New to Adaptation?

Communities and industries around the world are becoming increasingly vulnerable to a range of impacts, including rising temperatures, more frequent and intense storms, and sea level rise. Municipal services, energy infrastructure and forestry management practices are all being affected by these events.

Climate change adaptation can include any activity that reduces the negative impacts of climate change and/or takes advantage of new opportunities that may be presented. This includes activities that are taken before impacts are observed (anticipatory) and after impacts have been felt (reactive). Both anticipatory and reactive adaptation can be planned (i.e. the result of deliberate policy decisions), and reactive adaptation can also occur spontaneously. In most circumstances, anticipatory adaptations will incur lower long-term costs and be more effective than reactive adaptations. Successful adaptation does not mean that negative impacts will not occur, only that they will be less severe than would be experienced had no adaptation occurred.