Environment and Climate Change

Inventory of Methods for Adaptation to Climate Change

Identifying, analysing and prioritising adaptation needs

The Challenge Adaptation to climate change is still an emerging policy field. Having access to reliable information and engaging in an exchange of experience to advance learning is key for policy development and adaptation planning. While numerous information platforms and web portals facilitating knowledge exchange are available, the structured and international exchange of experience between adaptation practitioners is still limited. Furthermore, a lack of transparency due to scattered information sources and inhomogeneous data makes decision-makers uncertain and complicates reliability assessments. As a result, available information and tools for decision-making are not applied or utilised systematically for adaptation planning. Our Objective The global project Inventory of Methods for Adaptation to Climate Change intends to establish a Community of Practice for Knowledge Exchange and Learning on adaptation. More specifically, it aims to facilitate the development of a proven inventory of methods for the identifica-

tion, analysis and prioritisation of adaptation needs and measures to inform decision-makers and their advisors. By providing needs-led and scientifically robust tools, the Community of Practice will boost the capacity of partner countries in the field of adaptation planning and decision-making and will thus reduce the costs of climate change impacts in the long run. Our Approach The project is implemented via different project components involving practical support for decision-making and scientific research on climate impacts and development:
(1) Catalysing exchange of experience

The Community of Practice for Knowledge Exchange and Learning is the central component linking all scientific and practical project components. It seeks to enable and intensify South-South exchange of adaptation experience and serves as a setting for the further development, documentation and creation of an inventory of adaptation measures and tools.

Improved Access to Climate Data GIZ

Adaptation Practice

Figure 1: Project Components while the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK) provides its scientific expertise, the Deutsche Gesellschaft fr Internationale Zusammenarbeit(GIZ) GmbH contributes its strength in capacity building and its portfolio of adaptation projects .

Mitigation- and Adaptation-oriented Development paths PIK Climate Science

Community of Practice for Knowledge Exchange and Learning on Climate Change Adaptation

Climate Impact for the Prioritisation Index of Adaptation Needs PIK

Climate Impact Chain Toolkit GIZ

(2) Improving access to climate information

(5) Integrating mitigation, adaptation and development

Climate information relevant to adaptation planning, such as socio-economic and topographic data, is poorly accessible, scattered over various sources, or non-existent. The project component Improved Access to Climate Data assists project partners in enhancing the transparency and availability of climate data in order to enable climate impact modelling for highly vulnerable sectors in partner countries.
(3) Building capacity for systematic adaptation planning

The formulation of Mitigation and Adaptation-oriented Development Paths will enable partner countries to align development goals with mitigation goals and adaptation needs. The analysis of different, country-specific socioeconomic and political scenarios allows an evaluation of alternative development options and provides valuable information for policy development and decision-making. Our Project Partners The global project cooperates with partners in four countries. These countries face different climate risks but are all already actively involved in adaptation planning and strategy development, which provides a good starting point for developing, testing and implementing adaptation methods and tools. Within each country the project is implemented through ongoing adaptation projects funded by German development cooperation. Activities are conducted in tandem with those of governments and national scientific centres of excellence in the field of climate change research. On a global level, the project is implemented jointly by the Deutsche Gesellschaft fr Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH and the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK). Building on Prior Activities The Inventory of Methods for Adaptation to Climate Change grew out of the project Climate Impacts: Global and Regional Adaptation Support Platform (ci:grasp). It builds on and expands the network of administrative and scientific institutions which was formed during the development of the climate information platform ci:grasp. In the course of the project the user-driven extension of ci:grasp will be promoted, for example by contributing adaptation experience to the adaptation project database of the platform and by making the results of the different project components available to a global audience via ci:grasp. For more information on the climate information platform visit: www.cigrasp.org

The Climate Change Adaptation Toolkit, which will be developed as part of this project, is a set of tools designed to support partner institutions in addressing potential climate impacts more systematically. For example, guidelines for conducting vulnerability assessments can facilitate the identification of potential climate impacts, and an inventory of adaptation measures, classified by sector, can assist in prioritising and selecting appropriate adaptation measures.
(4) Enabling prioritisation of adaptation needs

To inform decision-makers about current and future climate risks a methodology for the calculation of a Climate Impact Index will be developed and tested. The index aggregates climate information from various sources and presents them cartographically in a clear and concise manner. This enables decision-makers in partner countries to identify adaptation needs and prioritise highly vulnerable sectors.

Tunisia

Philippines

Mexico

Indonesia Figure 2: Partner Countries

Imprint Edited by: Deutsche Gesellschaft fr Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH Dag-Hammarskjld-Weg 1-5 65760 Eschborn/Germany T +49 6196 79-0 F +49 6196 79-1115 E info@giz.de I www.giz.de

Contact: Nana Knkel, GIZ E Nana.Kuenkel@giz.de T +49 6196 79 2425 I www.giz.de/climate Prof. Dr Jrgen Kropp E kropp@pik-potsdam.de T +49 331 288-2526 I www.pik-potsdam.de August 2011