Adaptation options to climate change (IPCC Report)

One of the greatest threats of our time is global warming. The current objective, due to the Paris Agreement, is to limit anthropogenic temperature rise to 1.5 °C. Yet even with warming of this magnitude, severe consequences for humanity threaten. Particularly at risk are coastal regions, areas where residents depend on glaciers and meltwater, or countries that require special protection due to their particular dependence on resources such as water.  

With further temperature rise, increased droughts, floods, heat waves and damage from further sea level rise are to be expected. Food production, access to drinking water, infrastructure and biodiversity also face threats from climate change. The 4th Assessment Report of the IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change) addresses the various possibilities for adapting to global warming and their effectiveness.  

What is adaptation? 

Measures for climate protection (=mitigation) endeavour to halt global warming as much as possible. The approach of adaptation (=adjustment) instead attempts to manage the already occurring or expected consequences of climate change for people and to reduce risks.  

Adaptation to climate change is dependent on regions and circumstances, which is why solutions should always be locally based. 

First, identifying so-called vulnerable areas is required for successful adaptation. An area is vulnerable if it is susceptible to adverse consequences of climate change and is unable to cope with them. These are particularly places exposed to high temperatures as well as coasts or small islands that must expect flooding due to further rising sea levels. There, the vulnerability of ecosystems and people are interdependent.  

What possibilities for adaptation exist? 

To adapt to the threatened food shortage, on the one hand irrigation of areas for food production is necessary to counteract droughts. According to the European Environment Agency, agriculture accounts for approximately one third of total water consumption in Europe. 

Accordingly, efficient water management must be ensured there in particular. Important for this is the selection of crops that should be as water-efficient as possible. The chosen timing of cultivation can also reduce the need for additional irrigation. In future, artificial pollination of plants will continue to be an increasingly important necessary adaptation, as will effective pest control to protect the harvest. Furthermore, sustainable fishing and aquaculture are required, which must ensure that fish stocks are maintained and their reproductive capacity is not restricted. 

For adaptation to the risks of coastal areas, the following help:  

Early warning systems enable timely evacuations before flooding or tsunamis. The construction of dykes to prevent flood damage is also an important part of adaptation. Furthermore, dunes protect the land from erosion, flooding and storm surges and provide habitat for animals and plants. These must be restored and maintained as part of adaptation, for example through appropriate spatial planning (nature reserves etc.). Such spatial planning is also necessary for water storage through wetland restoration and the restoration of rivers. 

According to the IPCC, protection against threatening soil erosion is also important. This can be ensured particularly through afforestation. Planting trees also ensures the preservation of biodiversity in forests and thus more stable ecosystems. In such ecosystems, trees are less susceptible to pests and extreme weather. The local climate is also additionally protected by the binding of CO2 into O2.  

The IPCC concludes that the negative consequences of climate change such as heat, storms, heavy rainfall, flooding, avalanches or landslides cannot be halted by adaptation or climate protection alone. To nonetheless limit damage to humanity, adaptation will be indispensable in future. 

                            Fabienne Busboom

Sources: 

http://www.ipcc.ch/report/ar6/wg2/downloads/report/IPCC_AR6_WGII_FinalDraft_FullReport.pdf 

http://www.wwf.de/themen-projekte/meere-kuesten/fischerei/nachhaltige-fischerei http://www.eea.europa.eu/de/articles/europa2019s-wasser-effiziente-nutzung-ist