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Concept
Climate change adaptation
Summary
Climate change adaptation is the process of adjusting to the effects of climate change. These can be both current or expected impacts. Adaptation aims to moderate or avoid harm for people. It also aims to exploit opportunities. Humans may also intervene to help adjustment for natural systems. There are many adaptation strategies or options.They can help manage impacts and risks to people and nature. We can classify adaptation actions in four ways. These are infrastructural and technological; institutional; behavioural and cultural; and nature-based options.
The need for adaptation varies from place to place. It depends on the risk to human or ecological systems. Adaptation is particulalry important in developing countries. This is because developing countries are most vulnerable to climate change. So they bear the brunt of the effects of climate change. Adaptation needs are high for food and water. They are high for other sectors that are important for economic output, jobs and incomes.
Adaptation planning is important to help countries manage climate risks. Plans, policies or strategies are in place in more than 70% of countries. Other levels of government like cities and provinces also use adaptation planning. So do economic sectors. Developing countries can receive international funding to help develop national adaptation plans. This is important to help them implement more adaptation. The adaptation carried out so far is not enough to manage risks at current levels of climate change. And adaptation must also anticipate future risks of climate change. The costs of climate change adaptation are likely to cost billions of dollars a year for the coming decades. In many cases the cost will be less than the damage that it avoids.
The IPCC defines climate change adaptation in this way:
"In human systems, as the process of adjustment to actual or expected climate and its effects in order to moderate harm or take advantage of beneficial opportunities.
Official source
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