Netherlands to host UN climate adaptation center

The Netherlands, Japan, and the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) will set up a global center of excellence on climate adaptation, it was announced Monday.

The center will bring together a network of international partners, and develop guidance and support for accelerating climate adaptation, said the Dutch Ministry of Infrastructure and the Environment.

"Many people around the world are hit hard by global warming. Failure of dealing adequately with climate change will increase a multitude of risks, such as natural disasters, social and economic disruptions and increasing political tensions," said Sharon Dijksma, the Dutch Minister for the Environment.

UNEP deputy chief Ibrahim Thiaw said: "The center is a welcome step, but other countries need to follow this example and urgently invest in climate adaptation."

The historic Paris Agreement, adopted in December 2015 in Paris, strives to limit global warming to no more than 2 degrees Celsius, with the aim of restricting it to 1.5 degrees.

In addition, the agreement has made climate change adaptation a top priority globally.

"Even with the Paris Agreement on climate change, our planet is heading for a global warming of around 3 degrees Celsius," said Thiaw.

"Our survival depends on learning to live on a hotter planet with more extreme weather, erratic rainfall and rising sea levels," he added. Endit