Identifying the Main Climate Change Adaptation Strategies This module provides an general overview of the main strategies for climate change adaptation and includes more detailed definitions of -adaptation -vulnerability -resilience -exposure and sensitivity

1. Online Training Resource: Climate Adaptation
Adaptation Strategies

2. Process Stage 2
Developing Adaptation Strategies: Background
Identifying the Main Climate Change Adaptation Strategies
This module provides an general overview of the main strategies for climate change adaptation and
includes more detailed definitions of
-adaptation
-vulnerability
-resilience
-exposure and sensitivity
Climate Adaptation
Online Training Resource

3. Process Stage 2
Developing Adaptation Strategies: Background
What is adaptation?
Adaptation is an evolutionary process. It occurs in physical,
ecological, and human systems and addresses many factors and
stresses, not simply climate change alone.
Adaptation refers both to the process of adapting and to the
condition of being adapted (Grothman & Pratt, 2005) and has
specific interpretations in particular disciplines.
Within ecology, adaptation is the process by which organisms or
species becomes better suited to its environment
In the social sciences, it refers to adjustments by individuals, or
collective behaviour within a system.
In the field of climate change and number of definitions are
available…
Grothmann, T. & Patt, A. (2005)
Adaptive capacity and human cognition: the process
of individual adaptation to climate change
Climate Adaptation
Online Training Resource

4. Process Stage 2
Developing Adaptation Strategies: Background
What is adaptation?
IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change) defines climate change adaptation as:
An adjustment in natural or human systems in response to actual or expected climatic stimuli or their
effects, which moderates harm or exploits beneficial opportunities
UKCIP 2011
‘any action taken to minimise the adverse effects or to take advantage of any beneficial effects of
climate change’
Climate Adaptation
Online Training Resource

5. Process Stage 2
Developing Adaptation Strategies: Background
What is adaptation?
Of course adaptation is nothing new. Societies and individuals
have been adapting to changing conditions for millennia and
existing natural and human systems are - in their very nature - an
adaptive response to spatial differences in climate.
Adaptation to climate variability can be seen in social and
economic systems such as agriculture, forestry, industry,
transportation, settlements etc.These have all evolved to
accommodate inherent temporal variates from normal conditions.
However, the advent of this new era of climate change brings
new challenges that question the inherent adaptability of natural
and human systems.
Climate Adaptation
Online Training Resource

6. Process Stage 2
Developing Adaptation Strategies: Background
What is adaptation?
So when looking at climate change adaptation it is good practice
to consider the following:
• Changes in social and environmental processes
• Perceptions of climate risk
• Practices and functions to reduce risk
• Exploration of new opportunities to cope with the changed
environment
To determine adaptation needs, it is crucial to identify and
comprehend issues of:
• Vulnerability,
• Resilience,
• Exposure,
• Sensitivity,
• Capacity to adapt.
Climate Adaptation
Online Training Resource

7. Process Stage 2
Developing Adaptation Strategies: Background
Vulnerability
Vulnerability refers to the nature and extent to which a community is
susceptible to factors that directly or indirectly affect the wellbeing or
sustainability of the community (Smit et al., 2008).
In economies dependent on natural resource utilisation, the sensitivity of
the ecosystem of which the community is part of, and depends upon,
is crucial.
However, use of this term does not presume that communities are
vulnerable (Smit et al., 2008).
Vulnerability is the combined result of exposure and sensitivity to climatic
risks, and the adaptive capacity to deal with those risks
Vulnerability stems, in part, from the uncertainty concerning the rate and
magnitude of changes to expect, the potential for non-linear changes to
occur, and the long time horizons involved. Vulnerability can also stem
from constraints on the ability of a system to adapt.
Smit, B., Wandel, J., & Hovelsrud, G. (2008).
CAVIAR (Community adaptation and vulnerability in Arctic regions):
framework document for an International Polar Year consortium.
Climate Adaptation
Online Training Resource

8. Process Stage 2
Developing Adaptation Strategies: Background
Resilience
A system’s resilience is measured by the magnitude of damage it
can tolerate and still autonomously return to its original state. It
begins to fail once it can no longer withstand changes without
significant adverse impacts.
The capacity of systems to accommodate variations in climatic
conditions from year-to-year, without significant adverse impacts
or the crossing of critical thresholds, is their “coping range”, also
referred to as their vulnerability or damage threshold.
The coping range, varies among systems and regions and may
itself change reflecting new technologies and information to a
system or, conversely, a loss of knowledge and skills from a
system.
The coping range thus reflects the adaptive capacity of a system to
deal with current variability.
Climate Adaptation
Online Training Resource

9. Process Stage 2
Developing Adaptation Strategies: Background
Exposure and sensitivity
Exposure to climate variation is primarily a function of
geography. For example, coastal communities will have higher
exposure to sea level rise and cyclones, while communities in
semi-arid areas may be most exposed to drought.
Sensitivity is the degree to which a given community or
ecosystem is affected by climatic stresses. For example, a
community dependent on rain-fed agriculture is much more
sensitive to changing rainfall patterns than one where mining is
the dominant livelihood. Likewise, a fragile, arid or semi-arid
ecosystem will be more sensitive than a tropical one to a
decrease in rainfall, due to the subsequent impact on water
flows.
careclimatechange.org
The exposure-sensitivity reflects the likelihood of climatic
conditions or natural hazards occurring in relation to
a community’s physical location, social and economic situation,
governance, and political systems.
Climate Adaptation
Online Training Resource

10. Process Stage 2
Developing Adaptation Strategies: Background
What is Adaptive Capacity?
Adaptive capacity is the ability to understand climate changes and
hazards, to evaluate their consequences for vulnerable
communities, places and economies, and to moderate potential
damages, to take advantage of opportunities, or to cope with
consequences.
Adaptation can be seen as a process of social learning for a
sustainable future.
The capacity to adapt is dynamic and influenced by economic and
natural resources, social networks, entitlements, institutions and
governance, human resources, and technology. Reducing
vulnerability involves reducing exposure through specific
measures like building a dyke in case of sea level rise, or
increasing adaptive capacity through activities that are closely
aligned with development priorities.
So, the greater the adaptive capacity, the lesser the vulnerability.
Climate Adaptation
Online Training Resource

11. Process Stage 2
Developing Adaptation Strategies: Background
What is adaptation?
Climate Adaptation
Online Training Resource

12. Process Stage 2
Developing Adaptation Strategies: Background
Adaptation Strategies
Climate specific adaptations can occur over a range of temporal and spatial scales from individual
households, communities and firms, to entire economic sectors, watersheds and countries, from
immediate reactionary responses to long-term planning.Assessment of impacts on both biophysical
and socio-economic processes can form the basis for adaptation strategies.
Climate specific adaptation can be defined by the nature of the driver, by the outcome or process,
and by the type of strategy and/or action taken. The table below provides a list of drivers, as outlined
by the United Kingdom Climate Impacts Programme, UKCIP.
Measures Drivers
Adaptation measures implemented before impacts of climate change are
Anticipatory/ Pro-active observed.
Adaptation measures triggered by changes in natural systems and market or
Autonomous
welfare changes in human systems.
Deliberate policy decisions, based on an awareness of changing conditions and
Planned understanding that action is required
Climate Adaptation
Online Training Resource

13. Process Stage 2
Developing Adaptation Strategies: Background
Adaptation Strategies
Climate adaptations can also be classed as
• Process-oriented strategies
Aimed at developing the information, social structures, and governance needed to support adaptation
this is also known as building adaptation capacity (creating information and conditions that enable
adaptation actions to take place)
• Outcome-oriented actions.
Measures taken to reduce vulnerability and exploit opportunities that arise from a changing climate
i.e. delivering adaptation actions
These actions and strategies fall into one of the following groups:
➡ Living with and bearing losses or risks;
➡ Preventing effects or reducing exposure to risks;
➡ Sharing responsibility for any losses or risks;
➡ Exploiting opportunities (UKCIP, 2011).
Climate Adaptation
Online Training Resource

14. Process Stage 2
Developing Adaptation Strategies: Background
Four Main Approaches to Climate Change Adaptation
1. Effect oriented adaptation to local climate change
– E.g. build flood protection
2. Cause oriented adaptation to local climate change
– E.g. change location of areas for new housing development
Possible additional perspectives
3. Indirect oriented adaptation to climate change taking place elsewhere
– E.g. protect farmed land from housing or road development
4. Climate change mitigation policy adaptation
– E.g. secure access to public transportation in tourism development
Climate Adaptation
Online Training Resource

15. Process Stage 2
Developing Adaptation Strategies: Background
Four Main Approaches to Climate Change Adaptation
1. Effect oriented adaptation to local climate change
– E.g. build flood protection
2. Cause oriented adaptation to local climate change
– E.g. change location of areas for new housing development
Possible additional perspectives
3. Indirect oriented adaptation to climate change taking place elsewhere
– E.g. protect farmed land from housing or road development
4. Climate change mitigation policy adaptation
– E.g. secure access to public transportation in tourism development
Climate Adaptation
Online Training Resource

16. Process Stage 2
Developing Adaptation Strategies: Background
The effect- and cause-oriented approach to climate change adaptation
Source: The Western Norway Research Institute, 2011.
Climate Adaptation
Online Training Resource

17. Process Stage 2
Developing Adaptation Strategies: Background
Final key points
When considering adaptation options it
is important to decide whether a
general or specific approach is
necessary.
• Should you aim at all sectors and
develop a general local adaptation
plan?
or
• Is there a specific type of natural
vulnerability (e.g. flooding) or sector
(e.g. agriculture) that should be
addressed first?
Climate Adaptation
Online Training Resource