Setting the stage for this year’s GGSD Forum, this session will highlight why climate adaptation is fundamental to sustaining economic growth. It will examine how growing climate risks can undermine productivity, investment, and well-being, and why proactive adaptation is essential to safeguard sustainable growth and stability across economic, social and environmental systems.

To bolster investments in adaptation, it is critical to demonstrate how they create economic benefits, above and beyond avoiding climate losses and damages. This session will explore how different stakeholders approach appreciating these benefits, and how contextual needs inform choices. It will also examine key knowledge gaps and how these can be overcome.

National Adaptation Plans (NAPs) guide countries in co-ordinating and financing adaptation across all government and non-government actors. Drawing on examples from the tourism, energy, agriculture and forest sectors, this session will examine what makes a NAP an effective policy instrument for mainstreaming adaptation priorities, how NAPs can be better used to engage local communities and private actors, and what policies are needed to strengthen their implementation and monitoring.

Businesses face growing physical and transition risks from climate change but are also key drivers of innovation and resilience. This session will explore how companies are driving progress by investing in adaptation solutions along their supply chains. It will also highlight policies, disclosure frameworks, and partnerships that can mobilise strengthened private sector leadership and finance for adaptation.

Nature-based solutions can protect communities from negative climate impacts, safeguard economic assets, and generate co-benefits for biodiversity and well-being. This session examines the economic case for restoring ecosystems, preserving natural capital, and integrating nature into adaptation planning. Speakers will discuss evidence on cost-effectiveness, financing approaches, and pathways to scaling up nature-based resilience across diverse temporal, geographic and economic contexts.

Climate adaptation will impact labour markets—creating new jobs, transforming existing roles, and requiring new skills across sectors. This session unpacks the employment shifts and opportunities of adaptation investments, from green infrastructure and ecosystem restoration to climate-resilient agriculture and urban planning.