Global Center on Adaptation promoting worldwide climate adaptation
Since 2018, the Global Center on Adaptation (GCA) has been encouraging countries, organisations, and businesses to become climate-proof. Since 2021, the GCA headquarters has been located in the Floating Office Rotterdam, the largest floating office building in the world.
What does the GCA do?
To expedite adaptation measures, GCA is working on a growing network of international partners, such as research institutes, businesses, NGO’s, local and international government authorities, international organisations, and the financial sector. GCA is assisting these organisations by providing expertise and advice on climate adaptation, focused on the most vulnerable and poorest countries. The GCA headquarters is located in Rotterdam and GCA has another office in Groningen. Outside the Netherlands, GCA has offices in Abidjan (Ivory Coast), in the Chinese capital Beijing, and in Dhaka, the capital of Bangladesh.
CAS 2021
On 25 and 26 January 2021, the Dutch government organised the international online Climate Adaptation Summit (CAS) 2021, assisted by GCA. During the conference, government leaders and local stakeholders discussed the question of how we can adapt to the consequences of climate change. The conference goal was to draw up an Adaptation Action Agenda in order to have the world climate-proof by 2030.
Global Commission on Adaptation
Along with the World Resources Institute, GCA has been supporting the Global Commission on Adaptation for more than two years. The Commission was set up in 2018, one month after GCA, in pursuit of a similar goal: promoting climate adaptation at the national and international levels. One of the Commission Chairs was former UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon. The other two Chairs were Bill Gates – co-founder of Microsoft – and Kristalina Georgieva, Director of the International Monetary Fund and former Director of the World Bank. The Commission ceased its activities after the Climate Adaptation Summit 2021. GCA has been continuing the work of the Commission ever since. Among other reports, the Commission has published Adapt Now, comprising insights and recommendations regarding climate adaptation intended for, e.g., national and local politicians, businesses, and investors.