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Day 3: Challenges to Progress • Theme: Meeting Global Needs

Adaptation to climate change: How, when and where to act when knowledge is incomplete

Professor Jean Palutikof, National Climate Change Adaptation Research Facility, Australia; Dr Sarah Boulter, Griffith University, Australia; Dr Saleemul Huq, International Centre for Climate Change and Development, Bangladesh; Professor Martin Parry, Grantham Institute and Centre for Environmental Policy, Imperial College, UK

Session content: There is widespread recognition that we must act to adapt to climate change, and that acting now will be cheaper and more effective than delaying the response. Despite this recognition, we are slow to translate knowledge into policy, and policy into action. An often cited reason is that the knowledge base is incomplete - especially with respect to how future climate will evolve. Yet in many areas, for example the defence and financial sectors, decisions must be taken in the context of uncertainty. This failure to act is a particular feature of developed countries, whereas in developing countries adaptation has been successfully mainstreamed into development with the goal of achieving sustainable futures. As we move forward into a world where the adaptation imperative becomes even more pressing as the international mitigation effort falters, a further barrier to adaptation implementation will emerge, which is lack of capacity.

The session will address adaptation action in developed and developing countries. The following questions will be explored:

• To what extent is imperfect knowledge of the future a real barrier to adaptation?
• How should actions be prioritised, taking into account need, cost, competing priorities?
• Do developing countries have greater capacity or willingness to act now?
• To what extent does (and will) inadequate capacity inhibit adaptation action?
• What exemplars are there of planning and implementing adaptation actions?