The IPCC sixth assessment report: Adaptation efforts

On the 28th of February this year the second part of the IPCC sixth assessment report (AR6) was released focusing on how climate change impacts the world and the necessary adaptation efforts. 

Since we focused on observed and projected impacts last week, we will now discuss adaptation efforts in the following. 

Adaptation versus mitigation

In a nutshell, mitigation efforts aim at limiting atmospheric greenhouse gas concentrations, thereby helping to slow down climate change and reduce the impact of climate hazards, whereas adaptation efforts help reduce the exposure and vulnerability to these hazards.

Compared to the previous IPCC reports, adaptation efforts take center stage in the latest one. The reason for this is simple. As the authors find, even if global warming only temporarily surpasses the 1.5°C target before falling back again, both human and natural systems will experience severe risks, including some that cannot be reversed. 

One prominent example in this case are coral reefs, an important habitat for many oceanic species. Their loss will also lead to long-term consequences in terms of food security particularly for those dependent on fishery for their livelihood. Finding adaptation solutions here to provide an alternative source of income is key. 

Nevertheless, the authors find that there is a significant imbalance between funds allocated for mitigation solutions and those allocated for adaptation solution. In fact, only around 5% of tracked climate finance (or around 30bn USD) have been invested in adaptation solutions. 

Hereby the key problem is, according to the authors, that emission reduction targets contributing to climate change mitigation can easily be quantified, whereas measuring adaptation solutions is often complex, involving a diverse set of actors experiencing a different level of impact. To overcome this problem, the three key metrics effectiveness, feasibility and justice are proposed. 

Adaptation solutions

As of right now, progress on implementing adaptation solutions is still low. In this context some of the most prominent examples are changes in behavior in areas such as Africa and Asia as a reaction to extreme weather events such as flooding and drought, and the protection of infrastructure against sea level rise. 

The good news, however, is that a lot of solutions are currently already feasible and cost-effective. Below we give an overview of potential adaptation solutions for different areas. 

Agriculture, food, and forestry. Planting trees can help to provide shade for people, livestock and crops while binding carbon and helping to keep temperatures low. Farmers may adapt agroecological principles to increase climate resilience and overall food security. Moreover, changing planting dates and implementing water harvesting techniques can help adapt to changing rain patterns. 

Ocean ecosystems and coastal infrastructure. Restoring ecosystems such as mangroves and seagrass meadows can both bind carbon and protect coastal infrastructure from further erosion and sea level rise. Additional measures for flood risk include improved drainage systems, flood defenses and managing upstream and downstream water runoff more efficiently. 

Displacements. Hereby the key aspect is to facilitate sufficient funding both for adequate adaptation efforts and orderly migration pathways because of climate change, thereby protecting human rights. Moreover, public and private investments in water and sanitation, healthcare and education are key to help the world’s most vulnerable to become more resilient to climate change.