The impacts of climate change are being felt increasingly by people all around the world and adapting to these changes is a necessity to help them protect their homes and livelihoods from extreme weather, droughts and floods. That is why adaptation to climate change and mitigation, which is any kind of action which reduces or limits the the growth of greenhouse gases, are given equal weight under the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). It is the job of governments under the UNFCCC to continue to assist and support peoples to adapt to climate change, especially those who are poorest and most vulnerable, through strong, consistent national policies and innovative, effective international agreements.

Making clean, efficient energy the heart of power generation and building communities and economies which are most resilient to climate change are completely complementary strategies which bring many co-benefits such as less pollution and better health, more jobs and broader wealth, energy security and greater ability to resist natural disasters.  Many countries, communities and organizations around the world are already making good progress in adapting to the observed and projected impacts of climate change.

Solutions to adapt to the effects of climate change take many shapes and forms, depending on the unique context of a country, community, city, business, or organization, country, region etc., and the specific impacts of climate change. There is no "one-size-fits-all-solution" when it comes to climate change adaptation. Adaptation can range from building flood defenses, setting up early warning systems for cyclones and switching to crops that fare better under drought conditions, to redesigning communication systems, business operations, insurance solutions and government policies.

Adaptation commonly focuses on reducing vulnerability to the immediate and predicted impacts of climate change, and increasing the capacity of countries and communities to be more resilient and to cope better, which means everything from better skills to more access to suitable finance to newer technology. To provide you with a flavor of this work around the world , a range of examples of adaptation activities are showcased below with various links to wider examples, bearing in mind this is certainly not an exhaustive cross-section!

Examples of Adaptation to Climate Change

Building resilience for ecosystems and communities and sharing knowledge

Community-based adaptation initiatives in Samoa such as building coastline infrastructure to reduce erosion and protecting mangroves are increasing the resilience of ecosystems and communities. A UNDP-GEF project is helping to share knowledge gained at the community level with other regions of the world through documentary and social media.

Adapting highway network policies and standards in the UK

 URS Scott Wilson was commissioned by the 3 Counties Alliance Partnership (3CAP) in the United Kingdom to carry out a collaborative study to investigate the impact of climate change on their highway policies and standards and to identify adaptation opportunities. As a result, a climate change adaptation action plan was developed and the three authorities have been able to start taking steps towards managing the effect that climate change may induce on their highways networks in the future. More information can be found on the NWP PSI database.

Women managing water in Sri Lanka

In response to increasing periods of drought, women in Sri Lanka’s dry zone have traditionally developed a wide range of strategies to obtain, purify and preserve water, and to use it frugally. Strategies include operating and maintaining tanks and wells. More information can be found on the UNFCCC Local Coping Strategies Database.