adaptation efforts and implement adaptation commitments made in the Paris Agreement.

The summit aims to produce a global action plan to help poorer countries. In particular, to arm themselves against the consequences of global warming, such as extreme weather, floods, prolonged droughts and rising sea levels. 

According to the Global Center on Adaptation, which has its headquarters in Rotterdam, the climate crisis could reduce global food production by a third and displace hundreds of millions of people from their homes.

Earlier this month, the United Nations calculated that developing countries already need $70 billion a year to combat the worst effects of global warming. Those costs could rise to between $140 billion and $300 billion by 2030.