Governments play an essential role in providing information on climate change, clarifying responsibilities and liabilities, safeguarding public investments and revising land use plans to support those most at risk.
Adaptation strategies can help mitigate the negative impacts of climate change by decreasing people’s vulnerability to flooding, heat waves and other hazards. Many adaptation measures also serve other societal goals like improving quality of life.
Building Resilience in a Changing World
Governments around the world face mounting climate change risks and are struggling to build resilient societies – defined as being able to withstand and recover from natural disasters and social changes – without increasing emissions further and slowing climate change’s pace. While cutting emissions, governments must also prioritize measures that help communities cope with flooding, wildfires, heat waves and sea level rise threats as well as implement comprehensive approaches that integrate policies infrastructure services and planning for effective results.
To address these challenges, OECD member countries are sharing lessons learned from their adaptation strategies work. A new brochure entitled Building Adaptation in a Changing World showcases innovative practices to assist cities in devising and implementing cost-effective climate change adaptation plans, from incorporating climate resilient designs into building construction or renovation to increasing urban greenery or supporting community-based adaptation initiatives.
Urban planners and other practitioners in the field are pioneering many of these strategies, including an Indian city that is reclaiming rooftops to turn them into green spaces, as well as another using grey buildings and “green” nature-based solutions to improve energy efficiency and mitigate extreme heat. Furthermore, this report includes a case study from a small island developing nation which is strengthening fisheries management to protect food security and livelihoods while strengthening early warning systems against disasters.
The report illustrates the importance of implementing holistic strategies in order to ensure that vulnerable groups in society have the capacity to respond and recover from climate change. It should be noted, however, that adaptation strategies do not represent an exhaustive list of options and their appropriateness should be assessed against local needs and priorities.
This publication will coincide with a focus on resilience at the UN Climate Change Conference COP27 and be showcased at an exclusive event as part of Better Places for People global program that works toward creating healthier, safer and more resilient places for all people. Youth & Future Generations Day takes place on 10 November; at which it will also be showcased.
Adapting to Climate Change
Adaptation is one of the best ways to protect our communities from climate change impacts, taking steps that reduce risks and vulnerabilities associated with an ever-evolving world. However, adaptation can be a complex endeavor that may require local, national, and global efforts for success. Behavior change includes changing water usage or purchasing flood insurance; farmers switching to heat-tolerant crops; building defences against rising sea levels; redesigning communication systems, business operations and government policies. Resilient infrastructure measures also involve substantial infrastructure modifications, such as installing coastal protections and building roads to accommodate higher temperatures and changing rainfall patterns, or including consideration for future risk into design standards for buildings, bridges and other forms of infrastructure.
Adaptation is a long-term investment and planning process. To ensure its benefits are shared widely among those most at risk from climate change, adaptation must also ensure equitable distribution among its benefits – this forms the cornerstone of an equitable climate change response strategy.
Many communities are making efforts to adapt, but more must be done urgently. We must make an investment of significant proportions into preparing for higher temperatures, rising seas, fiercer storms and acidified oceans as we must also protect vulnerable people and places from climate change and enable their participation in adaptation decisions.
Governments play an essential role in climate adaptation efforts, though costs of adaptation will likely be high. One cost-effective strategy for climate adaptation is integrating it into development planning early. This can foster resilient economic growth while mitigating impacts associated with climate change impacts. Furthermore, providing support for poorest nations as well as those most challenged by climate change is also necessary; and taking an integrated and global approach to adaptation may reduce future risk exposure through unsustainable infrastructure investments.
As well as supporting and investing in government-led adaptation efforts, it is also necessary to support “nature-based” approaches – for instance by restoring and protecting urban ecosystems that can act as resilience against climate change impacts – for adaptation purposes. Such approaches offer ways of meeting both current and future challenges presented by climate change while simultaneously benefitting both nature and people alike.
Mitigating the Effects of Climate Change
Climate change mitigation strategies focus on the reduction of human-caused greenhouse gas emissions through technological or behavioral means, such as using less energy or purchasing flood insurance policies. Mitigation strategies may be implemented locally, nationally or internationally and range from building sea walls to protect communities against rising sea levels to planting trees to reduce air pollution; or creating infrastructure designed specifically to withstand future climate conditions (highways designed for higher temperatures or building infrastructure on stilts/raised platforms in flood prone regions).
Climate adaptation strategies aim to assist individuals and societies with managing the negative consequences of climate change, particularly those which threaten health. Furthermore, adaptation measures may take advantage of any opportunities created by this phenomenon, such as greater food production or longer growing seasons in some regions.
Attacking climate change’s effects on human health is being pursued through various strategies, such as designing and building houses on stilts or elevated platforms to prevent flooding or installing irrigation systems that can better deal with increased drought conditions. While such strategies can be costly, other efforts focus on decreasing vulnerability by developing early warning systems, improving agricultural practices, increasing resilience of water resources and restoring natural habitats (The Heinz Center 2007).
Adaptation initiatives are being undertaken at multiple scales, from local initiatives such as altering household behavior or investing in home insulation, to large-scale national and international efforts aimed at developing adaptation plans and building capacity. National Adaptation Plan Global Support Programme, for instance, aims to assist countries in creating national adaptation plans as part of their contributions to the Paris Agreement. Adaptation can be more effective if it is part of the initial development decision-making process rather than acting in response to disasters or environmental degradation. This can be accomplished by including climate change in national planning and development policy as well as making adaptation considerations an integral component of setting development priorities and targets.
Adapting to a Changing World
Solutions for adapting to an ever-evolving climate will depend heavily on local conditions. They range from building flood defences, setting up early warning systems for cyclones or planting drought-resistant crops to redesigning communication systems, business operations and government policies; all the way through to redesigning communication systems, business operations and government policies. Local communities typically play an essential role in managing 50% of land on earth – providing livelihoods, food and other essential services (Stutz et al, 2007) while being the source of much-needed livelihoods services to 2.5 billion people globally (Stutz et al, 2007), making local knowledge invaluable in shaping adaptation strategies.
Adaptation strategies must aim to reduce human vulnerability, while including plans for restoring biodiversity and ecosystem services provided by nature. Restoration can play an integral role in climate change adaptation strategies by improving water filtration or providing habitat for wildlife (Mitchell et al, 2007).
Climate change affects people all over the world in different ways. Local governments have been at the forefront of efforts to adapt to its effects; working to build infrastructure against floods and heat waves; plan for higher temperatures and drought; improve water storage and use; as well as manage their finances better in response to global climate change.
But many climate protection measures are expensive, and their benefits do not accrue equally to all stakeholders. Households and firms have incentives to invest in climate solutions; they just require help overcoming barriers like lack of information or financing, behavioral biases or imperfect markets. Governments can play an essential role by disseminating information on climate risks; clarifying responsibilities and liabilities for actions taken against climate risks; supporting innovation efforts and providing sufficient financing options (especially solutions with high upfront costs).
Climate change adaptation actions not only benefit human well-being, but can also assist societies in reaching other societal goals. For instance, flood protection strategies could serve to safeguard development gains made over time while conservation projects help prevent the extinction of species while increasing ecosystem services (Carroll 2005; Heinz Center 2007).
While steps have been taken to mitigate the impacts of climate change, much more must be done. Climate adaptation should be integrated into policy planning processes in order to account for it alongside economic development and disaster risk reduction activities.
