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|a World Resources 2010-2011 |h [electronic resource]. |
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|a 10 G Street, NE Suite 800 Washington, DC 20002 : |b World Resources Institute, |c 2011-10-01. |
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|a Please contact the owning institution for licensing and permissions. It is the user's responsibility to ensure use does not violate any third party rights. |
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|a Adaptation to accommodate climate change will frame
the future for countries and communities across the globe. Responding to climate
impacts as diverse as altered rainfall patterns, more frequent or intense extreme
weather events, and rising sea levels will challenge decision makers at every level
of government and in every sector of the economy. What steps should be taken to protect vital
infrastructure, such as roads, dams, and factories, or to ensure the safety of housing stocks, both
existing and yet to be built? What policies should be adopted or investments made to help agriculture
adapt to new rainfall and temperature regimes and to secure local food supplies? How
should valuable ecosystems like forests or coral reefs be managed to maintain the vital services
they render and livelihoods they support? How can we ensure that the unique challenges faced
by the most vulnerable and disadvantaged people are not overlooked or ignored?
Complicating these challenges is the uncertainty that surrounds how such changes will unfold.
Future rainfall projections for Ghana in 2050, for example, vary from much wetter to much drier,
with estimates ranging from a 49 percent increase to a 65 percent decrease from 2010 levels1 in
annual precipitation. Such a range makes it difficult for governments to prepare for the impacts
on key sectors such as agriculture and electricity generation.
Another challenge that decision makers will need to face is that climate change will not play
out on a level playing field. The vulnerability of affected populations and ecosystems will influence
the outcomes of climate change on the ground. When a disaster strikes or a long-term change
unfolds, the impact will vary between and often within regions, countries, and localities, based
on the vulnerability of affected people. For example, a cyclone in Australia will not have the same
impact on communities as one of equal magnitude in Bangladesh.
While there are early examples of adaptation efforts now taking place, many national governments
have yet to integrate climate change risks into current and long-term planning and policymaking.
Developing countries face particularly difficult challenges in doing so. Many will bear a
heavier burden of climate change impacts because of factors beyond their control, such as geography.
At the same time, their ability to undertake adaptation initiatives to accommodate long-term
impacts, such as glacial melt or sea level rise, is severely constrained by the press of meeting
current development needs, among other factors. Yet integrating climate risks into governmental
decision making will be essential if development and other goals are to be met. |
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|a Electronic reproduction. |c Florida International University, |d 2015. |f (dpSobek) |n Mode of access: World Wide Web. |n System requirements: Internet connectivity; Web browser software. |
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|a Environmental health--Planning. |
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|a World Resources Institute. |
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|t World Resources 2010-2011 |
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|a International Documents Collection. |
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|a dpSobek |c Sea Level Rise |
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|u http://dpanther.fiu.edu/dpService/dpPurlService/purl/FI15042510/00001 |y Click here for full text |
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|3 FULL TEXT- World Resources 2010-2011 |u https://www.iea.org/publications/freepublications/publication/WEO2011_WEB.pdf |y World Resources 2010-2011 |
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|a http://dpanther.fiu.edu/sobek/content/FI/15/04/25/10/00001/FI15042510_thm.jpg |
