While the international political debate largely revolves around how much adaptation is required by whom, how to finance it and how to support it, practical development cooperation is faced with the question of how adaptation can get off the ground.

Integrated approaches

The first step in effective adaptation is addressing the cross-cutting nature of the issue. Climate change affects all sectors, particularly key development sectors such as agriculture, water and human health. The implication is that adaptation needs to be integrated into individual economic decisions, projects, private investments, sectoral policies and development planning. Financial and technical cooperation can support partners in these processes and provide needed resources. Moreover, the impacts of climate change on target groups and project outcomes should be taken into account in all relevant development projects. On behalf of the German Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development  GTZ  is currently developing  a so called Climate Check, a practical tool for integrating systematic climate risk screenings and necessary adaptation into project design and implementation.

Adaptation information

Secondly, adaptation should build on the best available information about impacts, vulnerabilities and adaptation options. An unprecedented amount of knowledge is available about experienced and expected change, yet uncertainties remain. For development cooperation, in practical terms this means supporting partner countries in improving data availability, translating it into user-friendly information and choosing interventions according to what can be known. Targeted interventions are possible when fairly clear-cut information about impacts is available. Otherwise, the precautionary principle (e.g. avoiding building in flood prone areas, diversifying income sources) should apply and no-regret options (e.g. combating soil erosion) should be the focus.

Prioritisation

Thirdly, adaptation actions must be prioritised and efficiency ensured because adaptation itself is not a development objective, but necessary for safeguarding beneficial outcomes. Presenting economic figures on how much can be saved by avoiding impacts and comparing the costs of the different options can help to promote adaptation where necessary and pays off. It also rationalises the debate and helps to overcome gaps between the long lists of adaptation options and concrete action. Knowledge on the economics of adaptation is clearly still limited and fragmented. The World Bank is currently conducting a comprehensive study on the issue in six countries, which is expected to provide a more systematic picture of the situation in developing countries. In Indonesia, GTZ has commissioned a cost-benefit analysis of adaptation options to support the operationalisation of an adaptation strategy in the water sector.

Governance of adaptation

Fourthly, adaptation may require complex governance processes. New stakeholders are involved as climate change will require action by people who have not explicitly considered climate change in their past decisions. Moreover, the current approach to dealing with climate risks, e.g. in disaster management or water resources management, based on stationary assumptions is no longer adequate. Instead, new methods and procedures are required. Communication between the different thematic communities will have to improve and strategies in the various areas need to be efficiently coordinated and managed. Capacity development is key in such a complex and dynamic environment. One example from GTZ’s work in Tunisia is support for the development of a national adaptation strategy for agriculture, ecosystems and water resources. A joint strategy was developed involving the relevant sectors and institutions based on an analysis of vulnerabilities and impacts.

Nana Künkel, Climate Protection Programme, GTZ