Title: Technologies for adaptation to climate change under the UNFCCC process
1Technologies for adaptation to climate change
under the UNFCCC process
- Iulian Florin Vladu
- Technology Sub-programme
- Sustainable Development Programme
- UNFCCC
Tobago, Trinidad and Tobago
2OUTLINE
- Technologies for adaptation under the technology
agenda item - Some reflections based on the work done
(technical papers, scoping paper, regional
workshop) - What are technologies for adaptation to climate
change? - What technologies are reasonable for climate
change? - Analysis of needs and setting priorities
- Integration with sustainable development
- Examples of technologies by sectors
3TECHNOLOGIES FOR ADAPTATION UNDER THE TECHNOLOGY
AGENDA ITEM
- Article 4.5 of the Convention The developed
country Parties and other developed Parties
included in Annex II shall take all practicable
steps to promote, facilitate and finance, as
appropriate, the transfer of, or access to,
environmentally sound technologies and knowhow to
other Parties, particularly developing country
Parties, to enable them to implement the
provisions of the Convention - Environmentally sound technologies (ESTs) under
Article 4.5 of the Convention, includes both
technologies conducive to mitigation of and
adapting to climate change
4TECHNOLOGIES FOR ADAPTATION UNDER THE TECHNOLOGY
AGENDA ITEM
- Examples of requests from COP and SBSTA
- Prepare an inventory and assessment of
environmentally sound and economically viable
technologies and know-how conducive to mitigating
and adapting to climate change - Prepare progress reports on activities of Annex I
Parties relating to the introduction of
adaptation technologies - Compile a catalogue of adaptation technologies
and know-how - Survey technology needs
- Provide support to Parties to assess their
technology needs - Synthesize and disseminate information on
adaptation technologies - Prepare technical papers and organize this
seminar - EGTT included also activities on technologies for
adaptation in its work programme for 2004 and 2005
5TECHNOLOGIES FOR ADAPTATION UNDER THE TECHNOLOGY
AGENDA ITEM
- Prepared a number of reports and technical papers
which are directly or partially relevant to
adaptation - Initial report on technology inventory and
assessment - Technical paper on Adaptation to climate change
options and technologies - Technology and technology information needs
arising from the survey of developing country
Parties - Technical paper on Coastal adaptation
technologies - Technical paper on Enabling environments for
technology transfer - Compilation and synthesis of Annex II National
Communications, with specific reference to
adaptation technologies - EGTT scoping paper on Basic concepts of
adaptation relevant technologies - Background paper on Technology to understand and
manage climate risks (prepared for this seminar)
6TECHNOLOGIES FOR ADAPTATION UNDER THE TECHNOLOGY
AGENDA ITEM
- Access to information - the secretariat has
established a technology information clearing
house (TTCLEAR) which includes following
elements relating to adaptation - Inventory of existing adaptation centres.
Experts and organizations - Cooperation projects on technology for
adaptation (mainly from national communications
of both Annex I and non-Annex I Parties,
technology needs assessments and NAPAs) - Case studies
- Access to information - a pilot network of
technology information centres was established.
The pilot network will be extended this year to
include three centres from developing country
Parties, one for each geographical region
7TECHNOLOGIES FOR ADAPTATION UNDER THE TECHNOLOGY
AGENDA ITEM
- Provided support to non-Annex I Parties to
conduct technology needs assessments (TNAs) - Some 80 TNAs conducted with support from UNDP
- Some 15 TNAs conducted with support from UNEP
- UNDP prepared a guidebook on Conducting
technology needs assessments for climate change - Started to work on summarizing the results of the
TNAs completed so far
8WHAT ARE ADAPTATION TECHNOLOGIES?
- Many technologies have been used to adapt to
contemporary climate variability and extremes.
Examples of existing a technologies for
adaptation include air conditioning,
flood-defence systems and irrigation, but also
monitoring, forecasting and early-warning systems
for natural hazards - These technologies can also be used to adapt to
climate change, although they may need to be
improved and new technologies may need to be
developed because climate change is likely to
impose new and higher standards of reliability
and performance
9WHAT ARE ADAPTATION TECHNOLOGIES?
- Attempting a definition of technologies for
adaptation to climate change poses significant
challenges - Adaptation is a very broad term alluding to many
diverse sectors and systems, including human and
natural systems and their interrelationships, on
which climate change impacts are dependent on
other considerations such as vulnerability,
sensitivity, resilience etc. - In contrast, for mitigation, greenhouse gases are
emitted largely as a result of the application of
technology itself, so possible solutions already
have a teological baseline - A definition of technology for adaptation that
can adequately capture the multitude of
situations to which it can, or ought, to apply
would be difficult. Such a definition would need
to incorporate the concepts of adaptation and
technology
10WHAT ARE ADAPTATION TECHNOLOGIES?
- In the climate change context, adaptation has
been defined as the adjustment in natural or
human systems in response to actual or expected
climatic stimuli or their effects, that moderates
harm or exploits beneficial opportunities - Technology has been defined as a piece of
equipment, technique, practical knowledge or
skills for performing a particular activity
11WHAT ARE ADAPTATION TECHNOLOGIES?
- An operational definition of technology for
adaptation could therefore be - Any application of equipment, techniques,
practical knowledge or skills that would allow
natural or human systems to adjust to actual or
expected climatic stimuli or their effects, by
moderating harm or exploiting beneficial
opportunities or in simpler language - The application of technology in order to reduce
the vulnerability, or enhance the resilience, of
a natural or human system to the impacts of
climate change.
12WHAT ARE ADAPTATION TECHNOLOGIES?
- This definition would also incorporate the use,
development or adoption of innovative approaches
to achieve the same end, such as the management
of natural and human systems, or components
thereof - It also implies human intervention in the
adaptation process, contrasted to autonomous
adaptation - Most adaptations will be done in reaction to
climate change (e.g., farmer switches crops -
autonomous adaptation). We are focusing on
anticipatory or purposeful adaptation -
deliberately done to anticipate effects of
climate change (may also be to address current
needs) - See also next presentation..
13WHAT ARE ADAPTATION TECHNOLOGIES?
- Technological approaches to anticipatory and
planned adaptation may include both soft
technology and hard technology - Hard technology also called capital goods,
hardware or embodied technology refers to tools,
machinery, equipment and entire production
systems (what we traditionally think of as
technologies, e.g., equipment, structures)
14WHAT ARE ADAPTATION TECHNOLOGIES?
- Soft technologies also called software or
disembodied technology concerns the knowledge of
methods and techniques for the production of
goods and services, or for choosing optimal
courses of action - Soft technologies enable hard technologies to be
applied - Analogous to adaptive capacity
- Includes such elements as education, training
- Can also include approaches to overcome barriers
to adoption of technologies (e.g., market,
economic, institutional, cultural)?
15WHAT TECHNOLOGIES ARE REASONABLE FOR ADAPTATION
TO CLIMATE CHANGE?
- The development and deployment of either type of
technology requires the right economic, legal and
institutional contexts. Therefore, an effective
adaptation strategy will comprise a mix of
various adaptation approaches - Do we invest now in technologies to anticipate
climate change? Does it make sense to deploy them
now? - Benefits are too far in future to justify large
investment solely for climate change.. - Too many uncertainties about local climate
change. However, RD may make sense..
16WHAT TECHNOLOGIES ARE REASONABLE FOR ADAPTATION
TO CLIMATE CHANGE?
- What technologies for adaptation do we invest in?
- Basically, ones that are needed for todays needs
and are further justified by consideration of
climate change.. - Means that technologies do not address climate
change alone?
17WHAT TECHNOLOGIES ARE REASONABLE FOR ADAPTATION
TO CLIMATE CHANGE?
- Timing
- Should consider these technologies when
adaptations will be needed? - Because of barriers or length of investments,
some adaptations could take many years to
implement. Therefore it may make sense to
address barriers for long-term adaptations now so
implementation is shortened
- Agriculture vs. water
- Many agriculture investments take 5 to 30 years
- Water investments such as supply can take 50 to
100 years - Different timing of investments may be justified
18WHAT TECHNOLOGIES ARE REASONABLE FOR ADAPTATION
TO CLIMATE CHANGE?
- Technologies which help reduce the impacts of
climate change can themselves cause other
problems - Coastal zone adaptation technologies are a good
example. Many of the technologies incorporated
within, or needed to implement, managed retreat
from, accommodation of, or protection against,
rising sea levels can have adverse social,
economic or environmental consequences, often
even when diligently executed (e.g., most hard
structures such as sea walls have deleterious
effects upon local ecosystems, including, in the
case of many small islands, for example,
fisheries and coral reefs) - Few, if any, coastal adaptation technologies have
no negative side-effects. Under certain
circumstances these unintended side-effects can
outweigh the benefits of a particular coastal
adaptation technology
19WHAT TECHNOLOGIES ARE REASONABLE FOR ADAPTATION
TO CLIMATE CHANGE?
- Analyze vulnerability and adaptation needs
- Need to understand vulnerability to current
climate and climate change - Need to address climate change adaptation needs
- Challenges of assessing vulnerability
- Difficulty in comparing across sectors because of
differences in impacts human life, income, well
being, ecological impacts (adaptation does not
have equivalent of /TC) - Uncertainties about climate change
- Time frame
- UNDP Adaptation PolicyFramework (scope project
assess current vulnerabilitycharacterize
future, climate-related risks develop
adaptation strategycontinue adaptation process)
20ANALYSIS OF NEEDS AND SETTING PRIORITIES
- Vulnerability assessment is a natural prelude to
technology assessment in the context of
adaptation. An assessment primarily involves an
analysis of the vulnerability of sectors and
systems and the approaches (technologies) that
can be applied to reduce the identified
vulnerability or enhance resilience - The actual on-the-ground implementation of any
technology would have to be a decision based on
the TNA process, involving inter alia, technology
assessments, stakeholder consultations, analysis
and removal of implementation barriers, enabling
environments, implementation plans, etc.
21ANALYSIS OF NEEDS AND SETTING PRIORITIES
- A complete assessment of adaptation options would
include an analysis of adaptive capacity,
cost-benefit analyses, effectiveness, and
efficiency etc. that may or may not fall within
the purview of technology per se - Technology itself can have adverse impacts of its
own and technology as applied to adaptation may
also need to be assessed for these adverse
impacts, either on natural or human systems (see
above example on coastal zone technologies)
22ANALYSIS OF NEEDS AND SETTING PRIORITIES
- Identify broad adaptation needs first. What is
really needed? - Set priorities
- Policy reforms may be most important
- Do not assume technology is the answer use it
as needed - Recognize that many adaptations are on an ad hoc
basis. Do not ignore these opportunities
23ANALYSIS OF NEEDS AND SETTING PRIORITIES
- It is important to rank technologies in terms of
priorities. No right or wrong way to do it be
consistent and transparent - TNA process suggests priority setting involve
stakeholders and be comprehensive - Can consider criteria such as most
cost-effectively reducing current risks or
addressing urgent climate change needs (e.g.,
where vulnerability or costs of response could
increase if not addressed) - The TNA process is country driven and include
national priorities. Nevertheless, common grounds
can be defined that might be useful to other
countries in dealing with adaptation issues - Information generated by other processes such as
National Communications, NAPAs, UNDP APF etc.
should also be taken into consideration
24ANALYSIS OF NEEDS AND SETTING PRIORITIES
25INTEGRATION WITH SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT
- Address current problems that can be made worse
by climate change - Consider future development paths
- Identify where these paths
- Exacerbates existing problems
- Eases existing problems
- Creates new problems
- Identify linkages with climate change
26EXAMPLES WATER RESOURCES
- Options can involve actions on both the demand
and supply sides - Supply side adaptations increasing flood
defences, building weirs and locks to manage
water levels and modifying or extending
infrastructure to collect and distribute water to
consumers - Demand-side adaptive techniques water-efficient
irrigation such as drip-irrigation technology,
water conservation techniques, land use
management technology - Water conservation for potable use would be of
high importance for countries projected to have a
decrease in annual rainfall - Protection of surface and ground water reserves
can employ pollution prevention technology in
sectors that give rise to water pollutants such
as industry and agriculture
27EXAMPLES WATER RESOURCES
- Limited water supply
- Already a problem because of overuse, pollution
- Higher population, economic growth could
exacerbate problem by increasing demand - Climate change risks reducing supply
- Salt water intrusion from sea level rise
- Reduced runoff/infiltration
- Identify technologies that address water supply
needs e.g., - Increase efficiency of use
- Reduce losses
- Increase supply
28EXAMPLES - AGRICULTURE
29EXAMPLES - AGRICULTURE
- Chemical pollution from agriculture.
Agricultural activity can affect water quality
through run off from fertilizers, pesticides and
soils into surface and groundwater. A logical
approach would be to prevent/reduce the amount of
chemicals used. Two such approaches can be - Integrated Pest Management (IPM) involves pest
control methods including growing pest-resistant
cultivars, crop rotation and tillage techniques.
Efficient and proper application of pesticides
can reduce chemical loads - Integrated Plant Nutrition Systems (IPNS)
involves the efficient use of nutrient supply to
crops helps to improve productive capacity of
soils timely and sufficient use of on- and
off-farm nutrient supply can reduce run-off to
surface-, and leaching to, groundwater
30EXAMPLES HUMAN HEALTH
31FINAL THOUGHTS
- Knowledge of adaptation technologies and
practices is limited and the work of the EGTT on
this topic just started. Nevertheless, a wide
range of sector-specific ESTs that can function
as adaptation technologies are available
depending on the vulnerability of a particular
sector - A main challenge remains to identify these
technologies, assess them, adapt them to local
conditions and deploy them - Need to begin with present-day needs and to
consider development paths. What problems are
made worse, eased or introduced and add in
climate change as a consideration - Technology can be an answer but is not always the
answer
32Thank you!