By Mary Kate McCoy and Kiley Price
November 9, 2022
What on Earth is ‘climate adaptation’?
12 min
Editor’s note: From “blue carbon” to “ecosystem services,” environmental jargon is everywhere these days. Conservation International looks to make sense of it in an occasional explainer series we’re calling “What on Earth?"
In this installment, we explore “climate adaptation” and some of the ways communities are responding to intensifying climate impacts.
What is ‘climate adaptation’?
It’s how communities and nations are adjusting to the many ways in which climate change is altering our lives.
Wait — shouldn’t we focus our time and energy on ending climate change rather than adapting to it?
It sounds like you’re describing the apocalypse.
You’ve officially convinced me that it’s time to fight climate change and adapt to it. Now how do we do that?
There’s no one-size-fits-all approach to climate adaptation. But across the board, nature is one of our greatest — and often overlooked — allies.
Wait, didn’t you just tell me that people who rely on nature are the most vulnerable to climate impacts?
Yes, but many communities are using nature sustainably to adapt to climate impacts like flooding, droughts and more.
Give me an example.
“As a community, we were not ready for climate emergencies,” said Vivian Amasan, a member of the local Bagongon Fisherfolks Association. “The green-gray approach is preparing us to face the challenges climate change will bring.”
“Among the many solutions nature offers to confront climate change, mangroves are a standout,” said María Claudia Díazgranados, director of Conservation International’s blue carbon project. “They provide a protective barrier for coastal communities, lock away large amounts of carbon and can generate long-term revenues for communities via carbon credits — a triple win.”
Is it just mangroves that can help?
But if climate change continues to accelerate, more radical approaches to climate adaptation will be required.
What do “more radical approaches” look like?
Rather than implementing temporary fixes like seawalls, communities might need to make transformative shifts — that is, more fundamental changes that address the root causes of vulnerability to climate impacts.
Consider an area that experiences a flood exacerbated by climate breakdown. The flood-stricken community might borrow money to repair homes and replant crops — but that might not be enough to weather future floods.
A transformative adaptation would involve relocating homes to safer areas or restoring previously degraded wetlands upstream to prevent flooding. In other words, coping strategies that anticipate climate threats.
That sounds incredibly difficult. What can governments do to help?
Developed countries have a major role to play in helping developing nations deal with the impacts of climate change like rising sea levels and extreme weather. They must ensure those nations receive more technical and financial support to implement robust national adaptation plans that harness nature’s ability to reduce climate risks. In fact, when the Paris Agreement was signed seven years ago, countries pledged to raise US$ 100 billion a year to subsidize climate adaptation.
That’s a step in the right direction.
“Wealthy nations need to step up and make good on past promises to scale up funding for climate adaptation in developing countries, especially for Indigenous peoples and local communities, who know how to work with nature to reduce climate vulnerabilities,” Fedele said. “These investments have the potential to help make developing nations more climate resilient and reduce their reliance on carbon-intensive industries such as coal mining and oil.”
The good news: At U.N. climate conferences, world leaders are increasingly discussing climate change adaptation needs and how to increase climate financing.
“We don’t have any more time to waste when it comes to getting climate adaptation right,” Fedele said. “This doesn’t mean we are giving up the fight to end climate change. Quite the opposite; it means that we are making sure the people on the front lines of this fight are equipped with the resources they need to thrive.”
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