Adaptation Policy Frameworks for Climate Change
About the APF | Introduction to the APF process | Download chapters
Developed by UNDP on behalf of the Global Environment Facility, Adaptation Policy Frameworks (APF) for Climate Change: Developing Strategies, Policies and Measures provides a structured approach to formulating and implementing adaptation strategies, policies and measures to ensure human development in the face of climate variability and change.
This page offers information about the APF and an introduction to the five stages involved in scoping and designing adaptation projects. The publication is also available for download by chapter at right, directly below the Adaptation Topics menu, as PDF files.
About the APF
The APF links climate change adaptation to sustainable development and global environmental issues. It is structured around four major principles:
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Adaptation to short-term climate variability and extreme events serves as a starting point for reducing vulnerability to longer-term climate change;
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Adaptation policies and measures are assessed in a developmental context;
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Adaptation occurs at different levels in society, including the local level; and
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The adaptation strategy and the process by which it is implemented are equally important.
The APF process can be used for formulating and designing adaptation-related projects or for exploring the potential to add adaptation considerations to other types of projects. Projects can focus on any population scale, from a village to the national level.
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Introduction to the APF stages
Navigate the five APF stages:
1. Scoping & Designing an Adaptation Project
2. Assessing Current Vulnerability of Development Objectives to Climate
3. Assessing Future Climate Change Risks to the Development Objective
4. Formulating an Adaptation Strategy
5. Continuing the Adaptation Process through Monitoring and Evaluation
1. Scoping & Designing an Adaptation Project
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Ensuring that a policy, plan or project at any scale or scope is well-integrated into national policy planning and development processes. The purpose is to put in place an effective plan so that adaptation strategies, policies, and measures can be implemented effectively.
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1. What is the development objective or outcome sought? What is the scope for the policy, plan or project and what are the priority systems?
2. What key policy processes are related to this objective?
3. What groups are particularly at risk to climate change and how can they engage in the policy, plan or project design process as stakeholders?
4. What information is available related to current and future climate change vulnerability and hazards, and what does this information suggest about policy, plan or project risks and responses (a preliminary overview)?
5. What is the proposed approach and method for the policy, plan or project formulation (hazards-based, vulnerability-based, adaptive capacity, or policy-based)?
6. What is the policy, plan or project outline and plan? |
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– Clarify objectives and scope of the policy, plan or project
– Establish a stakeholder process
– Review available information on vulnerability and adaptation
– Outline the policy, plan or project |
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1. Scoping & Designing an Adaptation Project
2. Engaging Stakeholders in the Adaptation Process |
^ Top  ^ Introduction to the APF process
2. Assessing Current Vulnerability of Development Objectives to Climate
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Establishing the baseline. Where does the system stand today with respect to vulnerability to climate risks? What are the factors that determine current vulnerability? How successful are efforts to adapt to current climate risks? Current methods for coping with climate risks should be built upon in the policy, plan or project, and existing factors of vulnerability addressed.
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1. What are the current major climate-related hazards?
2. What are the current major impacts/outcomes of these climate-related hazards?
3. What currently determines the type and severity of the impacts/outcomes (vulnerability)?
4. What measures and policies currently relate to relevant climate risks, impacts and selected development outcomes?* How effective are they? Do development policies increase these risks?
*See definitions.
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– Assess current climate risks and impacts (relevant to the policy, plan or project)
– Establish current socio-economic conditions
– Assess current vulnerability of the relevant system
– Assess current adaptive capacity/adaptation
– Assess current policies related to climate risk and vulnerability and policy needs |
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3. Assessing Vulnerability for Climate Adaptation
4. Assessing Current Climate Risks
6. Assessing Current and Changing Socio-Economic Conditions
7. Assessing and Enhancing Adaptive Capacity |
^ Top ^ Introduction to the APF process
3. Assessing Future Climate Change Risks to the Development Objective
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Focusing on the analysis of scenarios of future climate, vulnerability and socio-economic and environmental trends as the basis for understanding future climate risks. The policy, plan or project design should consider both current as well as future risks and vulnerability.
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1. How is the priority system sensitive to climate change?
2. What is the relevant planning horizon? (10, 20, 50 years?)
3. What are the trends (observed) and projected (future) major climate-related hazards? Over what time scale? What is the range of severity of these hazards (accounting for uncertainty)?
4. What future socio-economic or other factors will determine the type and severity of the impacts/outcomes? (future vulnerability based on socio-economic scenarios)
5. What are the projected impacts/outcomes of these hazards (based on selected scenarios and impact models)?
6. What are the barriers and opportunities for adaptation? What aspects of national decision-making processes pose barriers or present opportunities for integrating climate change risks (e.g., institutional arrangements and authority, participation, and decision-making pathways)? |
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– Identify relevant climate variables and assess trends (observed) and projections (modeled) (e.g. temperature, precipitation, stream flow, growing season, min. temperature, etc., depending on the system)
– Assess socio-economic trends (relevant to the policy, plan or project) – Assess trends in natural resources and environment, including anthropogenic drivers of environmental stresses
– Assess barriers to adaptation to climate risks and opportunities for adaptation |
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5. Assessing Future Climate Risks
6. Assessing Current and Changing Socio-Economic Conditions |
^ Top ^ Introduction to the APF process
4. Formulating an Adaptation Strategy
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In response to current and future vulnerability and risks, policy options and measures should be identified and selected, and from the options, a cohesive, integrated policy, plan or project strategy developed.
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1. What are the existing methods for managing climate risks and adaptation? Are these viable in the future, can these be built upon?
2. What other interventions can be utilized to reduce impacts and improve development outcomes?
3. Can these adaptation interventions be undertaken? What are the barriers?
4. What are the costs, impacts and barriers of each option (based on agreed criteria)?
5. How do the options compare through ranking?
6. What suite of policies and measures constitutes a cohesive approach to development and adaptation? |
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– Synthesize previous steps, studies and existing adaptation options
– Identify policy, plan or project options for adaptation, characterize costs, benefits, and barriers of each
– Prioritize and select policy, plan or project options for adaptation
– Formulate an adaptation strategy |
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5. Assessing Future Climate Risks
6. Assessing Current and Changing Socio-Economic Conditions |
^ Top ^ Introduction to the APF process
5. Continuing the Adaptation Process through Monitoring and Evaluation
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Involves implementing, monitoring, evaluating, improving and sustaining initiatives launched by the adaptation policy, plan or project.
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1. What are the channels for integrating the policy, plan or project into development plans and policies? What barriers exist, including capacity?
2. What are the necessary management, oversight, implementation and support structures?
3. What are the indicators of progress, and over what time scale and how should they be tracked?
4. What is the strategy for reviewing, monitoring and evaluating impacts? |
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– Incorporate adaptation policies and measures into development plans
– Implement the adaptation strategy and institutionalize follow-up
– Review, monitor and evaluate effectiveness of policies and measures |
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9. Continuing the Adaptation Process |
^ Introduction to the APF process
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