Climate change includes
long-term changes in mean temperature and/or precipitation
as well as potential increases in the frequency of extreme
climate conditions. Immediate adaptation responses to deal
with year-to-year risks may not be adequate for coping with
long term climate change. Similarly, solutions for managing
impacts over coming decades may not be feasible or
appropriate in the near term. The temporal dimension of
climate change impacts is therefore important to reflect
in adaptation strategies.
Types and Timescales
There is no single recommended
formula for adaptation. Adaptation will require a suite of complementary
measures, reviewed and adjusted over time.
Appropriate strategies must be specific to local
conditions and reflect
institutional capacity and national development
goals.
Adapting to climate
variability on inter-annual or inter-seasonal time scales
(i.e. current "weather") requires flexible
solutions with relatively immediate (short-term) and
measurable benefits in terms of enhancing the resilience
of affected socio-economic sectors and/or ecosystems.
Adaptation to
subtle and gradual long-term (inter-decadal) climate
change will involve measures that require systematic
and strategic planning, substantial investment (in time
and resources) and implementation over time.
A third category
of adaptation measures is one that is not as sensitive
to the temporal dimension of climate change. These measures
focus on policy and governance issues and macro-level
adjustments (such as investment promotion, institutional
capacity building and so on). These interventions are
required in order to ensure that adaptation to climate
change is sustainable.
Given the variety of circumstances in which adaptation is
necessary, a classification of responses as long- or short-term
does not apply neatly to every situation. Certain immediate
adaptation responses may also be effective long-term strategies
if they are expanded or adjusted to changing climate conditions.
