Integrating impacts into adaptation measures

A mechanism has been established to improve integration of international cl imate-related programmes. Known as the Climate Agenda it outlines a program me, that in a cost-effective way, responds to national obligations to respo nd to international agreements as well as their national needs for social a nd economic development. The paper briefly describes the Climate Agenda and the incorporation within it of studies of climate impact assessments and r esponse strategies to reduce vulnerability The need for increased emphasis on climate impact assessment and for the development of effective adaptatio n measures is emphasised following the elaboration of a Kyoto Protocol to t he United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). UNEP's e fforts to identify national programmes contributing to the Climate Agenda a re described. The response from developing countries has, however, been very disappointin g, even from countries where we know work is ongoing through funding by GEF or US Country Studies Program and other bilateral programmes. Initial comp ilation of information available so far shows that many developed countries are putting a lot into the area of impact assessment of not just climate c hange, but also climate variability. There remain some research gaps, espec ially in the area of assessment of climate impacts on ecosystems, hydrologi cal systems, etc. Considerable efforts are presently being directed at redu ction of emissions of greenhouse gases and in the case of developing countr ies, most efforts are being directed towards completing national communicat ions and providing baseline data for future studies. The paper refers to early activities by UNEP in cooperation with other inte rnational organizations to undertake integrated assessments of the impacts of climate change on important socio-economic sectors and the later incorpo ration of lessons teamed into the IPCC Guidelines for Assessing Impacts of Climate Change. Later sections outline the development of a handbook on methods for climate change impact assessment and adaptation strategies as a practical approach to national assessments and the development of appropriate and cost-effect ive response to climate change. The initiation of a GEF-funded project to apply the methods contained in th e handbook and improve the results based on national studies is also descri bed for both developed and developing countries. Working in collaboration with a team of international experts under the coo rdination of the Institute of Environmental Studies at Vrije University (Am sterdam), the goal of this ongoing project is to develop a valuable methodo logical tool that Parties to the UNFCCC may apply to develop national clima te change impact and adaptation assessments. Development of these guideline s was linked to a series of country studies in Antigua and Barbuda, Estonia , Cameroon and Pakistan funded under a UNEP/GEF project. The application of the first version of the UNEP Handbook by national study teams in these fo ur countries is making valuable technical and practical contributions and w ill ensure that the next version of the Handbook will be a more useful tool for experts in developing countries undertaking similar studies in the fut ure. The methods contained in the Handbook are also the basis for similar a ssessments funded under bilateral development programmes in other countries . These and similar studies elsewhere are coordinated with the UNEP program me and will eventually aim to create reliable and comparable assessments, a compatible set of tools for such purpose and the identification of realist ic adaptation options for incorporation into national planning for adapting to climate change. The paper also addresses how climate impact assessment and response strategies are undertaken as part of national enabling activit ies carried out in co-operation with UNEP.