Types of adaptation

Adaptation responses and decisions can be categorised as:

• Building adaptive capacity – creating the information (research, data collecting and monitoring, awareness raising), supportive social structures (organisational development, working in partnership, institutions), and supportive governance (regulations, legislations, and guidance) that are needed as a foundation for delivering adaptation actions; or

• Delivering adaptation actions – actions that help to reduce vulnerability to climate risks, or to exploit opportunities.

Measures for Building adaptive capacity (see Tables 1–6) are fundamental to delivering responsive adaptation actions. Many organisations have begun to build adaptive capacity through understanding the nature of issues and risks, identifying and engaging the community/players, and assessing the situation (objectives, sensitivities and thresholds) and possible adaptive responses.

Establishing the purpose and social, economic, technological and environmental feasibility of potential adaptation measures are essential components of Delivering adaptation actions. Adaptation is usually required due to inadequacies in coping with existing or projected climate risks (including variabilities and extremes) or a desire to exploit beneficial climatic opportunities. These actions and strategies are normally targeted at (see Tables 7–10):

• Accepting the impacts and bearing losses – A conscious decision where no specific action is required to deal with a level of risk as existing systems and procedures are sufficient. It may also involve accepting that some assets are not worth sustaining, and that alternatives should be considered.

• Preventing effects or reducing risks – allows activities to continue but with new measures to reduce exposure to the new or heightened risks. This approach is suitable where the assets at risk are sufficiently valuable to warrant protection. Measures include:
  • Relocating
  • Change of use
  • Improving preparedness and contingency planning
  • Building climatic resilience – this involves minimising exposure to risks, reducing the consequences of impacts, and facilitating earlier and less costly recovery.

• Offsetting losses by spreading or sharing risks or losses – involves reducing financial and social losses, or exposure to risks, by using insurance or by establishing partnerships to share risks or losses. Another approach could be reliance on the availability of emergency funding or relief from others (e.g. government or community organisations).

• Exploiting positive opportunities – involves introducing new activities, behaviours, practices or species to take advantage of climate risks. This may also include moving activities to a new location to take advantage of changed climatic conditions.  It should be noted that it may be necessary to build capacity to be able to exploit emerging opportunities.

In practice, adaptation will often involve introducing a mixture of measures or strategies introduced in a particular sequence or pathway as risks evolve:

• Some building climatic resilience (e.g. enhanced design specifications)
• Some living with risks (e.g. increased preparedness and contingency planning)
• Some acceptance of loss (e.g. accepting occasional losses or reductions in quality).

The specific mixture and sequencing will depend on risk aversion and the evolution of the risks being addressed, as well as the values and capacity of the affected community/organisation. An optimum mixture may also include the exploitation of potential opportunities (e.g. changing location of existing activities and introducing replacement activities at the original location).

An effective approach to adaptation should enhance the resilience of hard-to-reverse investments, particularly those with a long design life (e.g. infrastructure for utilities and, transportation, buildings, parks, and forest plantations) and improve information and its accessibility and utility (Fankhauser et al. 1999). For infrastructure and systems, an effective approach would be to time the introduction of adaptation measures to coincide with planned maintenance or upgrading, or to take advantage of unscheduled interruptions or breakdowns. Timing in this manner could reduce the overall costs of the adaptation measure, particularly considering associated capital and labour costs.