Climate change adaptation

Climate change adaptation is the process of adjusting to the effects of climate change. These can be both current or expected impacts. Adaptation aims to moderate or avoid harm for people, and is usually done alongside climate change mitigation. It also aims to exploit opportunities. Humans may also intervene to help adjustment for natural systems. There are many adaptation strategies or options. They can help manage impacts and risks to people and nature. The four types of adaptation actions are infrastructural, institutional, behavioural and nature-based options.^{: Figure 16.5}

Adapting to climate change involves infrastructural, institutional, behavioral and nature-based approaches. Examples shown here from top left are mangrove planting and habitat conservation, building seawalls to protect against sea level rise, selective breeding for drought-resistant crops, and building green roofs to reduce urban heat island effects.

The need for adaptation varies from place to place. It depends on the risk to human or ecological systems. Adaptation is particularly important in developing countries because they are most vulnerable to climate change, bearing the brunt of its effects. Adaptation needs are high for food, water and other sectors important for economic output, jobs and incomes.

Adaptation planning is important to help countries manage climate risks. Plans, policies or strategies are in place in more than 70% of countries. Other levels of government like cities and provinces also use adaptation planning. So do economic sectors. Donor countries can give money to developing countries to help develop national adaptation plans. This is important to help them implement more adaptation. The adaptation carried out so far is not enough to manage risks at current levels of climate change.^: 20 ^: 130 And adaptation must also anticipate future risks of climate change. The costs of climate change adaptation are likely to cost billions of dollars a year for the coming decades. In many cases, the cost will be less than the damage that it avoids.

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