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Module Mainstreaming climate change adaptation is not, however, an easy exercise. It would necessitate
compromises and tradeoffs among competing local, national and/or regional interests and priorities.
Yet any climate change adaptation mainstreaming process ought to be rooted in, and must contribute
to, the sustainable development goals of the country at hand, taking into account all elements, including

local/indigenous coping strategies.

7.2 Developing adaptation responses
9-12 December, 2013 Key characteristics of adaptation

Societies have a long record of adapting to the impacts of weather and climate, but climate change
poses novel risks, often outside the range of experience, such as impacts related to drought, heat
waves and floods. Adaptation to climate change is defined 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” (IPCC, 2007; Adger et al., 2007). There is increasing recognition that
the world’s current progress in reducing emissions of GHGs is not occurring rapidly enough to avoid
impacts from climate change in the coming century. Because of this, the world is “committed” to a
certain level of global warming, and therefore a degree of impacts that will require adaptive responses
by nations, communities and individuals. When addressing climate change, we must aim for actions that
will get us onto a resilient, low emission development pathway, which operates at two levels (Robinson,
et al., 2009):

1. the large collective decisions about structural issues such as coastal development, urban form,
land use, transportation infrastructure, energy and water systems, etc., which will determine the
framework within which we adapt and mitigate; and

2. the cultural, social and psychological dimensions of values, lifestyle and consumption behaviour.

To effectively develop adaptation responses to climate change relevant for the community, community
representatives need to understand the consequences of the climate change impacts at the level of
local development and ecosystems. Depending on the character of the coast, for example, increases
in sea-level rise and heavy precipitation could lead to many different local impacts, including coastal

wetland loss; changes in estuarine communities and littoral biological productivity; potentially negative
impacts on ocean biodiversity and productivity; decreased food supply for sea birds and fishing
communities. Additionally, an increase in extreme weather events could breach dykes, cause flooding
and place additional stress on the ecological integrity of coastal areas. Furthermore, depending on the
population density, the impacts could also cause serious damage to human settlements, infrastructure
and agricultural production. Examples of identified specific impacts of climate change and tailored
adaptation is presented in Box 11.

48 Volume Two - Themes
Vulnerability and Impact assessments for Adaption to Climate Change (VIA Module)