Climate change and Ecosystem-based Adaptation: a new pragmatic approach to buffering climate change impacts

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The changing climate is no longer an abstract issue, and the realities of its impacts are being felt across the globe. Climate change is affecting millions of people, and thwarting their efforts to escape poverty. Against this harsh reality, it will be imperative to speed up the integration of climate risk considerations into policy, in order to ensure that development proceeds along pathways that are resilient to climate change. However, the questions as to the type of strategies, approaches and actions required still generate divergent views on the international policy arena. Closer attention to a broader spectrum of adaptation options is urgently needed. Approaches that go beyond words into actions with potential to informing and guiding policy practices are imperative and urgently needed. In particular Ecosystem-based Adaptation approaches have proved to provide flexible, cost effective and broadly applicable alternatives for reducing the impacts of climate change and as such are a critical tool at adaptation planners disposal for tackling the threats that climate change poses to peoples lives and livelihoods across the globe.

Highlights

► Ecosystem-based Adaptation approaches have proved to be cost effective. ► EbA complement more expensive infrastructure investments to protect coastal settlements. ► Strengthening and protecting ecosystems can be likened to a long-term investment. ► Harnessing the adaptive forces of nature is economically viable.

Introduction

The climate change is happening at an unprecedented rate and impacting a lot of people across the globe [1]. The need for adaptation efforts has never been so urgent. The rising sea levels, longer and more frequent droughts, heightened hurricane activity and floods are increasingly affecting livelihoods. The December 2011 United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) Seventeenth Conference of the Parties (COP17) in Durban, South Africa injected new energy and momentum for advancing adaptation to climate change urging the formulation and implementation of National Adaptation Plans (NAPs) that ‘can enable all developing and developed country Parties to assess their vulnerabilities, to mainstream climate change risks and to address adaptation’. This decision further invites ‘least developed Parties to strive to implement institutional arrangements to facilitate their national adaptation plan process, building on existing institutions and consistent with their national circumstances’. On June 20–22, 2012 global leaders gathered in Rio de Janeiro for the Rio+20 United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development to discuss the future of our planet, society and environment and this resulted in an outcome document entitled The Future We Want. At Rio+20, for the first time governments and businesses explicitly recognized that ecosystems are the core element of addressing climate change impacts and paving the way toward achieving sustainable development as sustainable development has its roots in ecosystem maintenance.

Against this backdrop, this paper reviews the rapidly evolving concept of Ecosystems based approaches to Adaptation to climate change (EbA) and its role in addressing multiple scale risks, vulnerabilities and opportunities. Fundamentally, EbA is the use of natural capital by people to adapt to climate change impacts, which can also have multiple co-benefits for mitigation, protection of livelihoods and poverty alleviation. It is an approach that is applicable across both developed and developing countries. Ecosystem-based approaches address the crucial links between climate change, biodiversity and sustainable resource management and, by preserving and enhancing ecosystems, enable society to better mitigate and adapt to climate change [2]. Hence the key tenet is the need to protect the ecosystems that provide the essential ‘life support systems’ (ecosystem services) that we all depend on.

Healthy, fully functioning ecosystems are more resilient to stressors and therefore better able to support adaptation to impacts [3••]. Healthy ecosystems imply a greater element of flexibility in adaptation response options. However, ecosystems continue to be degraded4 due to climate change, pollution and unsustainable over exploitation. Restoration of degraded ecosystems as part of an EbA provides a mechanism for carbon sequestration and hence climate change mitigation, sources of employment and enhancement of resources to support livelihoods [4].

Section snippets

Ecosystem-based Adaptation (EbA) and its benefits

Ecosystem based approaches to adaptation harness the capacity of nature to buffer human communities against the adverse impacts of climate change through the sustainable delivery of ecosystems services. Deployed with focus on specific ecosystem services with the potential to reduce climate change exposures, the forms used are targeted management, conservation and restoration activities. For example mangrove forest and coastal marshes buffer storm surges energy and research and practical work

Economy and EbA

Beyond mitigation and adaptation, EbA provides a third ‘win’, by providing the basis for new economic growth. The Economics of Ecosystems and Biodiversity studies show that an annual global investment of $45 billion in protecting ecosystems could deliver an estimated $5 trillion a year in benefits, a cost–benefit ratio of over 100:1. Deforestation contributes close to 20% of global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions; an annual investment of $20 billion could halve these emissions, while securing

Integrating EbA into decision making frameworks

Integrating and mainstreaming EbA into decision making frameworks and planning processes are imperative. The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) is addressing climate change through its Ecosystem-based Adaptation programme whose overarching goal is to help vulnerable communities adapt to climate change through good ecosystem management practices, and their integration into global, regional, national and local climate change strategies and action plans. The EbA programme is delivering

Places in policy and strategy

The term EbA and association with ecosystem services is increasingly being used in reports [9], discussion papers [10] and policy documents and strategies tied to climate change legislation [11]. Arguments have been presented to place ecosystems approaches, including EbA, at the heart of the development of the Green Economy [12, 13, 14]. Ecosystem based approaches are increasingly being seen to be central to national strategies, for example, in the United States.

National adaptation planning

Conclusion

Climate change is increasingly threatening lives and livelihoods and maximizing adaptation opportunities will minimize its potentially catastrophic effects. Ecosystem-based (Approaches for Adaptation) (EbA) is a cost-effective, robust and flexible strategy that can cope with the magnitude, speed and uncertainty of climate change. EbA has already proven its worth in many situations and evidence is emerging of its success in helping people adapt to climate variability and change. Harnessing the

References and recommended reading

Papers of particular interest, published within the period of review, have been highlighted as:

  • • of special interest

  • •• of outstanding interest

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