Abstracts
Developing a More Effective Adaptive Response to Climate Change: an ENGO perspective
Quentin Chiotti1, Rick Findlay, and Mary Pattenden
1Pollution Probe
qchiotti@pollutionprobe.org
Over the past decade there has been considerable progress in incorporating adaptation into the discourse on climate change policy and in the development of response strategies; however, a number of gaps and challenges remain. First, there have been increasing calls for an integrated response strategy, especially at the community level and in certain sectors. However, the science and policy communities have traditionally placed responses to climate change into silos, separating mitigation (emissions reduction) and adaptation policies and measures. This has created artificial boundaries around each, limiting the degree of integrated planning, especially at the community level. This has resulted in missed opportunities in terms of communicating, developing and implementing integrated response strategies that maximize the effectiveness of mitigation and adaptation measures. Second, there are growing concerns regarding the ability of the traditional climate change impact assessment approach in providing information that is useful and meaningful to stakeholders. The introduction of regional downscaled scenarios has improved the resolution of climate change information, and the recent piloting of the risk management approach is a further step in the right direction. However, more work is needed in terms of engaging stakeholders and having their perspective incorporated into information regarding climate change variables and impacts/effects. In this presentation Pollution Probe addresses these two critical knowledge gaps by drawing upon examples from water resources, energy and human health to illustrate a more effective and integrated approach for adaptation to climate change.
2005-04-05 |
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