Africa deserves double its climate adaptation funding due to carbon storage role, experts argue at cop30

As climate negotiations at COP30 in Belém, Brazil approach their conclusion, a massive funding shortfall for climate adaptation remains unresolved. While delegates announced $135 million in new pledges for the U.N. Adaptation Fund, experts warn this falls drastically short of what’s needed—particularly for Africa, which faces a staggering $51 billion adaptation funding gap.

The disparity is especially troubling given Africa’s minimal contribution to the climate crisis versus its outsized impact in fighting it. Despite being home to nearly 20% of the world’s population, the continent produces just 4% of global greenhouse gas emissions. Meanwhile, African forests—anchored by the massive Congo Basin—act as a planetary carbon vacuum, absorbing 1.1 billion metric tons of CO2 from the atmosphere annually.

Richard Munang, deputy regional director for Africa at the United Nations Environment Programme, argues this carbon storage service means Africa has “already made a substantial preliminary contribution to global climate action.” Some experts now contend that wealthy nations—the primary drivers of climate change—owe Africa double its adaptation needs in recognition of this critical environmental service.

The math highlights a fundamental injustice: those least responsible for climate change are bearing its worst impacts while simultaneously providing essential carbon storage that benefits the entire planet. As COP30 negotiators struggle to bridge the “adaptation gap”—the multi-billion-dollar difference between adaptation costs and available funding—Africa’s dual role as climate victim and planetary protector underscores the urgent need for wealthy nations to dramatically increase their financial commitments.