Climate adaptation
Adjustment to actual or expected climate effects to reduce harm or take advantage of opportunities.
Example
Heat plans, flood protection and climate-resilient crops can support adaptation.
The catch
Measures must fit local risks and avoid shifting harm to others.
In more depth
Climate adaptation, explained.
Climate adaptation buys time and safety, but it has limits, and the IPCC says certain ecosystems, including some warm-water coral reefs, are already reaching them. Human systems meet softer limits, where money, rules or knowledge run out before physical options do. Each increment of warming narrows the choices, so adaptation and climate mitigation depend on each other.
Approaches range from early-warning systems and insurance to sea walls and restored wetlands. The test is whether a measure lowers risk over its lifetime without raising it elsewhere. Air conditioning run on fossil power cools homes while adding emissions, a common example of maladaptation. UNEP's adaptation gap reports find finance for adaptation far below estimated needs.