Adaptation – learning from case studies for adaptation policies and sustainable development

Habiba GitayWorld Resources Institute

hgitay@wri.org

Climate, Energy and Pollution ProgramWorld Resources Institute http://www.wri.org

WRIWRI

What I want to cover….

Human activities

Multiple pressures

Impacts: Ecosystems, ecosystem services, human well-being

Natural and

human capital

Responses

Use this approach to for case studies

Human activitiesPopulation/demographicConsumption/productionTechnological changes

^GHG

Human activities

LULCC

^GHG

Human activities

LULCC

Strat ozone dep

Air pollution,aerosols Pers org poll

^GHG

Human activities

LULCC

Strat ozone dep

Air pollution,aerosols Pers org poll

Climate change

^GHG

Landdegradation

Human activities

LULCC

Changes in biodiversity

Strat ozone dep

Air pollution,aerosols Pers org poll

Climate change

Water degradation

Between Climate change, Land degradation, water degradation and loss in biodiversity

Linkages….

changes in Biodiversity

Land degradation

Water degradation

Climate change

strong

medium

weak

^GHG

Landdegradation

Human activities

LULCC

Changes in biodiversity

Strat ozone dep

Air pollution,aerosols Pers org poll

Climate change

Water degradation

Human well-beingEnvironment sustainability

-ve

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Ecosystem Services The benefits people obtain from ecosystems

•Regulating•Benefits

obtained from regulation of ecosystem processes

• climate regulation• disease control

• flood control•

detoxification

•Provisioning•Goods

produced or provided by ecosystems

• food • fresh water• fuel wood

• fiber• biochemicals

• genetic resources

•Cultural•Non-material

benefits obtained from

ecosystems

• spiritual • recreational

• aesthetic• inspirational• educational • communal• symbolic

• Supporting• Services

that maintain

the conditions for life on

earth.• Soil formation

• Nutrient cycling

• Pollination

^GHG

Landdegradation

Human activities

LULCC

Changes in biodiversity

Strat ozone dep

Air pollution,aerosols Pers org poll

Water degradation

-ve

Responses to reverse trends

and meet sust dev goals

Climate change

Responses

Human well-beingEnvironment sustainability

^GHG

Landdegradation

Human activities

LULCC

Changes in biodiversity

Strat ozone dep

Air pollution,aerosols Pers org poll

Water degradation

-ve

Climate change

Economic Legal & institutional

Social & behavioural

Science, tech & transfer

Human well-beingEnvironmental sustainability

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• Economic

• Legal and institutional

• Social and Behavioural

• Science, technology, technology transfer

• All of these can be part of adaptation

Response options for developing policies

WRIWRI

• Multiple stages

• Initial stage – a set of case studies focused on water and agriculture in specific landscapes

• Ask a series of questions to analyse what is happening on the ground before going into future planned adaptation (network..)

What is our approach…..

WRIWRI

• What is the status of the ecosystems, ecosystem services and human well-being?

• What are the multiple pressures that affect these landscapes and human societies?

• How do individuals/households, formal and informal institutions respond to these pressures including climatic extremes?

• What are the projected changes? (scenarios..)

• Can the present responses cope with future changes? Adaptation –short-term, medium and long-term

Our approach….a series of questions

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• Scenario development

• Aspiration of people at local level

• Sustainable development plans at state/regional/national level

• projections of how pressures (LULCC, population, consumption patterns) are changing, Climate change projections

Our approach….scenario and their uses

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• Awareness raising

• Information – generation and dissemination

• planning and decision-making

• private sector???

• Tools and methods (maybe)

• Resources

Our approach… future stages…

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• Work in specific landscapes/watersheds

• Pilots, learning by doing; understand present

• Inclusion of multiple pressures

• Climate change exacerbating them – may be dominant in future

So in conclusion

WRIWRI

• Consider ecosystem services and tradeoffs between them in space and time

• Consider developing scenarios/storylines

• Use “adaptation” as a vehicle for addressing multiple pressures and maybe indirect drivers (root causes) and moving towards sustainable development

In conclusion