Adaptation
Adaptation to climate change is vital in order to reduce the impacts of climate change that are happening now and increase resilience to future impacts. The UNFCCC webpages on adaptation highlight the negotiations and action being carried out on adaptation by governments and stakeholders as guided by the Convention (particularly Article 2 and Article 4).
The 
Bali Action Plan (Decision 1/CP.13), adopted at COP 13 in Bali, December 2007, identifies adaptation as one of the five key building blocks required (shared vision, mitigation, adaptation, technology and financial resources) for a strengthened future response to climate change to enable the full, effective and sustained implementation of the Convention through long-term cooperative action, now, up to and beyond 2012. The Bali Action Plan is being negotiated under the the Ad Hoc Working Group on Long-term Cooperative Action under the Convention (AWG-LCA).
Most recently at the resumed seventh session of the AWG-LCA in Barcelona, 2-6 November, Parties further progressed negotiations. A negotiating text was agreed on that will be forwarded to Parties at the UN Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen to serve as the basis for finalizing agreement on how to enhance action on adaptation now, up to and beyond 2012. The text is contained in Non-paper 53.
Above background from UNFCCC.org’s webpage on adaptation.
Featured Adaptation Content
Right to Survive–Oxfam International - November 24, 2009
The humanitarian challenge in the twenty-first century
By 2015 more than 375m people are likely to be affected by climate related disasters – a projected increase of 54% – and this threatens to overwhelm the world’s current capacity to respond.
The world must be better prepared to cope with helping more vulnerable people facing worsening disasters and rich countries must stop the worst of future harm by signing a global deal to tackle climate change.
A fundamental overhaul in the way the world responds to international humanitarian crisis is required to address these growing pressures, worsened by the looming threat of climate change:
- We need $42 billion more now each year in humanitarian aid to help meet people’s basic needs and another $50 billion now each year to help developing countries adapt to the effects of climate change.
- Rich countries, most responsible for the problem, must stop harming by rapidly cutting their carbon emissions and start helping by providing more money and support to help vulnerable countries adapt.
- National governments and the international community must provide more and better, more flexible aid. Aid should be provided on the basis of need – not tied to strategic or political interests, or favor one affected group over another or cherry-pick high profile emergencies.
- To avoid the most extreme potential impact of climate change in the longer term, developing countries must give greater priority to responding to emergencies and reducing people’s vulnerability to them.
Above information from Oxfam International.
Adaptation Reports
- Assessing the costs of adaptation to climate change - December 1, 2009
Assessing the costs of adaptation to climate change: A critique ... More... - UN Human Development Report 2007/2008 - December 1, 2009
Fighting climate change: Human solidarity in a divided world Climate ... More... - Right to Survive–Oxfam International - November 24, 2009
The humanitarian challenge in the twenty-first century By 2015 more ... More... - Economics of Adaptation to Climate Change Study Overview - December 1, 2009
Economics of Adaptation to Climate Change Study Overview–World Bank The ... More... - World Development Report - November 30, 2009
“Developing countries can shift to lower-carbon paths while promoting development ... More...