Resource information
Adaptation has long been neglected in
the debate and policies surrounding climate change. However,
increasing awareness of climate change has led many
stakeholders to look for the best way to limit its
consequences and has resulted in a large number of
initiatives related to adaptation, particularly at the local
level. This report proposes a general economic framework to
help stakeholders in the public sector to develop effective
adaptation strategies. To do so, it lays out the general
issues involved in adaptation, including the role of
uncertainty and inertia, and the need to consider structural
changes in addition to marginal adjustments. Then, it
identifies the reasons for legitimate public action in terms
of adaptation, and four main domains of action: the
production and dissemination of information on climate
change and its impacts; the adaptation of standards,
regulations and fiscal policies; the required changes in
institutions; and direct adaptation actions of governments
and local communities in terms of public infrastructure,
public buildings and ecosystems. Finally, the report
suggests a method to build public adaptation plans and to
assess the desirability of possible policies.
