What does it mean to “adapt” to climate change? (Part 1)

Before Investing Trillions to Help Developing Countries, We Need to Understand it Better

Sand pumping operation in front of the Galveston, Texas sea wall, 2015. Photo credit K. Christensen, Houston Chronicle, Jan. 6, 2017

Developing countries at the recent Glasgow climate negotiations, COP26, made a strong plea for much more finance to help address the risks of climate change — extreme temperatures, more frequent and intense storms, coastal flooding, wildfires, droughts, and more. In the language of the climate change negotiations, the pleas were to finance “adaptation,” as opposed to finance actions to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, or “mitigation.” The moral argument for adaptation is compelling. The poorest countries have contributed the least to climate change yet are among the most at risk. Extreme weather events can set back development with lasting consequences for health, food security, and political stability. All of Africa is responsible for only a few percent of global greenhouse gas emissions, while the 46 Least Developed Countries, home to over 1 billion people and among the populations most vulnerable to climate change, collectively emit barely 1 percent. Yet most climate finance in these countries goes to mitigation projects and little information is available regarding how climate funds are being spent.

While a plea for much more adaptation finance was therefore to be expected at the COP, the discussion was almost entirely about the amount of funds to be made available. Rich developed nations did respond, pledging additional support although still far less than needed. In contrast, parties said very little about what needs to be done and how it can best be accomplished. As a summary of COP26 outcomes in the Financial Times stated, “There was little agreement how to spend the money, who should receive it, or how to make sure it is used effectively.”

One reason there has been much less funding for adaptation is that much of what has been done to date has not been very effective; simply spending large amounts of money is no guarantee of success. Just a few examples:

· Pumping sand on to beaches to protect coastal buildings from flooding is a popular if costly strategy for dealing with coastal erosion, especially…