Adaptation Strategies
Adaptation strategies refer to the actions and measures taken to adjust to the impacts of environmental changes, such as climate change or natural disasters. These strategies can include building resilient infrastructure, implementing early warning systems, promoting sustainable land use practices, and developing drought-resistant crops. The goal is to minimize the negative effects of environmental changes and enhance the ability to cope with them.
7 Key excerpts on "Adaptation Strategies"
eBook - ePubClimate Change
Turning Up the Heat
- A. Barrie Pittock(Author)
- 2017(Publication Date)
- Routledge(Publisher)
...Diversification is such a strategy. Agreement will also be necessary that the cost/benefit ratio for action is favourable, and the necessary human, economic and technical capacity to act must exist. If these conditions are not met, adaptation will be less than optimal. The first task in seeking optimal Adaptation Strategies is to become better informed. One example of successful adaptation, in the face of sudden climate change and great uncertainty, is that of the water supply authority for Perth in Western Australia (see Box 7). The best current explanation for the decrease in rainfall that occurred in the Perth catchments in the 1970s is that it was a combination of natural climate variability, the enhanced greenhouse effect and the effects of the depletion of ozone in the upper atmosphere. The circum-polar westerly winds have strengthened but moved further south, and the rain-bearing low-pressure systems have moved with them (see discussion in Chapter 1). A key problem in assessing the likely success of an adaptation strategy is judging how well the process is likely to be put into practice. This requires an understanding of the problem, and a conviction that adaptation is necessary and worthwhile. As in the Western Australian rainfall case, early acceptance that there may be a long-term problem rather than a short-term fluctuation is critical if large investments are needed. This requires good scientific understanding, and is not helped by unfounded scepticism or contrarian advocacy that confuses decision-makers and delays action. The degree and success of adaptation is a key factor in assessing likely climate change impacts. Early climate impact assessments often assumed that no adaptation occurred, thus exaggerating likely impacts. In the literature this is sometimes referred to as the ‘dumb farmer’ assumption. In some later impacts assessments the contrary assumption was made, that of perfect adaptation, or the ‘prescient farmer’ assumption...
- Karen Seto, William Solecki, Corrie Griffith, Karen C. Seto, William D. Solecki, Corrie A. Griffith(Authors)
- 2015(Publication Date)
- Routledge(Publisher)
...Overcoming substantial technological, economic and institutional challenges will be necessary in order to limit global warming to 2ºC (Hartmann et al., 2013). Most strategies for coping with climate change and other global environmental changes are formulated and embedded in different development sectors such as energy, transit, agriculture, etc. Since these different sectors address land use and urbanization at specific geographical scales, both climate change adaptation and mitigation strategies can vary in spatial dimension. This, in turn, means that implementation occurs at either regional or local levels.Spatial planning is an approach for responding to climate change that focuses on the interactions of land use and climate at local or regional scales (Biesbroek et al., 2009; Crawford and French, 2008). This approach is concerned with the coordination or integration of policies of different sectors through land-based strategies and goes beyond traditional regulatory-focused land use planning (Cullingworth and Nadin, 2006; Office of the Deputy Prime Minister, 2005). Relevant disciplines include land use planning, urban planning, regional planning and environmental planning. To be effective, spatial planning must have the capability to coordinate different sectors that manage, for example, transportation systems (Dewar, 2011; Grazi et al., 2008), local economic development (Gibbs, 2002; Todes, 2008; UNECE, 2008), housing (Bareman, 2002; Jones et al., 2012; Gkartzios and Scott, 2013), agriculture (Blom and Paulissen, 2007; Beukes et al., 2008; UNECE, 2008) and water systems (Wiering and Immink, 2006; Carter, 2007; Woltjer and Al, 2013).This chapter reflects on the increasing attention given to climate change and associated discussions on the role spatial planning might have in minimizing both its causes and the consequences (Campbell, 2006; Bulkeley, 2006)...
eBook - ePubExperiencing Climate Change in Bangladesh
Vulnerability and Adaptation in Coastal Regions
- Salim Momtaz, Masud Shameem(Authors)
- 2015(Publication Date)
- Academic Press(Publisher)
...Chapter 7 Climate Disturbances and Change Strategies for Adaptation Abstract This chapter explores peoples' diversifications in income sources as responses to changes imposed upon them by changing hydro-climatic conditions. Special emphasis is placed on specific adaptation measures of the agricultural and aquaculture farmers. Keywords Adaptation; Incremental adjustment; Livelihood diversification; Risk spreading strategy Contents 7.1 Introduction 103 7.2 Livelihood Diversification for Adaptation and Increasing Security 104 7.3 Changing Livelihood Strategies for Adaptation to Climatic Hazards and Other Stressors 106 7.3.1 Shift to Aquaculture-Based Livelihood Strategies 107 7.3.2 Incorporation of Traditional Practices into Commercial Aquaculture 108 7.3.3 Adoption of New Species as a Risk-Spreading Strategy 109 7.4 Coping Strategies in Shrimp Aquaculture 110 7.5 Adaptation to Salinity Intrusion in Rice Production 111 7.6 Use of Climate Information 113 7.7 Adaptation to Salinity Encroachment in Drinking Water Resources 114 7.8 Improvement of Shelters: Households’ Response to Tidal Flood 115 7.9 Migration 116 7.10 Discussion and Conclusion 117 References 121 7.1. Introduction This chapter illustrates the types of mechanisms by which livelihood adaptations are occurring at the household level in the context of coastal regions. Having analyzed in previous chapters the adaptive capacity in terms of households’ access to five main types of assets and the local understanding of the livelihood risks associated with climate change, this chapter examines how households adapt their livelihoods to respond to climate risk. This chapter explores how the adaptive capacity of the households, triggered by climate risk perceptions, enables the process of adaptation to climate change...
eBook - ePubEnvironmental Hazards and Resilience
Theory and Evidence
- Dennis J. Parker, Edmund C. Penning-Rowsell, Dennis J. Parker, Edmund C. Penning-Rowsell(Authors)
- 2021(Publication Date)
- Routledge(Publisher)
...The overall aim of adaptation is ‘ … to maintain and increase the resilience and reduce the vulnerability of ecosystems and people in the face of the adverse effects of climate change’ (Agard et al., 2014, p. 11). From this perspective, adaptation actions contribute to reducing vulnerability and building resilience within the context of a changing climate (IPCC, 2014). While there is a significant amount of planning being conducted to develop and mainstream adaptation policy, an emerging challenge is that this planning can often be considered incremental, primarily local and lacking a broader strategic approach and consideration of ideas of transformation and change (IPCC, 2014). While the concepts of vulnerability and resilience may be considered during adaptation planning, an overarching framework to guide adaptation thinking is often neglected. Although resilience may be used to describe or frame adaptation activities (i.e. that the adaptation option helps move the system toward resilience), a description of what resilience means and what it entails is often lacking. At a time when there is increasingly popular use of the term resilience, it is important to critically examine how this concept can be incorporated in a framework to advance climate change adaptation thinking and help make it a powerful agent for change. While there is a strong definitional, methodological and empirical understanding of vulnerability, the relationship between vulnerability and resilience, and how it contributes to framing adaptation, is unclear (Cannon & Müller-Mahn, 2010)...
eBook - ePub- Dina Ionesco, Daria Mokhnacheva, François Gemenne(Authors)
- 2016(Publication Date)
- Routledge(Publisher)
...Yet, a large number of migrants, far from the image of expiatory victims, deploy exceptional resources to make their migration a success. And for some of them, leaving is not necessarily a solution of last resort, but rather a personal adaptation strategy. How is it thus possible to ensure that environmental migration, as a whole, is no longer the result of a failure of adaptation or a forced decision, but rather part of an adaptation strategy? Political choices that are made from today onwards concerning migration and adaptation policies will shape the answer to this question, so much more so than the nature of environmental degradation. An adaptation strategy Over the past few years, a certain degree of consensus has formed around the idea that migration can be beneficial to climate change adaptation. Many organizations and governments have begun to promote mobility as a solution, rather than attempting to avoid it as a disaster. This positive arid dynamic vision nevertheless comprises a certain number of risks, starting with forgetting that for a large number of migrants, leaving is not a voluntary choice but a forced one, It must also not neglect the risks for communities of origin and destination. For the former, the emigration of the youngest, richest and best educated members of their population can lead to significant impoverishment and a sense of abandonment, which will only increase environmental vulnerability; the authorities can also sometimes become disinterested in a deserted region, which will become even more marginalized as a result. For the latter, migration can also be a source of vulnerability, through the additional pressure that migrants exert on increasingly scarce natural resources, such as land and water...
eBook - ePubClimate Change Adaptation and Development
Transforming Paradigms and Practices
- Tor Håkon Inderberg, Siri Eriksen, Karen O'Brien, Linda Sygna, Tor Håkon Inderberg, Siri Eriksen, Karen O'Brien, Linda Sygna(Authors)
- 2014(Publication Date)
- Routledge(Publisher)
...The cases presented in this book show that adaptation is a question of much more than a set of projects or interventions to reduce specific impacts of climate change: adaptation includes the dynamics of living with change while also transforming the processes that have contributed to vulnerability in the first place. Adaptation is a social process that involves empowering individuals, households, communities, institutions and states, not only to react and respond to the impacts of change, but also to challenge the drivers of risk and promote alternative pathways to development. This broader view of adaptation does not mean that technical measures are unnecessary or unimportant. Drought-resistant seeds, flood barriers, early warning systems, water harvesting, malaria control, drip irrigation and other such responses will remain critical to the lives and livelihoods of millions. Nonetheless, such measures are not sufficient for dealing with vulnerability in a world where development processes themselves often contribute to inequities and reduce response options, all the while moving the world along a trajectory towards dangerous climate change. The current high-risk situation means that it is time to consider how adaptation, mitigation and development can, together, contribute to shared outcomes that are equitable, ethical and sustainable. In this concluding chapter, we consider what it means to transform paradigms and practices so as to enhance social equity, resilience and environmental integrity in the face of climate change. Synthesizing some key findings about adaptation from the chapters, we present a framework or ‘roadmap’ that can be used to navigate what Pelling (2011) refers to as ‘adaptation as transformation’. We begin by discussing why transformative responses to adaptation and development are necessary...
eBook - ePubNon-Traditional Security Challenges in Asia
Approaches and Responses
- Shebonti Ray Dadwal, Uttam Kumar Sinha, ShebontiRay Dadwal(Authors)
- 2017(Publication Date)
- Routledge India(Publisher)
...Adaptation has also become a focus in the debate on the security-related implications of climate change, not least because it is no longer possible to avoid adaptation measures, as greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions to date have already triggered irreversible global warming. The necessity of adaptation was repeatedly drawn attention to during the UNSC debates on climate change in 2007 and 2011. In addition, adaptation was mentioned as a potential threat minimizer as part of the UN Secretary General’s report on climate change and security published in 2009 (UN Secretary General 2009). However, these demands largely remained at a general level. One reason for this may be that discussions of security policy and debates on adaptation take place in different political arenas, and exchange to date has been marginal. Another reason may be that different conceptual perspectives on adaptation exist which may have quite different implications, especially when it comes to addressing adaptation needs in conflict prone areas (Tänzler et al. 2010). One of the most widespread approaches is to view adaptation as primarily a technical challenge. The negative consequences of climate change should be mainly absorbed by measures such as technology transfer or capacity building in the area of resource management. Sustainable management and conservation of water, soil, and biological resource ecosystems should remain fully functional and resilient against climate change. In addition, it is also necessary to anticipate the potential social and political implications of adaptation measures and to avoid negative impacts, for example, by applying the “Do No Harm principle” (Anderson 1999). Here it becomes clear that adaptation is not a purely technical or financial question, it also has a political dimension, particularly when it takes place in an area of conflict...
