Due to the emission of greenhouse gases that trap heat in the atmosphere, we are experiencing the warming of the land, air and oceans, and this comes with numerous effects.
Two main pillars of the global climate change convention are adaptation and mitigation, and it is everyone’s responsibility to mitigate enough to allow adaptation to be possible and effective.
Adaptation involves changing behaviours and consumption and production patterns that are no longer sustainable.
Climate change is causing changes faster than vulnerable populations and ecosystems can cope with and adapt to.
Adaptation responds to risks and builds future resilience.
Resilience means increasing capacity and enabling society and ecosystems to be able to recover from change; an essential part of this is learning.
Communities can be more prepared for climate change if they are not poor.
Helping people to prepare for extreme events is also important.
Access to technology and services and quality infrastructure also contribute to climate-resilient societies.
Climate change is global, but adaptation is local, and which adaptation measures need to be taken depend on the specific circumstances and impact each family, community and city is experiencing.
The first-hand knowledge of communities can ensure that adaptation measures are effective and actually increase resilience.
Adaptation also requires financial resources, and vulnerable developing countries need financial support to make the necessary investments.
Strategies to build disaster and climate resilience should engage all sectors of society and government and require the input of all people involved.
Adaptation helps our societies and nature cope with climate change, and communities need to decide what works for them.
We need to spend money today in order to save money in the future.
We have an opportunity to act now and make investments in adaptation that will have an impact in terms of the future.
We do not have a Plan B, because we do not have a Planet B; we only have one planet, and so Plan A is addressing climate change.
We will have to deploy new technologies to reduce the risks of climate change.