Climate change adaptation
Instead, adaptation addresses the risks of climate impacts that arise from the way climate-related hazards interact with the exposure and vulnerability of human and ecological systems.
[9]: 12 According to the IPCC, climate change vulnerability encompasses a variety of concepts and elements, including sensitivity or susceptibility to harm and lack of capacity to cope and adapt.
It covers the ability of a system to adjust to climate change to moderate potential damages, to take advantage of opportunities, or to cope with consequences.
[10]: 125 Transformations may fail if they do not integrate social justice, consider power differences and political inclusion, and if they do not deliver improvements in incomes and wellbeing for everyone.
[9] It is important to close gaps between adaptation that is carried out and the needs relative to today's climate in order to reduce risks to a tolerable level.
[10]: 134 Built environment options include installing or upgrading infrastructure to protect against flooding, sea level rise, heatwaves and extreme heat.
[citation needed] A survey conducted in the European Union revealed that 39% of respondents cited the improvement of infrastructure as a key priority for local climate adaptation, which includes measures such as installing better drainage systems, flood barriers, storm shelters, and more resilient power grids.
[36] It encompasses a knowledge loop that includes targeted user communities' access to, interpretation of, communication of, and use of pertinent, accurate, and trustworthy climate information, as well as their feedback on that use.
[45][46][47] Managing the codes or regulations that buildings must conform to is important for keeping people healthy and comfortable during extremes of hot and cold and protecting them from floods.
[56]: 5 In the food production sector, adaptation projects financed through the UNFCCC often include coordination between national governments and administrations at the state, provincial or city level.
[42]: 2428 Measures to increase adaptive capacity, such as social protection and promoting women's empowerment, can help people with little power in migration decisions.
[79][80] Some experts argue that retreat from the coast would have a lower impact on the GDP of India and Southeast Asia then attempting to protect every coastline, in the case of very high sea level rise.
[81] Related to this, a survey conducted in the European Union indicates that 35% believe they may need to relocate to an area less vulnerable to climate impacts, either locally or internationally, to avoid risks such as rising sea levels and floods, forest fires, or other extreme weather events.
[90] Other options include green roofs, passive daytime radiative cooling applications, and the use of lighter-coloured surfaces and less absorptive building materials in urban areas.
The International Water Management Institute has suggested five strategies that could help Asia feed its growing population in light of climate change.
Tree maintenance led to the refilling of groundwater wells with drinking water, additional food supplies for rural towns, and new sources of work and income for villagers.
[60]: 1076 Similarly there are mental health risks from loss of access to green spaces, reduced air quality, or from anxiety about climate change.
[48]: 952 Many cities have integrated city-wide adaptation strategies or plans that bring together social and economic activities, civil authorities and infrastructure services.
Adapting hydroelectric plant designs and control systems to operate with less water or diversifying in energy generation with other renewables are effective options.
Access to basic infrastructure services such as water and sanitation, electricity, roads, telecommunications is another aspect of vulnerability of communities and livelihoods to climate change.
There are other forms of disadvantage due to discrimination, gender inequalities and through lack of access to resources This includes people with disabilities or minority groups.
For example, an impact of the floods in Thailand in 2011 was disruption to manufacturing supply chains affecting the automotive sector and electronics industry in Japan, Europe and the USA.
[117] According to a survey conducted in the European Union, 15% of respondents believe that wealthier individuals should bear the costs of climate change adaptations through higher taxes.
[120]: ch 15 [113]: Cross-Chapter Box FINANCE The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change incorporates a financial mechanism to developing country parties to support them with adaptation.
This addresses challenges such as poverty, malnutrition, food insecurity,[135] availability of drinking water, indebtedness, illiteracy, unemployment, local resource conflicts, and lower technological development.
The expansion of irrigation in Egypt into the Western Sinai desert after a period of higher river flows is maladaptation given the longer-term projections of drying in the region.
This means that climate laws and policies increasingly reference different groups such as persons with disabilities, children, young people and future generations.
[156] Many cities have integrated city-wide adaptation strategies or plans that bring together their social and economic activities, civil authorities and infrastructure services.
[161] The United Nations estimates Africa would need yearly funding of $1.3 trillion to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals in the region, considering population growth.
[162][163][164] When climate change first became prominent on the international political agenda in the early 1990s, talk of adaptation was considered an unwelcome distraction from the need to reach agreement on effective measures for mitigation – which has mainly meant reducing the emissions of greenhouse gases.
