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Module over comparable time periods.” The UNFCCC thus makes a distinction between climate change
attributable to human activities altering the atmospheric composition, and climate variability
attributable to natural causes.

Climate variability refers to variations in the mean state and other statistics (such as standard deviations,
the occurrence of extremes, etc.) of the climate on all spatial and temporal scales beyond that of
individual weather events. Variability may be due to natural internal processes within the climate system
9-12 December, 2013 Development path or pathway is an evolution based on an array of technological, economic, social,
(internal variability), or to variations in natural or anthropogenic external forcing (external variability).

institutional, cultural and biophysical characteristics that determine the interactions between natural
and human systems, including production and consumption patterns in all countries, over time at a
particular scale. Alternative development paths refer to different possible trajectories of development,
the continuation of current trends being just one of the many paths.

Ecosystem is a dynamic complex of plant, animal and micro-organism communities and their non-living
environment, interacting as a functional unit.

Ecosystems-based adaptation refers to the management, conservation and restoration of ecosystems
creating a valuable yet under-utilized approach for climate change adaptation, complementing other
actions such as the development of infrastructure

Ecosystem services include the benefits people obtain from ecosystems (sometimes called ecosystem
goods and services). These include provisioning services, such as food and water; regulating services,
such as flood and disease control; cultural services, such as spiritual, recreational and cultural benefits;
and supporting services, such as nutrient cycling, that maintain the conditions for life on Earth.

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) is a scientific intergovernmental body
focused on evaluating the risk of climate change caused by human activity. The panel was established
in 1988 by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) and the United Nations Environment
Programme (UNEP), two United Nations organizations. The IPCC shared the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize
with former Vice President of the United States Al Gore.

Kyoto Protocol to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) was
adopted in 1997 in Kyoto, Japan, at the Third Session of the Conference of the Parties (COP) to the
UNFCCC. It contains legally binding commitments, in addition to those included in the UNFCCC.
Countries included in Annex B of the Protocol (most Organization for Economic Cooperation
and Development countries and countries with economies in transition) agreed to reduce their
anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions (carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, hydrofluorocarbons,

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