Adaptation to Climate Change: Why is it Needed and How Can it Be Implemented?

CEPS Policy Brief No. 161

19 Pages Posted: 28 Jan 2009

See all articles by Asbjørn Aaheim

Asbjørn Aaheim

affiliation not provided to SSRN

Frans Berkhout

affiliation not provided to SSRN

Darryn McEvoy

affiliation not provided to SSRN

Reinhard Mechler

International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA)

Henry Neufeldt

University of East Anglia (UEA) - Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research

Anthony G. Patt

International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA); Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH) - Department of Environmental Systems Science

Paul Watkiss

affiliation not provided to SSRN

Anita Wreford

University of East Anglia (UEA) - School of Environmental Sciences

Zbigniew Kundzewicz

Polish Academy of Sciences - Institute for Agricultural and Forest Environment; Potsdam-Institut für Klimafolgenforschung (PIK)

Carlo Lavalle

affiliation not provided to SSRN

Christian Egenhofer

Centre for European Policy Studies (CEPS)

Date Written: June 4, 2008

Abstract

This is the 3rd study to be published in the CEPS Policy Brief series from ongoing research being carried out for the EU-funded ADAM project (ADaptation And Mitigation strategies: supporting European climate policy). Following an introduction to the aims and objectives of the ADAM project, section 2 sets out the rationales for public policy related to adaptation to the impacts of climatic change in the EU. Section 3 provides evidence from a number of stakeholders and sketches the perception of various actors towards the role of European adaptation policies and climate proofing of sectoral policies. Section 4 on the economics of adaptation argues that the economic impacts of climate change will mainly be reduced by private and autonomous response, while principal challenges are with adaptation needs that require collective action and public engagement, including public finance. Section 5 assesses monetary and socioeconomic risks from extreme weather events in Europe and points to the evidence of rising losses due to weather extremes whilst important knowledge gaps remain to project future risks. And the final section (6) deals with different concepts of uncertainties surrounding climate change and climate variability, and argues for adaptive measures to be sufficiently flexible to allow recalibration as uncertainties are reduced with time.

Keywords: International Climate Change Regime, Sustainable Development

Suggested Citation

Aaheim, Asbjørn and Berkhout, Frans and McEvoy, Darryn and Mechler, Reinhard and Neufeldt, Henry and Patt, Anthony G. and Watkiss, Paul and Wreford, Anita and Kundzewicz, Zbigniew and Lavalle, Carlo and Egenhofer, Christian, Adaptation to Climate Change: Why is it Needed and How Can it Be Implemented? (June 4, 2008). CEPS Policy Brief No. 161, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=1334046 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.1334046

Asbjørn Aaheim (Contact Author)

affiliation not provided to SSRN

Frans Berkhout

affiliation not provided to SSRN

Darryn McEvoy

affiliation not provided to SSRN

Reinhard Mechler

International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA) ( email )

Schlossplatz 1
Laxenburg, A-2361
Austria

Henry Neufeldt

University of East Anglia (UEA) - Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research ( email )

Norwich, Norfolk
United Kingdom

Anthony G. Patt

International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA) ( email )

Schlossplatz 1
Laxenburg, A-2361
Austria

Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH) - Department of Environmental Systems Science

Paul Watkiss

affiliation not provided to SSRN ( email )

Anita Wreford

University of East Anglia (UEA) - School of Environmental Sciences ( email )

Norwich, NR4 7TJ
United Kingdom
+44 1603 593904 (Phone)
+44 1603 591327 (Fax)

HOME PAGE: http://www.uea.ac.uk/env/people/wreforda/index.shtml

Zbigniew Kundzewicz

Polish Academy of Sciences - Institute for Agricultural and Forest Environment ( email )

3 Maja str. 2 m 164
Warsaw, 00-391
Poland

Potsdam-Institut für Klimafolgenforschung (PIK)

Telegrafenberg 31
Potsdam, Brandenburg 14473
Germany

Carlo Lavalle

affiliation not provided to SSRN

Christian Egenhofer

Centre for European Policy Studies (CEPS) ( email )

1 Place du Congres
B-1000 Brussels, 1000
Belgium

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