Book contents
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- Foreword
- Preface
- 1 Climate change: scientific background and introduction
- 2 Future scenarios of development and climate change
- 3 Framework for making development more sustainable (MDMS): concepts and analytical tools
- 4 Interactions between climate and development
- 5 Adaptation to climate change: concepts, and linkages with sustainable development
- 6 Vulnerability, impacts, and adaptation by sectors and systems
- 7 Vulnerability, impacts, and adapation by geographic region
- 8 Mitigating climate change: concepts and linkages with sustainable development
- 9 Mitigation measures: technologies, practices, barriers, and policy instruments
- 10 Assessment of mitigation costs and benefits
- 11 Climate change and sustainable development: a synthesis
- Index
- References
5 - Adaptation to climate change: concepts, and linkages with sustainable development
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 25 December 2009
Book contents
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- Foreword
- Preface
- 1 Climate change: scientific background and introduction
- 2 Future scenarios of development and climate change
- 3 Framework for making development more sustainable (MDMS): concepts and analytical tools
- 4 Interactions between climate and development
- 5 Adaptation to climate change: concepts, and linkages with sustainable development
- 6 Vulnerability, impacts, and adaptation by sectors and systems
- 7 Vulnerability, impacts, and adapation by geographic region
- 8 Mitigating climate change: concepts and linkages with sustainable development
- 9 Mitigation measures: technologies, practices, barriers, and policy instruments
- 10 Assessment of mitigation costs and benefits
- 11 Climate change and sustainable development: a synthesis
- Index
- References
Summary
Introduction to adaptation
Rationale for adaptation
Global losses due to climate-related disasters have increased by a factor of 40 since the 1960s (IPCC 1998). While these disasters may be related to climate variability rather than change, the losses underline the vulnerability of societies to climatic events. As we have seen in Chapter 1, impacts from climate change have been observed already and, because of continued greenhouse gas emissions and the inertia of the climate system, the impacts are projected to continue and increase in the future (McCarthy et al. 2001). Even if international mitigation is successful and greenhouse gas concentrations are stabilized, the climate will continue to change for quite some time, and adaptation would be a key component of any climate change response strategy. Mitigation by stabilizing greenhouse gas concentrations would help to delay climatic impacts and reduce their severity, but can never fully substitute for adaptation.
Adaptation reduces the impact of climate stresses on human and natural systems, while mitigation lowers the potential greenhouse gas emissions. Development paths affect strongly the capacity to both adapt to, and mitigate, climate change in any region. In this way, adaptation and mitigation strategies are connected dynamically with changes in the climate system and the prospects for ecosystem adaptation, food production, and long-term economic development.
- Type
- Chapter
- Information
- Primer on Climate Change and Sustainable DevelopmentFacts, Policy Analysis, and Applications, pp. 172 - 206Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2005
References
Arrow, K. J., Cline, W. R., Maler, K-G., Munasinghe, M., Squitieri, R. and Stiglitz, J. E. (1996) Intertemporal equity, discounting, and economic efficiency. In J. P. Bruce, Hoesung Lee and E. F. Haites, eds., Climate Change 1995: Economic and Social Dimensions of Climate Change. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press
Banuri, T., Weyant, J., Akumu, G., Najam, A., Pinguelli Rosa, L., Rayner, S., Sachs, W., Sharma, R. and Yohe, G. (2001) Setting the stage: climate change and sustainable development. In B. Metz, O. Davidson, R. Swart and J. Pan, eds., Climate Change 2001: Mitigation. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press
Basher, R. E. (1999) Data requirements for developing adaptations to climate variability and change. In Mitigation and Adaptation Strategies for Global Change, Vol. 4. pp. 227–37CrossRef
Bein, P., Burton, I., Chiotti, Q., Demeritt, D., Dore, M., Rothman D. and Vandierendonck, M. (1999) Costing Climate Change in Canada: Impacts and Adaptation. Presented at IPCC Meeting on Costing Issues for Mitigation and Adaptation to Climate Change. Tokyo: Global, Industrial and Social Progress Research Institute
Burton, I. and Lim, B. (2001) An Adaptation Policy Framework: Capacity Building for Stage II Adaptation, A UNDP-GEF Project. New York: United Nations Development Program/Global Environment Facility
Carter, T. R., Parry, M., Nishioka, S. N. and Harasawa, H. (1996) IPCC technical guidelines for assessing climate change impacts and adaptations. In R. T. Watson, M. C. Zinyowera, R. H. Moss and D. F. J. Dokken, eds., Climate Change 1995: Impacts, Adaptations and Mitigation of Climate Change: Scientific–Technical Analyses. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press
Carter, T. R., La Rovere, E. L., Jones, R. N., Leemans, R., Mearns, L. O., Nakicenovic, N., Pittock, A. B., Semenov, S. M. and Skea, J. (2001) Developing and applying scenarios. In J. McCarthy, O. F. Canziani, N. A. Leary, D. J. Dokken and K. S. White, eds., Climate Change 2001: impacts, adaptation, and vulnerability. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press
Dai, A., Wigley, T. M. L., Meehl, G. A. and Washington, W. M. (2001) Effects of stabilising atmospheric CO2 on global climate in the next two centuries. Geophysical Research Letters (in press)
, and (1999). Weathering climate change. Some simple rules to guide adaptation investments. Ecological Economics, 30, 67–78CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Feenstra, J. F., Burton, I., Smith J. B. and Tol, R. S. J. eds. (1998). Handbook on Methods for Climate Change Impacts Assessment and Adaptation Strategies, Version 2. Nairobi/Amsterdam: United Nations Environmental Programme and Institute for Environmental Studies, Vrije Universiteit
Gitay, H., Brown, S., Easterling, W., Jallow, B., Antle, J., Apps, M., Beamish, R., Chaoin, T., Cramer, W., Frangi, J., Laine, J., Erda, L., Magnuson, J., Noble, I., Price, J., Prowse, T., Root, T., Schulze, E., Sirotenko, O., Sohngen, B. and Soussana, J. (2001) Ecosystems and their goods and services. In J. McCarthy, O. F. Canziani, N. A. Leary, D. J. Dokken and K. S. White, eds., Climate Change 2001: Impacts, Adaptation, and Vulnerability. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press
IPCC (1998) Summary Report to IPCC. San Jose, Costa Rica: Workshop on Adaptation to Climate Variability and Change
Jepma, C. J., Asaduzzaman, M., Mintzer, I., Maya, R. S. and Al-Moneef, M. (1996) A generic assessment of response options. In J. P. Bruce, Hoesung Lee and E. F. Haites, eds., Climate Change 1995: Economic and Social Dimensions of Climate Change. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press
Jepma, C. J. and Munasinghe, M. (1998) Climate Change Policy: Facts, Issues, and Analysis. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press
and (2000) Linking adaptation and mitigation in climate change policy. Climatic Change, 45, 75–102CrossRefGoogle Scholar
and (2000) Societal adaptation to climate variability and change: an introduction. Climatic Change, 45(1), 1–4CrossRefGoogle Scholar
(2000). Cautionary tales: adaptation and the global poor. Climatic Change, 45(1), 5–17CrossRefGoogle Scholar
, and (1999) Coastal adaptation to cliomate change: can the IPCC Technical Guidelines be applied?Mitigation and Adaptation Strategies for Global Change, 4(3–4), 239–52CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Leary, N. (1999) A framework for benefit–cost analysis of adaptation to climate change and climate variability. In Mitigation and Adaptation Strategies for Global Change, Vol. 4. pp. 307–18CrossRef
Lind R. C. (1982) A Primer on the major issues relating to the discount rate for evaluating national energy options. In R. C. Lind, ed. Discounting for Time and Risk in Energy Policy. Washington: Resources for the Future, pp. 257–71
Malcolm, J. R. and Markham, A. (2000) Global Warming and Terrestrial Biodiversity Decline. Geneva: World Wildlife Fund for the Conservation of Nature
Malcolm, J. R., Liu, C., Miller, L. B., Alnutt, T. and Hanssen, L. (2002) Habitats: Global Warming and Species Loss in Globally Significant Terrestrial Ecosystems. Switzerland: World Wildlife Fund for the Conservation of Nature
McCarthy, J., Canziani, O. F., Leary, N. A., Dokken, D. J. and K. S. White, eds. (2001) Climate Change 2001: Impacts, Adaptation, and Vulnerability. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press
Markandya, A. (1999) The Treatment of Discounting in the assessment for climate change. Costing Issues for Mitigation and Adaptation to Climate Change. Tokyo: Global, Industrial and Social Progress Research Institute
Moss, R. (1999) Cost estimation and uncertainty. Costing Issues for Mitigation and Adaptation to Climate Change. Tokyo: Global, Industrial and Social Progress Research Institute
Munasinghe, M., Meier, P., Hoel, M., Hong, S. W. and Aaheim, A. (1996) Applicability of techniques of cost–benefit analysis to climate change. In J. P. Bruce, Hoesung Lee and E. F. Haites, eds., Climate Change 1995: Economic and Social Dimensions of Climate Change. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press
Newell, R. and Pizer, W. (2002) Discounting the Benefits of Climate Change Mitigation: How Much do Uncertain Rates Increase Valuations? Washington: Pew Center
Pearce, D. W., Cline, W. R., Achanta, A. N., Fankhauser, S., Pachauri, R. K., Tol, R. S. J. and Vellinga, P. (1996) The social costs of climate change: greenhouse damage and the benefits of control. In J. P. Bruce, Hoesung Lee and E. F. Haites, eds., Climate Change 1995: Economic and Social Dimensions of Climate Change. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press
(1998) Rethinking the role of adaptation in climate policy. Global Environmental Change, 8(2), 159–70CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Portney, P. R. and J. P. Weyant, eds. (2001) Discounting and Intergenerational Equity. Washington: Resources for the Future
Smit, B., Pilifosova, O., Burton, I., Challenger, B., Huq, S., Klein, R. J. T. and Yohe, G. (2001) Adaptation to climate change in the context of sustainability, development and equity. In J. McCarthy, O. F. Canziani, N. A. Leary, D. J. Dokken and K. S. White, eds., Climate Change 2001: Impacts, Adaptation, and Vulnerability. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press
, and (1998) The scope for adaptation to climate change: what can we learn from the impact literature?Global Environmental Change, 8(2), 109–23CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Toth, F. L., Mwandosya, M., Carraro, C., Christensen, J., Edmonds, J., Flannery, B., Gay-Garica, C., Hoesung Lee, Meyer-Abich, K., Nikitina, E., Rahman, A., Richels, R., Ruqiu, Y., Villavicencio, A., Wake, Y. and Weyant, J. (2001) Decision-making Frameworks. In B. Metz, O. Davidson, R. Swart and J. Pan. Climate Change 2001: Mitigation. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press
UNFCCC (1992) United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. Bonn: United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change
UNFCCC (1997) The Kyoto Protocol to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. Bonn: United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change
Wheaton, E. and MacIver, D. (1998) Working Paper on Adaptation to Climate Variability and Change. In San Jose, Costa Rica: Workshop on Adaptation to Climate Variability and Change