UNITED NATIONS ENVIRONMENT PROGRAMME

Training Workshop on Green Jobs for ILO Staff

08 December 2010Bangkok, Thailand

Climate Change: Adaptation

Mozaharul AlamRegional Climate Change Coordinator and

SEAN-CC CoordinatorRegional Office for Asia and the Pacific

� UNFCCC: A Global Response to Climate Change

� Overview of Adaptation Science

� Key Terminologies – Impacts, Vulnerability and Adaptation Related

� Steps involved in Adaptation Planning

� Examples of Community Based Adaptation

� Mainstreaming Climate Change: Processes drive at different levels

�� National Adaptation National Adaptation ProgrammeProgramme of Action and Othersof Action and Others

About PresentationAbout Presentation

UNFCCC: BackgroundUNFCCC: Background

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� Climate Change for the first taken by the UN General Assembly in 1988

� It has adopted resolution 43/53 of 6 December 1988 on the “Protection of the Global Climate for Present and Future Generation of Mankind”

� UN General Assembly established an Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee (INC) for negotiating a framework convention on climate change in 1990.

� The INC adopted by consensus the UNFCCC on 9 May 1992 at New York and Open for signature at the “Earth Summit” in Brazil.

UNFCCC: The Ultimate ObjectiveUNFCCC: The Ultimate Objective

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� Stabilization of greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere at a level that would prevent dangerous anthropogenic interference with the climate system. Such a level should be achieved within a time-frame sufficient to:

� allow ecosystems to adapt naturally to climate change,

� ensure that food production is not threatened and

� enable economic development to proceed in a sustainable manner.

UNFCCC: Principles UNFCCC: Principles

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� On the basis of equity and common but differentiated responsibilities and respective capabilities. Developed country Parties should take the lead.

� The specific needs and special circumstances of developing country Parties should be given full consideration.

� The Parties should take precautionary measures to anticipate, prevent or minimize the causes of climate change and mitigate its adverse effects.

� The Parties have a right to, and should, promote sustainable development.

� The Parties should cooperate to promote a supportive and open international economic system that would lead to sustainable economic growth and development in all Parties

What is Global Warming?What is Global Warming?

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� The progressive gradual rise of the earth's surface temperature caused by the greenhouse effect and responsible for changes in global climate patterns. An increase in the near surface temperature of the Earth.

� Global warming has occurred in the distant past as the result of natural influences, but the term is most often used to refer to the warming predicted to occur as a result of increased emissions of greenhouse gases.

� Gases that contribute to global warming include carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxides, chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), and halocarbons (the replacements for CFCs).

� The carbon dioxide emissions are primarily caused by the use of fossil fuels for energy.

An Overview on Adaptation: Adaptation ScienceAn Overview on Adaptation: Adaptation Science

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Human interference

MITIGATIONof climate change via

GHG sources and sinks

CLIMATE CHANGE including variability

Policy responses

PlannedADAPTATION

to the impacts and vulnerabilities

Exposure,Sensitivity

Initial Impacts or Effects

Autonomous Adjustments

Residual or Net Impacts

I M P

A C

T S

V U

L N

E R

A B

I L

I T I

E S

Key terminologiesKey terminologies

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Climate

� Climate in a narrow sense is usually defined as the ‘average weather’, or more rigorously, as the statistical description in terms ofthe mean and variability, most often refers surface variables such as temperature, precipitation, and wind. Climate in a wider sense is the state, including a statistical description, of the climate system. The classical period of time is 30 years, as defined by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO).

Impacts

� The effects of climate change on natural and human systems. Depending on the consideration of adaptation, one can distinguish between potential impacts and residual impacts:

� Potential impacts: all impacts that may occur given a projected change in climate, without considering adaptation.

� Residual impacts: the impacts of climate change that would occurafter adaptation. See also aggregate impacts, market impacts, and non-market impacts.

Key terminologiesKey terminologies

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Vulnerability

� The degree to which a system is susceptible to, or unable to cope with, adverse effects of climate change, including climate variability and extremes.

� Vulnerability is a function of the character, magnitude and rate of climate change and variation to which a system is exposed, its sensitivity and its adaptive capacity.

Sensitivity

� Sensitivity is the degree to which a system is affected

Impact Impact –– Vulnerability and Adaptation RelationshipVulnerability and Adaptation Relationship

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= ∑ ∫

X ∫X ∫

Intensity of Event

BaselineConditions

AdaptiveCapacity

Impacts ofan event

Key terminologiesKey terminologies

.

Adaptation

� Adjustment in natural or human systems in response to actual or expected climatic stimuli or their effects, which moderates harm or exploits beneficial opportunities. Various types of adaptation can be distinguished, including anticipatory, autonomous and planned adaptation

Adaptive Capacity

� The ability of a system to adjust to climate change (including climate variability and extremes), to moderate potential damages, to take advantage of opportunities or to cope with the consequences.

� Understanding climate related risk and livelihoods linkages

� Economic condition

� Social situation

� Institutional capacity/strength

� Technology

� Environmental sustainability

Types of AdaptationTypes of Adaptation

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Anticipatory ReactiveP

rivat

eP

ublic

· Purchase of insurance· Construction of house on stilts· Redesign of oil-rigs

· Compensatory payments, subsidies

· Enforcement of building codes· Beach nourishment

· Early-warning systems· New building codes, design standards

· Incentives for relocation

· Changes in farm practices· Changes in insurance premiums· Purchase of air-conditioning

HumanSystems

NaturalSystems

· Changes in length of growing season

· Changes in ecosystem composition· Wetland migration

Types of AdaptationTypes of Adaptation

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� Anticipatory adaptation

� Adaptation that takes place before impacts of climate change areobserved. Also referred to as proactive adaptation.

� Autonomous adaptation

� Adaptation that does not constitute a conscious response to climatic stimuli but is triggered by ecological changes in natural systems and by market or welfare changes in human systems. Also referred to as spontaneous adaptation.

� Planned adaptation

� Adaptation that is the result of a deliberate policy decision, based on an awareness that conditions have changed or are about to change and that action is required to return to, maintain, or achieve a desired state.

Source: IPCC

Conceptual Framework: Steps involved in Conceptual Framework: Steps involved in planned adaptationplanned adaptation

Community based adaptation: an approachCommunity based adaptation: an approach

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� Community-driven processes to consider and cope with climate change

� Starts with communities needs and perceptions and balances Climate considerations with other factors for development and human security

� In practice, not very different from “ development as usual”-can be viewed as an additional layer of community based development activities, practices, research and policies

� Draws upon community knowledge (e.g. past strategies to cope with shocks) and

� Takes into account local priorities, needs, knowledge, and capacities

Adaptive capacity of communitiesAdaptive capacity of communities

� Knowledge – diversity of, access

to and ability to use available

information- both scientific and

local

� Affiliation – extent, strength and

position within social networks

� Representation - proximity to

and control over change leaders

� Responsiveness - institutional

reaction to and accountability to

demands.

Adaptive capacity: Adaptive capacity: ability to make ability to make

changes to lives and changes to lives and livelihoodslivelihoods

Community Based Adaptation Practices: Community Based Adaptation Practices:

Examples from BangladeshExamples from Bangladesh

• Traditionally been practicing by some communities in southern districts

• Recently this technology has been introduced in other wetland area through organized extension under environmental-developmental projects (RVCC, SEMP etc.)

Fish Culture in CagesFish Culture in Cages

� Fish farming in the cages� Practiced in South west and south central part

� Scaling up is being taken place

Challenges

� Plastic fiber net is not available in the local market

� Scaling up this practice

�New technology to improve this practice

Homestead Based Vegetables Cultivation

�� ChallengesChallenges

�� Access of landless peopleAccess of landless people

�� Serious scarcity of water Serious scarcity of water

� Traditionally being practiced

� BARI added scientific knowledge

� Women are mostly involved

� Support nutrition for the poor

� Minimum water is needed

Community Based Flood Shelter

� 6 acres of land provided by community themselves

� 7 feet height from plain lands� Community themselves constructed

� Maintain by a committee

Rainwater harvesting and storage

� Traditionally being practiced

� Modified technology

� Maintenance and managed by women

� Increase access of the poor to safe drinking water

�� ChallengesChallenges

�� Adequacy of action against scale of Adequacy of action against scale of

problemproblem

�� Designing infrastructure is based on Designing infrastructure is based on

historical events, need to design historical events, need to design

based on climate change projection based on climate change projection ––

tools and capacity buildingtools and capacity building

Adaptation to Salinity and Erosion

�� Enhance adaptive capacity of the Enhance adaptive capacity of the

drought vulnerable community in drought vulnerable community in

northnorth--western part of Bangladeshwestern part of Bangladesh

•• SouthSouthNorthSouthSouthNorth Collaboration ProjectCollaboration Project

•• BCAS and Caritas BangladeshBCAS and Caritas Bangladesh

•• Based on Need Assessment by the Based on Need Assessment by the

communitycommunity

•• Drip irrigation for vegetable cultivationDrip irrigation for vegetable cultivation

•• Community based rainwater harvesting Community based rainwater harvesting

•• Drought tolerant cropDrought tolerant crop

•• Pond excavationPond excavation

Some examples of Community based AdaptationSome examples of Community based Adaptation

�� IndonesiaIndonesia

�� Climate Field Schools followed a participatory learning by Climate Field Schools followed a participatory learning by doingdoing’’ approach to help farmers increase their knowledge approach to help farmers increase their knowledge of climate change and observe climatic parameters of climate change and observe climatic parameters themselves, such as rainfall, to help guide farming themselves, such as rainfall, to help guide farming activitiesactivities

�� NepalNepal

�� Cash crop planting that need little irrigation in areas that Cash crop planting that need little irrigation in areas that have been experiencing decrease in rainfall combined with have been experiencing decrease in rainfall combined with forest conservation and better landforest conservation and better land--use managementuse management

Mainstreaming Climate Change: Processes drive Mainstreaming Climate Change: Processes drive at different levelsat different levels

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International Level: United Nations Framework Conve ntion on Climate Change

� National Adaptation Programme of Action (NAPA) – LDCsas a first step;

� National Adaptation Plan/Programme - AWG-LCA

National Level Initiatives

� National Climate Change Strategy and Action Plan –Several Countries have developed their plan

Development Partners at International and National Level

� OECD Declaration on Integrating Climate Adaptation into Development Co-operation – Developed guideline on integration

� Screening Tools – Assessment of Vulnerability of on-going projects and how to increase resilience