Bridging the adaptation-finance gap: Pathways for the green climate fund in the Pacific

Pacific Island Countries (PICs) face significant challenges accessing essential climate finance for adaptation as these states become increasingly vulnerable to climate change. The Green Climate Fund (GCF) aims for a ‘paradigm shift’ toward climate-resilient development, but its structural innovations have yet to benefit the most vulnerable Pacific communities or establish strong local connections. The GCF's stringent accreditation requirements and complex project proposal processes hinder local adaptation efforts, leading to reliance on traditional donor-recipient relationships and international accredited entities. To address this, we identify how the GCF can reform its modalities to provide direct, simplified, and small-scale grants that prioritise locally-led adaptation approaches. Using metrics for success identified in Community-Based and Locally-Led Adaptation approaches, the article proposes criteria for structuring and evaluating these modalities. It advocates for a transformative funding window within the GCF to increase local adaptation grants in PICs and facilitate fund percolation from global to local levels. • Pacific Island countries (PICs) face challenges accessing climate finance for adaptation. • The Green Climate Fund (GCF) aims for a ‘paradigm shift’ but has not bridged financing gaps in PICs. • Adaptation could reach the local level through a more diverse approach to financing. • Community-based and locally-led adaptation approaches should inform this strategy. • Implementation should occur through a new, innovative funding window created by the GCF.