May 6

Andy Reisinger, New Zealand Climate Change Office
http://www.climatechange.govt.nz/

Andy Reisinger said the conference represented a meeting point of adaptation and climate change impact. The issue is how to move from research into adaptation. Reisinger suggested three roles for adaptation:

Adaptation can provide a rationale for reducing greenhouse gas emissions

It plays a significant role of any future global climate regime.

Adaptation is important at the domestic level.

If adaptation is to give a rationale for greenhouse gas emission reduction, it is first necessary to consider acceptable levels of impacts and the long- and short- term goals for greenhouse gas levels. In a best-case scenario, one could expect a 2.7 to 5.2 m sea level rise by 2300. In considering whether a 2.7 m sea level rise is okay, fundamental questions of acceptability arise, said Reisinger.

Adaptation is key to any future climate regime, stated Reisinger. How much of a global regime is there now? For example, who pays and for whom? Is there a limit to the liability by developed countries? There is also the conceptual conflict of whether it is adaptation assistance or compensation for impacts. Similarly, does assistance cover climate variability or only anthropogenic climate change?

While adaptation is an important component of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), it does not necessarily address all of the issues. Reisinger said the current framework needs a lot more “intellectual grunt” via collaboration between legal experts, academics, practitioners, and formal links to development programs.

Addressing the current state of affairs with respect to domestic adaptation, Reisinger noted that all developed countries have started with the top-down assessments and all have considered how to bring adaptation to regions and sectors. In the United Kingdom, for example, a toolkit in conjunction with a focus and policies aimed at regions and sectors has been used. New Zealand has changed laws to consider impacts of flooding and is using a very sector-specific approach for other impact and adaptation activities.

What are the challenges for implementing adaptation? Should there be regulation of the private sector or is it better to leave it to market response? When should government be engaged in a regulatory role? “It is after all a free country,” said Reisinger. Government cannot, for example, tell farmers when to plant crops.

This attitude is consistent with a general policy approach to events that are related to climate change but not caused by it. National government, however, should be involved in situations of significant vulnerability. Reisinger suggested that government policy has to reflect adaptation information. At the same time information only points to the right amount and direction of change but does not motivate it. Change is generated through structures and regulation, emotion engagement and group pressure, and even signal events.

Reisinger concluded with some challenges to the research community:

What outcomes is research directed at?

Where does climate change fit into the decision-making context?

Who needs top-down assessments and, alternatively, who needs bottom-up and participatory engagement?

Does it matter if research disappears once it has been fully integrated?

2005-04-05