Adaptation Overview

1
Adaptation Overview

• Bubu Pateh Jallow, UNEP
• Mamadou Diakhité, UNITAR

2
The Conventions objectives

• At the beginning, the Convention on Climate
  Change was focused on mitigation
• No mandatory objectives
• The Convention is signed by 194 Parties

• Within a time frame sufficient to
• allow ecosystems to adapt naturally to climate
  change,
• to ensure that food production is not threatened
  and
• to enable economic
• development to proceed in a sustainable manner.

3
The three country groups
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The Bali Road Map The breakthrough

• Common perspective on the necessity to make joint
  efforts, as much in industrialized countries as
  in developing ones.
• Climate change is linked to economic growth and
  to the objectives needs of sustainable
  development the acknowledgment of the problem
  comes from multiple economic sectors
• The challenge of the post Kyoto regime, starting
  2012

5
The Bali Action Plan
Adaptation
6
What we know
Adaptation is an adjustment process to a changing
environment in a sustainable et permanent manner

• Closely linked to development
• Must be combined with disaster risk reduction
  activities
• Impacts evaluation subjected to incertitudes and
  complex interactions
• Will need big financing (tens of billions of )

7
Key challenges in adaptation

• Difficult to define very broad
• Will ask for adjustments in all aspects
  societal, social, environmental and economic
• Unavoidable interlinkages linked to economic
  development, poverty reduction, disaster
  management, etc.
• Needs capacity for short and long term planning
• Needs proper institutional dispositions (systemic
  planning, cooperation, framework rules)

8
Evolution of international negotiations on
adapatation

• Initially, from 1995 on, the negotiations were
  focused on mitigation
• Adaptation was identified as key issue at COP7
  (Marrakech, 2001)
• 14 adaptation activities needing support were
  identified
• The NAPA process and the expert group of the
  least developed countries (LEG) were created
• New funds LDC fund, Special Fund for Climate
  Change (SFCC) and the adaptation fund
• COP 10 to 12
• Nairobi work programme
• Implementation methods for activities, technology
  transfer and financing

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Key themes of the Bali Action Plan

• Topics identified

• Key challenges

• National planification for adaptation
• Rationalization and up-scaling of the financial
  and technological support
• Enhanced sharing of knowledge
• Institutional frameworks for adaptation

• Level of funding
• Complicated access to funding
• Need for additional financial flows in the future

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Some Useful Definitions

• Vulnerability is the degree to which an ecosystem
  or society faces risks to survival due to climate
  change impacts
• Adaptation is defined as
• those activities that people, individually or in
  groups such as households, villages, companies
  and various forms of government, carry out in
  order to accommodate, cope with, or reduce the
  adverse effects of climate change. (SPREP, 1999)

DTIE- Division of Technology, Industry and
Economics UNEP Energy Branch http//www.unep.fr/en
ergy/
11
Some Useful Definitions

• Adjustments in ecological, social or economic
  systems in response to actual or expected
  climatic stimuli and their effects or impacts.
• Responding and adjusting to actual or potential
  impacts of changing climate by moderating harm or
  taking advantage of any positive opportunities
  that may be afforded.
• Anticipatory before impacts are observed
• Reactive after impacts have occurred
• Both can be planned based on appropriate policy
  interventions

DTIE- Division of Technology, Industry and
Economics UNEP Energy Branch http//www.unep.fr/en
ergy/
12
Some Useful Definitions

• Adaptive capacity is the ability to adapt to the
  climate change stresses
• Determinants of Adaptive Capacity Economic
  resources, Information and skills,
  Infrastructure, Institutions and Equity).
• Resilience is the capacity and ability of a
  society to make necessary adaptations to climate
  change and affords the opportunity to make
  systemic changes during adaptation

DTIE- Division of Technology, Industry and
Economics UNEP Energy Branch http//www.unep.fr/en
ergy/
13
Major International Principles Relevant to
Adaptation

• Common but differentiated responsibilities
  requires developed countries to acknowledge the
  responsibility that they bear in the pursuit of
  the sustainable development.
• The precautionary Principle requires that lack of
  full scientific certainty should not be used as a
  reason for postponing cost-effective measures to
  prevent environmental degradation.
• Polluter Pays Principle requires the polluter
  Annex I/Annex B Parties bear the cost of
  pollution.

DTIE- Division of Technology, Industry and
Economics UNEP Energy Branch http//www.unep.fr/en
ergy/
14
Adaptation under the UNFCCC and the Kyoto Protocol

• The main objective of the UNFCCC is to
• achieve stabilization of greenhouse gas
  concentrations -------------achieved within a
  time-frame sufficient to allow ecosystems to
  adapt naturally to climate change, to ensure that
  food production is not threatened and to enable
  economic development to proceed in a sustainable
  manner. (1994)
• Cooperative adaptation (Art. 4.1(e)
• All Parties shall Cooperate in preparing for
  adaptation to the impacts of climate change
  ----------------, particularly in Africa,
  --------.

DTIE- Division of Technology, Industry and
Economics UNEP Energy Branch http//www.unep.fr/en
ergy/
15
Adaptation under the UNFCCC and the Kyoto Protocol

• Assistance (Art. 4.4)
• The developed country Parties shall also assist
  the developing country Parties --------------in
  meeting costs of adaptation ------------.
• Special Needs and Concerns of developing states
  under (Art. 4.8)
• small islands and low-lying coastal areas
• semi-arid areas, forested areas and areas liable
  to forest decay
• areas prone to natural disasters
• areas liable to drought and desertification
• areas of high urban atmospheric pollution
• areas with fragile ecosystems, including
  mountainous ecosystems
• land-locked and transit countries

DTIE- Division of Technology, Industry and
Economics UNEP Energy Branch http//www.unep.fr/en
ergy/
16
Adaptation under the Kyoto Protocol

• Article 10 (b) All Parties, taking into account
  their common but differentiated responsibilities
  and their specific national and regional
  development priorities, objectives and
  circumstances, shall formulate, implement,
  --------- measures to facilitate adequate
  adaptation to climate change
• Such programmes ---------. Furthermore,
  adaptation technologies and -------- would
  improve adaptation to climate change (Article
  10b(i)) and
• Parties included in Annex I shall submit
  information --------, capacity building and
  adaptation measures (Article 10b(ii))
• Article 12.8 The COP/MOP ---------shall ensure
  that a share of the proceeds from certified
  project activities is used to assist developing
  country Parties -----to meet the costs of
  adaptation.

DTIE- Division of Technology, Industry and
Economics UNEP Energy Branch http//www.unep.fr/en
ergy/
17
Evolution of focus on Adaptation

• Institutionally, the interest in climate change
  adaptation started with COP-1, Berlin, 1995,
  where the BERLIN MANDATE was adopted to approach
  adaptation in three stages
• STAGE 1 Planning, which includes studies of
  possible impacts of climate change, to identify
  specific vulnerable countries or regions and
  policy options for adaptation and appropriate
  capacity building.
• STAGE 2 Measures, including further capacity
  building, which may be taken to prepare for
  adaptation.
• STAGE 3 Measures to facilitate adequate
  adaptation, including insurance.

DTIE- Division of Technology, Industry and
Economics UNEP Energy Branch http//www.unep.fr/en
ergy/
18
Evolution of focus on Adaptation

• 2001 COP 7 Marrakech accords
• 3 new funds (AF, LDCF, SCCF)
• Decision 5/CP7 identifies 18 areas of assistance
  on adaptation, including for GEF funding Process
  of development NAPAs in LDCs
• 2004 Decision 1/CP.10 Buenos Aires Programme of
  Work on Adaptation and Response Measures
• 2005 COP 11 Nairobi Work Programme on impacts,
  vulnerability and adaptation to climate change

DTIE- Division of Technology, Industry and
Economics UNEP Energy Branch http//www.unep.fr/en
ergy/
19
Evolution of focus on Adaptation

• Nairobi Work Programme (2005-2010)
• Improve understanding and assessment of impacts,
  vulnerability and adaptation to climate change
• Make informed decisions on practical adaptation
  actions and measures to respond to climate change
  on a sound scientific, technical and
  socio-economic basis, taking into account current
  and future climate change and variability
• Bali Action Plan proposes 4 Blocks
• Shared Vision
• Mitigation
• Adaptation and Finance Operationalize the
  adaptation fund to finance adaptation in
  developing countries.
• Technology

DTIE- Division of Technology, Industry and
Economics UNEP Energy Branch http//www.unep.fr/en
ergy/
20
Assessing Climate Change Adaptation

• Hazards-based approach
• aims to reduce climate induced risks
• assesses the current risk to which a system is
  exposed
• uses climate scenarios to estimate future
  vulnerability
• Tools
• Building physical infrastructure, such as sea
  walls, dykes and river bunds
• Disaster Risk Reduction and Preparedness planning

DTIE- Division of Technology, Industry and
Economics UNEP Energy Branch http//www.unep.fr/en
ergy/
21
Assessing Climate Change Adaptation

• Vulnerability-based approach
• aims to ensure that critical thresholds of
  vulnerability in socio-ecological systems are not
  exceeded under climate change
• takes into account both development conditions
  and sensitivity to climate change
• Tools
• Safety Net Programmes
• strengthening livelihood asset availability

DTIE- Division of Technology, Industry and
Economics UNEP Energy Branch http//www.unep.fr/en
ergy/
22
Assessing Climate Change Adaptation

• Adaptive-capacity-based approach
• starts with assessment of current adaptive
  capacity
• aims to increase this capacity to enable systems
  to better cope with climate change and
  variability
• Tools
• Insurance
• Improving technological know-how

DTIE- Division of Technology, Industry and
Economics UNEP Energy Branch http//www.unep.fr/en
ergy/
23
Assessing Climate Change Adaptation

• Policy-based approaches
• aims to ensure that policy is robust under
  climate change
• Tools
• Mainstreaming within sectors
• Climate-proofing

DTIE- Division of Technology, Industry and
Economics UNEP Energy Branch http//www.unep.fr/en
ergy/
24
Suggested Adaptation options in Africa

• Emerging range of livelihood adaptation practices
  being observed in parts of Africa include
• Diversification of livelihood activities,
• Institutional architecture
• Adjustments in farming operations
• Income-generation projects
• Migration to earn an income and make remittance
  and
• The move toward off- or on-farm livelihood
  incomes.
• Reducing risks to possible future events will
  depend on the building of stronger livelihoods to
  ensure resilience to future shocks.

DTIE- Division of Technology, Industry and
Economics UNEP Energy Branch http//www.unep.fr/en
ergy/
25
Suggested Adaptation options in Africa

• Implementation of measures at community level
• Water harvesting techniques
• Introduction of drought resistant varieties of
  local crops
• Facilitation of food banks
• Promotion of irrigation
• Implementation of demonstration projects to
  improve capacity and awareness for sustainable
  water management including
• Run-off dikes to capture rainfall
• Promotion of water efficient technologies
• Introduction and dissemination of drip
  irrigation techniques

DTIE- Division of Technology, Industry and
Economics UNEP Energy Branch http//www.unep.fr/en
ergy/
26
Fore more information

• Bubu Pateh Jallow
• bubu.jallow_at_unep.org
• Mamadou M. Diakhité
• mamadou.diakhite_at_unitar.org