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An IIED Briefng

Published by the International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED)

International

Institute for

Environment and

Development

ADAPTATION TO CLIMATE CHANGE

Climate change is now very much with us, and or the poorest o the poor the implications are particularlydaunting. These oten remote or marginalised communities are so burdened they will struggle to meet the

coming challenges. Adaptation – learning to cope with rising temperature and other eects o climatechange – is a difcult but essential task or these vulnerable millions. This briefng paper defnes climatechange adaptation and shows why it matters, who needs to adapt most, and what shape adaptation musttake across a range o scales and sectors.

How we are set to cope with the impacts

Hannah Reid and Saleemul Huq, IIED

What is adaptation and why does it matter?

Within the science community, there is now broad consensuson the reality o human-induced climate change. The expertpanel o scientists who make up the Intergovernmental Panel on

Climate Change (IPCC) conclude, in their Fourth Assessment,that it is 90 to 99 per cent likely that the rise in globalatmospheric temperature since the mid-19th century has beencaused by human activity. The report predicts that the averageglobal temperature may rise by about 3 degrees Celsius by theend o the 21st century, while sea level could rise by as muchas 59 centimetres. Some projections point to summer seaice in the Arctic disappearing completely by the year 2100.Heatwaves and periods o heavy rainall are “very likely” tobecome more requent, but tropical cyclones, though theymay become more intense, could be less requent.

There is now clear scientic evidence that climate change

is real. But what can we do about it? In essence, there aretwo types o response. The rst, mitigation, involves reducingemissions o greenhouse gases to slow or stop the process o climate change. The second, adaptation, is learning to copewith the temperature increases, foods and higher sea levelsassociated with climate change. (See the box on the back pageor a range o concepts and terms associated with adaptation.)

The spotlight is now on adaptation or two reasons. First,people are realising that some climate change impacts areinevitable. Even i emissions o all greenhouse gases were tostop immediately, average temperatures would continue to

rise or some time because o lags in the Earth’s naturalprocesses. As a result, adaptation and mitigation are not

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alternative strategies but rather, complementary ones: both needto be pursued together. Secondly, while scientists are clear onthe need to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to stop globalwarming, action on the ground by politicians, businesses andindividuals has been slow. Inadequate mitigation thereore

makes the need to adapt to climate change impacts all themore pressing.

Who needs to adapt most?

Climate change is a global problem, so all countries mustwork to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions and learnhow to cope with the impacts o climate change. Developingcountries, however, have relatively small greenhouse gasemissions, so mitigation is less important or them. Adaptationis more relevant or poorer nations because o their relativevulnerability to the impacts o climate change, which stemspartly rom geographic location in areas such as drought-prone

sub-Saharan Arica or food-prone Bangladesh. These countries’adaptive capacity is also lower than that o developedcountries because o their limited nancial resources, skills andtechnologies and high levels o poverty. Reliance on climate-sensitive sectors such as agriculture and shing is also high.

The IPCC recognises the entire continent o Arica to be one o the most vulnerable to climatic variability and change becauseo multiple stresses, such as poverty, and its low adaptivecapacity. O Asia, the IPCC says that coasts, in particular thecrowded mega-delta regions o South, East and Southeast Asia,will be at greatest risk rom fooding rom the sea and, in some

delta regions, rom rivers. The panel also cites small islands inboth the tropics and higher latitudes as especially vulnerable to



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the eects o climate change, sea level rise and extreme events.Least Developed Countries (LDCs) are also identied by theUN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC)as among the most at risk rom climate change, and as suchreceive support to identiy their most urgent adaptation needsthrough National Adaptation Programmes o Action (NAPAs).

How is adaptation shaping up?

International strategies Developed countries that are party to the UNFCCC arerequired to help countries most at risk rom the eects o climate change meet the costs o adaptation. A ully conceived,integrated and unctioning regime or adaptation, however,has yet to emerge. Progress has been made on identiyingvulnerable countries and regions and adaptation options,and there has been some capacity building to prepare oradaptation, but ew adaptation measures are in place. In partthis is due to limited unds. The costs o adaptation are likelyto be high, running at several billion dollars a year ordeveloping countries alone.

Adaptation to climate change needs to be mainstreamed intodevelopment policy and practice at international and regionallevels. For example, meeting the Millennium DevelopmentGoals will become even more dicult as climate change bites.Ensuring that adaptation is a part o international agreementsis also important. For example, the ecosystem approachadvocated in the Convention on Biological Diversity in manyways demonstrates good adaptation practice. Investmentprojects rom bilateral or multilateral institutions and the privatesector need scrutinising and modiying to ensure they are both”climate proo” and ”climate riendly”.

National strategies Climate risks need to be integrated into national developmentprojects and strategies. In most developing countries this willrequire greater institutional capacity. With a ew exceptions,most national policymakers are largely unaware o potentialimpacts o climate change in dierent sectors. As we haveseen, the LDCs are currently preparing NAPAs, which alongsideother national strategies and plans could help bring knowledgeon climate change impacts and adaptation into national policyand planning processes.

While mainstreaming climate change risks into developmentpolicy (such as Poverty Reduction Strategy Processes) andpractice is needed, this demands a more strategic approach.Ensuring a country can adapt well to climate change goes wellbeyond the need to ensure that individual projects are “climateproo”. Vulnerability can be reduced or increased by the choiceo development path, and each country needs its own plansand institutions to ensure adaptation is both mainstreamed intodevelopment and actored in at a strategic planning level – botho which demand unding.

Local strategies

Because the poor will suer most rom many adverse climatechange impacts, adaptation at the local level is essential.Climate change models at the local (and oten national) level

Adaptation unding

Several nancial mechanisms to support adaptation existunder the UNFCCC and the Kyoto Protocol, particularlyin developing countries. The ollowing our unds containa total o over US$310 million to date:

1. The Least Developed Countries Fund has alreadysupported the development o National AdaptationProgrammes o Action (NAPAs) and will likely assist theLeast Developed Countries (LDCs) to implement their

NAPA projects. It is based on voluntary contributions romwealthy countries.

2. The Special Climate Change Fund is or all developingcountries and covers adaptation and other activities. It isalso based on voluntary contributions.

3. The Adaptation Fund is meant to support “concreteadaptation” activities. It is based on private sectorreplenishment though the 2 per cent levy on CleanDevelopment Mechanism projects (which channelcarbon-cutting energy investments nanced by companiesin developed countries into developing countries), plus

voluntary contributions.

4. The Strategic Priority on Adaptation containsUS$50 million rom the Global Environment Facility’sown trust unds to support pilot adaptation activities.

A number o bilateral unding agencies in countriesincluding Canada, Germany, the Netherlands, Japan, theUnited Kingdom and the United States have allocatedunding or adaptation activities, including researchand some pilot projects. To date, bilateral donors haveprovided around US$110 million or over 50 adaptation

projects in 29 countries.

Towards climate-screened investment

Climate change is not high on the agenda o mostinternational donor organisations and governments.The International Monetary Fund and World TradeOrganization, or instance, give it short shrit in theirprojects. As much as 50 to 65 per cent o developmentaid in Nepal was given to climate-sensitive sectors.

Clearly, international donor agencies need to assess theextent to which their investment portolios in developingcountries might be at risk rom the eects o climatechange, and take steps to reduce that risk. Several bilateraland multilateral development agencies and NGOsrecognise this and are starting to take an interest. At leastsix donor agencies have screened their existing projectsto assess how they rate in actoring in climate risk andaddressing vulnerability to that context, and to identiyopportunities to incorporate climate change explicitlyinto uture projects.



For more information on this topic email [email protected]

are not very accurate. But a community that is vulnerable tocurrent climate variability is likely to be vulnerable to utureclimate change, so it is not always necessary to wait or moreaccurate local orecasts to start building adaptive capacity.Strengthening community institutions to help them providesocial saety nets and develop new coping mechanisms is a keyway orward.

Adaptation in dierent sectors

Many developing countries have a good core o proessionalplanners and managers operating in key sectors, but they areusually unaware o the potential impacts o climate changeon their respective sector. Climate risk assessment needs tobe incorporated into development activities by all o theseproessionals.

Agriculture and ood securityThis sector is at great risk rom climate change in mostdeveloping countries. The IPCC states that in many Aricancountries and regions, agricultural production, including accessto ood, is projected to be severely compromised by climate

variability and change. Adaptation activities include usingdrought-resistant crops, introducing new arming techniquesand diversiying income sources. India and Mali, or instance,are known or their strong agricultural proessionals, andintegrating climate change concerns into policy and planning isquite advanced in both, but in other countries less progress hasbeen made.

Water resources The IPCC states that in Arica by 2020, “between 75 and 250million people are projected to be exposed to an increase o water stress due to climate change”. The amount o knowledge

on climate change impacts varies according to region, withmore in South Asia than in Arica. For example, Bangladeshis renowned or the quality and strength o its water resourcemanagers. Proessionals involved in planning and managingor irrigation, food management and drinking water provisionneed to incorporate climate change risk management into theirregular practices or designing water structures and measures.

Coastal zone managementThis is an important sector in South Asia (Bangladesh andIndia in particular) as well as in the Gambia, Senegal andTanzania in Arica. Planning or sea-level rise and vulnerabilityto storms and cyclones are both important. Coastal cities such

as Alexandria in Egypt, and Banjul in the Gambia, will beparticularly vulnerable.

Disaster management Climate-related disasters such as foods, cyclones and droughtsare recurring problems or developing countries. In mostcountries, institutions and plans to deal with early warning,relie, rehabilitation and recovery exist. Some are quitesuccessul (such as the cyclone warning system in Bangladesh),but many are inecient and unlikely to be able to cope withuture disasters exacerbated by climate change. Strengtheningnational and local capacity in disaster risk reduction and

disaster management by working with existing structures(such as the Comprehensive Disaster Mitigation Programme inBangladesh) is essential.

Health The potential impacts o climate change on human health arehuge but poorly understood. Christian Aid estimates that 182million people in sub-Saharan Arica will die o climate changerelated diseases beore the end o the century – yet healthproessionals have little understanding o what health impacts to

expect, and how to cope with them.

Community-based adaptation: Cavite City,the Philippines

As a coastal town, Cavite City is very vulnerable totropical cyclones, drought and sea level rise. Currentclimate-related problems include coastal erosion, siltationand sedimentation, storm surges and urban fooding,saltwater intrusion into water resources and degradationo water quality. Poor people, especially shers andshellsh armers, are aected most. Some autonomousadaptation has already occurred, including:

Accommodating sea level rise by building houseson stiltsStrengthening the physical structure o housesMoving to saer places during calamitiesPlacing sandbags along the shorelinesBorrowing money rom relatives or acquiring high-interest loans rom money lendersEngaging in alternative income-generating activitieslocally or in other areasChanging occupation.

Such strategies, however, are inadequate and noteectively integrated into local development plans.The government has also instigated adaptation activities,including relie assistance, resettlement and shorelineprotection. These have reduced the vulnerability o coastalhouseholds, but are inadequate and costly. Adaptationstrategies proposed by local people are mostly non-structural measures such as policy and institutionalreorms regarding coastal zone management, propertyrights, micro-nance/insurance schemes disaster riskmanagement, sheries/aquatic resource management

and community-based adaptation. Local capacitydevelopment was also deemed important, as wasimproving knowledge management.

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CONTACT:Hannah Reid (IIED)

email [email protected]

3 Endsleigh Street, London WC1H 0DD, UK

Tel: +44 (0)20 7388 2117 Fax: +44 (0)20 7388 2826

Website: www.iied.org

The International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED) is an

independent, nonprot research institute working in the eld of sustainable

development. IIED aims to provide expertise and leadership in researching and

achieving sustainable development at local, national, regional and global levels.

Reerences

Christian Aid (2006) The Climate of Poverty: Facts, fears and hope. Christian Aid, London.www.christianaid.org.uk/indepth/605caweek/caw06nal.pd

DFID. Key Sheets on Climate Change and Poverty. DFID,London.www.dd.gov.uk/pubs/les/climatechange/keysheetsindex.asp

Faustino, R. (2007) Mainstreaming Adaptation TowardsIntegrated Coastal Management: The Case o Cavite City,Philippines. Presentation by Ramon Faustino Jr, AssistantDirector, Conrado Benitez Institute or Sustainability,Philippines, at the Community Based Adaptation Workshop,Dhaka, 24-27 February

IPCC (2007) Climate Change 2007: Impacts, Adaptation and Vulnerability. Summary for Policymakers. Working Group IIContribution to the IPCC Fourth Assessment Report.

Klein, R. J. T., S. E. H. Eriksen, L. O. Næss, A. Hammill, T. M.Tanner, C. Robledo and K. L. O’Brien (2007) Portolio screeningto support the mainstreaming o adaptation to climate changeinto development assistance. Climatic Change (orthcoming).

National Adaptation Programmes o Action submitted to theUNFCCC to date.http://unccc.int/national_reports/napa/items/2719.php

OECD (2003) Special Issue on Climate Change. Climate ChangePolicies: Recent development and long term issues. OECDPapers 4 (2). OECD, Paris.

Red Cross and Red Crescent Climate Centre, Netherlands(2004) Preparedness for Climate Change: A study to assessthe future impact of climatic changes upon the frequency and severity of disasters and the implications for humanitarianresponse and preparedness.www.climatecentre.org/downloads/File/reports/preparedness_climate_change.pd

Second International Workshop on Community BasedAdaptation (CBA) to Climate Change, Dhaka, Bangladesh, 24-28 February 2007.See reports on www.bcas.net/2nd-cba/index.html

Sperling, F. Poverty and Climate Change: Reducing theVulnerability of the Poor through Adaptation. AricanDevelopment Bank, ADB, DFID, EC, DGIS, BMZ, OECD,UNDP, UNEP, World Bank.www.oecd.org/dataoecd/60/27/2502872.pd

Adaptation to climate change: Actions to reduce thevulnerability o a system (such as a city) or population (suchas a coastal village) to the negative impacts o anticipatedhuman-induced climate change. Adaptation to climatevariability involves taking action to reduce vulnerabilityto short-term climate shocks. Oten adaptation to climatevariability will also result in adaptation to climate change.Adaptation activities can be o dierent types, rom thepurely technological (such as sea deence construction),through behavioural (such as shits in choice o ood orrecreation), managerial (such as changes in arming methods)and policy (such as planning regulations). Adaptive capacity: Inherent capacity o a system orpopulation to cope with climate impacts or climate change.This can include nancial, technological, knowledge orinstitutional capacity. The poor oten have lower adaptivecapacities. General adaptive capacity is dependent on the

state o development o a country, system or community,and is boosted along with any progress in development.Specifc adaptive capacity is a unction o a country, systemor community’s awareness and knowledge o climate changeimpacts, as well as its coping capability. Adaptation defcit: Lack o adaptive capacity to deal withclimate variability and climate change. A useul starting pointin addressing adaptation can be to tackle the adaptationdecit beore embarking on new adaptation activities.

Autonomous versus planned adaptation: Autonomous

adaptation occurs without any specic planning. Plannedadaptation occurs in anticipation o potential climate change.

Climate change risk: Additional risk to investments (suchas buildings and inrastructure) and actions rom potentialclimate change impacts.

Climate-proofng: Making additional investment to reduceor eliminate climate change risks. This is oten the same asadaptation to climate change.

Limits to adaptation: Adaptation can considerably reducethe adverse impacts o climate change but cannot eliminate

them. Hence there are limits to adaptation. Some places mayalso become permanently beyond adaptation, such as coastalareas inundated by sea level rise.

Maladaptation: Action or investment that enhancesvulnerability to climate change impacts rather than reducingthem. Removing maladaptations is another good startingpoint in addressing adaptation.

ADAPTATION TERMS AND CONCEPTS

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