Adaptation to climate [change] impacts

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Vulnerability Assessments and Adaptation to
Climate Change Consultations on the Relationship
between Climate and human rights Geneva 22
October 2008 Festus Luboyera UNFCCC
Secretariat
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Outline

• The UN Framework Convention on Climate Change
• Key commitments under the UNFCCC
• Urgent need for Adaptation
• Approaches to vulnerability and adaptation
  assessments
• Efforts to enhance work on vulnerability and
  adaptation issues
• National Adaptation Programmes of Actions (NAPAS
• Nairobi Work Programme
• Adaptation under the Bali Action Plan
• Financial resources
• Concluding Remarks

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The UN Framework Convention on Climate Change

• 192 Parties near universal membership
• The ultimate objective of the Convention change
  is inevitable, but pace and intensity must be
  managed so that people and ecosystems can adapt.
• Principle of common but differentiated
  responsibilities and respective capabilities
  developed countries must take the lead

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Key commitments under the UNFCCC

• All Parties shall Cooperate in preparing for
  adaptation to the impacts of climate change
  develop and elaborate appropriate and integrated
  plans for coastal zone management, water
  resources and agriculture, and for the protection
  and rehabilitation of areas, particularly in
  Africa, affected by drought and desertification,
  as well as floods.
• Article 4.1 (e)

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Key commitments under the UNFCCC

• All Parties shall Take climate change
  considerations into account, to the extent
  feasible, in their relevant social, economic and
  environmental policies and actions, and employ
  appropriate methods, for example impact
  assessments, formulated and determined
  nationally, with a view to minimizing adverse
  effects on the economy, on public health and on
  the quality of the environment, of projects or
  measures undertaken by them to mitigate or adapt
  to climate change.
• Article 4.1 (f)

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Key commitments under the UNFCCC

• The developed country Parties shall also
  assist the developing country Parties that are
  particularly vulnerable to the adverse effects of
  climate change in meeting costs of adaptation to
  those adverse effects.
• - Article 4.4

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Key commitments under the UNFCCC

• The Parties shall take full account of the
  specific needs and special situations of the
  least developed countries in their actions with
  regard to funding and transfer of technology.
• Article 4.9

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Urgent need for Adaptation

• Adaptation coping with climatic change taking
  measures to reduce the negative effects, or
  exploit the positive ones, by making appropriate
  adjustments.
• Adaptation is inevitable
• Developing countries will be most affected.
• Strong adaptation policies and support need to
  be in place very soon

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TWO APPROACHES TO VULNERABILITY AND ADAPTATION
ASSESSMENTS
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Efforts to enhance work on vulnerability and
adaptation issues

• Support for Impact, Vulnerability and Adaptation
  assessment, as part of National Communications
• Further implementation of actions including on
  data and modelling, vulnerability and adaptation
  assessment and implementation under the Buenos
  Aires Programme of work on adaptation (2004)
• Addressing special needs of LDCs through the
  NAPAs
• Science and technical advice on adaptation
  Nairobi Work Programme (adopted at COP 12 in
  Nairobi in 2006)
• Enhanced Action on adaptation under the Bali
  action Plan (2007)

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National Adaptation Programmes of Actions (NAPAS)

• Rationale for NAPA rests on low adaptive capacity
  of LDCs
• Serves as mechanism for assessment and
  communication of urgent and immediate adaptation
  needs in LDCs
• Steps include information synthesis, assessment
  of vulnerability to climate variability and
  extreme events and potential risk areas,
  identification of key adaptation measures,
  selection of prioritized set of activities.
• 32 NAPAs submitted thus far (out of 48 LDC
  Parties)
• Rough estimate of total cost of NAPA
  implementation in all 48 Parties - around US1
  billion
• USD 163 million pledged as of COP 13

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Adaptation under the Bali Action Plan

• Discussions in Accra (August 2008)
• National planning and adaptation
• Streamlining and scaling up financial and
  technical support
• Enhancing knowledge sharing
• Institutional frameworks

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Financial resources

• Improving means and accessibility to the
  adaptation financing improved livelihoods
• Need to generate significant financial and
  technological support to enable meaningful action
  by developing countries.
• The GEF funding is not enough
• Current carbon market is insufficient and
  doesnt guarantee geographical distribution
• UNFCCC report (2007)indicates that Investment and
  financial flows needed for adaptation globally
  are likely to be tens of billions of dollars per
  year several decades from now
• How could the carbon market structure be
  expanded?
• Can other mechanisms be developed?

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Concluding Remarks

• The convention process has provided for
• the assessments of vulnerability and adapation
  options for sectors and countries that are most
  vulnerable to the impacts of climate change
• possible funding abeit not adequate at the moment
• development of national policy options for
  adaptation
• The Convention works to ensure food and health
  security as well sustainable development
• Copenhagen 2009 needs to ensure that all
  stakeholders participate in the development of
  adaptation policies and green economic growth

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Thank You