Living with Climate Change

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Living with Climate Change Are there Limits to
Adaptation?
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Themes

• Theme 1 Adapting to thresholds in physical and
  ecological systems
• Theme 2 The role of values and culture in
  adaptation
• Theme 3 Governance, knowledge and technologies
  for adaptation

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Adaptation is necessary .
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Global emissions growing at 2.7 p.a., 2000-08.
They will have to drop like a stone after 2020 to
meet any reasonable stabilisation level
Bows and Anderson (2008) Phil Trans Roy Soc in
press.
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Thinking behind the Themes

• Adaptation may be limited by
• divergent goals of adaptation (diverse and
  incommensurable values)
• uncertainty in foresight
• intrinsic current value of places and identities
• Adaptation is constrained by
• social characteristics and individual behaviour

Adger, Dessai et al. (2008) background paper
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Theme 1 Adapting to thresholds in physical and
ecological systems

• Can limits be defined in physical parameters when
  adaptation involves biological and human
  adaptation?
• Irreversibility ..
• of social, cultural and ecological attributes?

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Information is not the constraint
UK climate scenarios from 1990-2002 compare
favourably to recent CET observations
Dessai and Hulme (2008) GRL submitted
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Theme 2 Role of values and culture in adaptation

• Unique nature of places, societies, cultures
• Identities bound to localities
• Subjective, cultural and symbolic values
• Continuous change and adaptation?

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Theme 3 Governance, knowledge and technologies
for adaptation
Scale Agency Diverse goals Modes of governance
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A priori thoughts

• Adaptation is happening now, but constrained by
  behaviour, inertia and contested values and aims
• Adaptation is absolutely necessary and resonates
  with sustainable development
• Adaptation will be painful for many

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Living with Climate Change Are there Limits to
Adaptation?