News on adaptation to climate change from and for the development community.
From the GIZ Climate Protection Programme on behalf of BMZ. With contributions from KfW and DIE. |
Issue No. 16
June 2013 |
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Dear reader,
Adapting to the impacts of climatic variability and climate change is a process which affects many areas of life: water resources, agriculture and forestry, health, as well as our built environment. Rather than focusing on technologies only in the context of mitigating greenhouse gas emissions, attention to technologies for adaptation has increased in recent years.
Some of the technical solutions are well-known: reservoirs, flood protection dams and drought tolerant crops. But technologies for adaptation also comprise appropriate strategies and practices, including institutional and organisational structures for implementing them.
The poor population in developing countries is particularly vulnerable, as the impacts of climate change add extra stress to already precarious living conditions. Hence, technologies for adaptation have to be considered in the context of development objectives. Long-term successful use of such technologies requires awareness-raising, knowledge transfer and not least a change of habits.
Technologies for adaptation also have to take into account interdependencies between different sectors, such as the nexus between water, energy and food security. Strengthening resilience against climate change in one sector must be balanced with the needs of other sectors.
In this newsletter, Antonio Pflüger, Chair of the UNFCCC Technology Executive Committee, outlines international mechanisms and structures that aim to accelerate the transfer of technologies for adaptation. An example of applying technologies for adaptation in Costa Rica is provided by Engineers Canada, who developed a method to assess the climate vulnerability of technical infrastructure.
I hope this Newsletter will contribute to fruitful discussions!
Silke Silva Meléndez
Desk Officer, Division for Water, Energy, Urban Development and Geoscience Sector
Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development
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In focus |
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By Dr Antonio Pflüger, German Federal Ministry of Economics and Technology; Chair of the Technology Executive Committee, UNFCCC
Fostering technology cooperation |
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Combating climate change requires both mitigation and adaptation measures. While top down approaches such as emission reduction targets are important, it is also vital to enable countries and individuals to contribute towards reducing emissions and adapting to climate change from the bottom up. The latter approach involves providing financing, creating an enabling policy environment, raising awareness and fostering technology cooperation. Read more... |
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By Darrel Danyluk, World Federation of Engineering Organizations, Freddy Bolanos, Colegio Federado de Ingenieros y de Arquitectos de Costa Rica, and David Lapp, Engineers Canada
Infrastructure climate risk assessment in Latin America |
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Infrastructure adaptation is necessary to reduce the risks and impacts of extreme weather events, both current and future. Engineers Canada has developed the PIEVC (Public Infrastructure Engineering Vulnerability Committee) Engineering Protocol to help identify vulnerabilities. This structured, formalised and documented process lets engineers and associated professionals identify vulnerabilities and risks and recommend measures to address them, specifically through changes to climate design parameters and responses to environmental impacts from extreme climatic events. Read more... |
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Adaptation policy and finance |
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Paris: Meeting of the DAC-EPOC joint task team on climate change and development co-operation |
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On 22 and 23 April 2013, donors, bilateral and multilateral development organisations, think tanks and representatives from developing countries met to exchange experiences in the monitoring and evaluation (M&E) of climate change adaptation at national level. The members of the Development Assistance Committee-Environment Policy Committee (DAC-EPOC) Joint Task Team on Climate Change and Development Co-operation discussed approaches from Germany, Mozambique, Nepal and the United Kingdom as well as findings from two draft studies: one on lessons from OECD member and non-member countries and one on methodological approaches to the M&E of adaptation.
They showed that OECD countries follow a much leaner, more process-oriented and longer-term process than developing countries. They are often under pressure to achieve quick impacts and work with very ambitious, very aggregated results frameworks. It became obvious that M&E of adaptation should not be separated from the planning and M&E of development. The question was raised as to how much complexity with regard to adaptation M&E systems countries could actually bear. Members agreed that there are no blueprint approaches for setting up M&E systems. Country specific objectives, existing resources and capacities, as well as possibilities to integrate adaptation in existing M&E systems should be considered. Finally, shared experiences and discussions showed that measuring adaptive capacities and vulnerability still remains a challenge.
Further information available from:
Gottfried von Gemmingen (gottfried.gemmingen@bmz.bund.de) or
Julia Olivier (julia.olivier@giz.de). |
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News from international development organisations |
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Adaptation to climate change in the health sector |
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Climate change will most affect the health of those who have the least access to the world’s resources and who have contributed least to its cause. Compared with the scale of damage, adaptation measures targeting the health-related impacts of climate change have not figured prominently enough in the international debate to date – a situation that goes hand-in-hand with inadequate prioritisation at the national level.
The German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) has therefore commissioned GIZ to implement the four-year programme ‘Adaptation to Climate Change in the Health Sector’, which started in April. The objectives are a stronger positioning of health issues in the international debate on adaptation to climate change and a higher prioritisation at the national level. To this end, innovative approaches are being devised for the health-related adaptation to climate change and impetus is being generated for climate-resilient health systems. The programme particularly supports governments and civil society organisations in sub-Saharan African countries. Experience from these cooperation efforts should enter policy dialogue and be made available to other countries and development cooperation programmes.
Further information available from:
Ute Jugert (ute.jugert@giz.de) and
Lena Wolf (lena.wolf@giz.de). |
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Virtual discussion series on AdaptationCommunity.net |
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‘There is much to learn from other countries on adaptation to climate change as it is a new policy and management field.’ With this slogan in mind, the BMU-IKI project ‘Inventory of Methods for Adaptation to Climate Change’ (IMACC) explored a new way of exchanging knowledge and experiences virtually by setting up ‘Discussion Series’ on the platform AdaptationCommunity.net. Within the Discussion Series, specific adaptation topics (Adaptation M&E, Climate Information & Services, Mainstreaming Adaptation) were examined for a period of four weeks. They showcased different perspectives and experiences in applying adaptation tools, methods and approaches in partner countries and beyond. The main instruments of exchange are webinars, which are easily accessible for everyone who has an internet connection. More than 400 people from more than 20 countries have already attended the webinars and further bilateral exchange has been initiated. All webinar recordings and information on the Discussion Series can be found on the website.
Further information available from:
Michael Hoppe (IMACC project, Climate Information & Services, (michael.hoppe@giz.de)),
Nele Bünner (AdaptationCommunity.net, (nele.buenner@giz.de)),
Timo Leiter (Adaptation M&E, (timo.leiter@giz.de)),
Michael Scholze (Mainstreaming Adaptation, michael.scholze@giz.de)) |
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Grenada
Launch of a new climate change adaptation programme |
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Funded by the German Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety (BMU), GIZ and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) are jointly implementing the pilot programme ‘Integrated climate change adaptation strategies in Grenada’ (ICCAS). The programme was officially inaugurated in Grenada in April by the Minister for Agriculture, Lands, Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment, Hon. Roland Bhola, and Norbert Gorißen, Head of Division ‘International Climate Finance, International Climate Initiative’ of BMU.
The programme features an integrated cross-sectoral approach. Instead of only implementing isolated measures, it links local activities with national policies and sector-specific experiences. At the national level, it supports the integration of climate change adaptation considerations into plans and strategies, with a specific focus on water resources and coastal zone management. An important part of successful implementation is the involvement of the local population through a ‘Community Fund’ accessible for tangible adaptation action on the ground. Finally, the programme supports Grenada in gaining access to long-term funding for adaptation measures. More information is available at: www.bmu-klimaschutzinitiative.de/en/projects?p=1&d=904.
Further information available from:
Eva Wuttge (eva.wuttge@giz.de) and
Dieter Rothenberger (dieter.rothenberger@giz.de). |
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Egypt
First project on adaptation in urban areas |
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The Climate Change Adaptation Component of the Participatory Development Programme in Urban Areas (PDP), Egypt’s first intervention to focus specifically on the effects of climate change on urban areas, was initiated recently.
In order to address climate change-induced challenges such as lack of food security and impacts on health, the PDP has incorporated the new Climate Change Adaption and Urban Resilience component into its portfolio since 2011. Its objective is to promote resilient communities and their efforts to adapt to the changing climate conditions. This will be achieved through, for example, the development of a participatory and community-based adaptation strategy for informal areas by collaborating with relevant authorities (such as the Egyptian Environmental Affairs Agency and the General Organization of Physical Planning), local residents and civil society to identify strategies and measures to cope with ongoing climate challenges.
Further information available from:
Katharina Götze (katharina.goetze@giz.de) |
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Peru
Public budgeting and climate change adaptation |
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Peruvian ‘performance based budgeting’ ties government budgets at local, regional and national levels to the solution of specific problems. Not only does this budget incentive tool stimulate the design of new public investment projects, it also permits the funding of maintenance, operations and other routine costs in public investment projects.
Peru’s Environment Ministry, in alliance with its Ministry of Economy and Finance and assisted by the BMU project ‘Public Investment and Climate Change Adaptation’ (IPACC), initiated design of a performance-based budget tool for climate change adaptation in 2012. It focuses on the productive activities of residents of the high-altitude Andes, one of the region´s populations most vulnerable to climate change. This budgetary tool directs public resources to capacity building objectives, such as strengthening the population’s adaptive capacity and their awareness of the importance of climate change adaptation.
More information about the IPACC project at www.ipacc.pe/ and on Peruvian ‘performance based budgeting’ from Andrea Staudhammer (andrea.staudhammer@giz.de) and Verónica Villena (maria.villena@giz.de). |
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Solomon Islands
A milestone for Choiseul Province |
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The Choiseul Integrated Climate Change Adaptation Programme (CHICCAP) started in January 2013 and focuses on three main areas: increasing the resilience of Choiseul Province to climate change and threats of natural disasters, enhancing their food security and strengthening the resilience of natural ecosystems. The programme takes a holistic approach to support the development of Choiseul Province in an integrated, ridge-, community-, reef- and ecosystem-based adaptation approach. An implementation agreement for a programmatic approach was signed between different development partners; for example the Secretariat of the Pacific Community, Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme, GIZ, the Pacific-Australia Climate Change Science and Adaptation Planning Programme, the Nature Conservancy and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).
Further information available from:
Melchior Mataki (melchior.mataki@giz.de) |
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Micronesia
Community-based Ecosystem Approach to fisheries management |
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In the Federated States of Micronesia (FSM), catches of fish and shellfish have been declining due to over-exploitation (caused by the increasing population), the use of overly-efficient and sometimes destructive fishing methods (e.g. gill nets), and near-shore infrastructure development. Thus, SPC/GIZ is supporting a Community-based Ecosystem Approach to Fisheries Management (CEAFM), aiming to improve community awareness on climate change impacts and to assist communities in maximising opportunities to adapt to social, economic and environmental changes. The programme promotes the ecosystem-based management of fisheries by local communities supported by governments and other partners. Amongst other activities, CEAFM provides training on fish aggregating devices (FADs). FADs are anchored or drifting objects that are put in the ocean to attract fish in order to increase food security, improve coastal resource management and promote climate change adaptation, among other things.
Further information available from:
Fenno Brunken (fenno.brunken@giz.de) |
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Kiribati
Cost-benefit analysis training |
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In January 2013, a national workshop took place in Tarawa that was delivered by the Secretariat of the Pacific Community (SPC), Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP) and GIZ. The aim was to guide government officers in using cost-benefit analyses in projects affected by climate change. Two cost-benefit analyses have been discussed, including an assessment of alternative energy options on Kiritimati and the deployment of fish aggregating devices (FADs). The training is helping the Fisheries Department establish monitoring plans for improving the evidence base to guide the deployment of the devices. It is expected that climate change will lead to a decrease in coastal fisheries productivity but an increase in skipjack tuna. The deployment of near-shore FADs is recommended to increase local fishers’ access to tuna, for instance, and assessments need to be carried out in Kiribati to demonstrate that the benefits of FADs outweigh their costs.
Further information available from:
Marita Manley (marita.manley@giz.de) |
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Methods and approaches |
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GIZ Water-Climate Toolbox |
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Climate change is affecting the quality and availability of water in developing countries in many ways. Adaptation strategies are becoming necessary in order to respond to droughts, floods, changes in seasonal patterns of rainfall, and problems related to drinking water quality. The impacts of future climate change will exacerbate pressures for increased water use in growing communities, industries and agriculture.
Preparing and planning for the impacts of climate change on the water sector presents a unique challenge for developing countries and the work of GIZ. The Water-Climate Toolbox is aimed at water sector practitioners and offers tools and techniques to support adaptation action.
The Toolbox was developed by GIZ in cooperation with seven consulting companies. It contains factsheets ranging from ‘People-centred early warning systems’ to ‘River basin management’ to ‘Vulnerability assessment’.
Further information available from:
Brigitta Meier (brigitta.meier@giz.de) |
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Relaunch: Adaptation platform ci:grasp 2.0 |
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The Climate Impacts: Global and Regional Adaptation Support Platform - ci:grasp (http://cigrasp.pik-potsdam.de) - is a web-based climate information service. It has been developed by the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK) and GIZ with funding from the Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety (BMU). It provides sound knowledge on current and projected climate stimuli, climate impacts as well as a database of adaptation projects. It also features an interactive climate diagram generator that allows users to generate temperature and rainfall projections for any global grid cell and compare the results across different global circulation models and emission scenarios.
ci:grasp will soon be re-launched with a new design and information reflecting recent developments in climate sciences as well as new tools. The relaunch presents a great opportunity to expand the adaptation project database which showcases real adaptation on the ground. We invite you to enter your adaptation project on http://cigrasp.pik-potsdam.de/adaptations/contribute. Through your contribution you can become part of one of the largest web-based adaptation databases and help to enhance learning and research. We highly appreciate your support.
Further information available from:
Michael Hoppe (michael.hoppe@giz.de) or
Timo Leiter (timo.leiter@giz.de) |
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Training courses and workshops |
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New training course: Ecosystem-based Adaptation (EbA) |
The idea of ‘natural solutions to development challenges’ has evolved over a long time, as reflected in concepts such as sustainable land management and natural resource management. In adaptation planning, natural solutions were often considered as non-priority despite the fact that functioning ecosystems can help people to adapt to climate change. The training course on ecosystem-based adaptation (EbA) aims at strengthening the selection of EbA measures as part of an overall adaptation strategy. It builds on the training course ‘Integrating Climate Change Adaptation into Development Planning’ and is available in three formats depending on the target group:
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½ day information seminar on EbA
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5 day ‘Integrating Climate Change Adaptation into Development Planning’ course with a focus on EbA measures
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2 day in-depth EbA training course
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The 2- and 5-day formats are based on the Harvard Case Method. The training uses a fictitious country to teach participants. The training course was carried out in India where participants worked on real case examples. Materials are currently being revised.
Further information available from:
Julia Olivier (julia.olivier@giz.de) and
Klemens Riha (klemens.riha@giz.de) |
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Caribbean
Training on climate-proofing agriculture |
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In April 2013, the Inter-American Institute of Cooperation for Agriculture (IICA) trained 21 professionals from Caribbean countries (Dominica, Dominican Republic, Grenada, Jamaica, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines) on the application of the OECD Policy Guidance on Integrating Climate Change Adaptation into Development Cooperation. The standard training materials used by the IICA had been developed by GIZ with funding from the German Government. The Training of Trainers offered by the IICA was adapted to five days of intensive active learning and used additional materials, tools and multimedia, which were important in achieving a high level of attention on all five days. At the end of the course, participants developed a first roadmap with objectives and necessary steps to guide the development of a climate-proofed agriculture sector strategy in the six countries. The IICA project ‘Strengthening Capacities for Climate Smart Agriculture in the Caribbean’ financed the training and is committed to supporting the follow-up process in the countries.
Further information available from:
Andrea Schlönvoigt (andrea.schloenvoigt@cimonline.de) |
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Mexico
International training on M&E of adaptation |
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The BMU-IKI financed ‘Inventory of Methods for Adaptation to Climate Change’ (IMACC) project organised an international training and workshop on adaptation monitoring and evaluation (M&E) from 29 April to 3 May 2013 in Cuernavaca, Mexico. More than 20 representatives from India, Indonesia, Grenada, Mexico, Philippines, South Africa and Tunisia currently working on developing national M&E systems for adaptation to climate change participated in the event. After two days of training, the participants exchanged their experiences and further developed their country cases in peer-to-peer sessions. It was the first time that the newly developed training modules on adaptation M&E were applied. The training modules were jointly developed with the BMZ-funded Climate Protection Programme. They can be used together with other modules in the ‘Integrating Climate Change Adaptation into Development Planning’ course or as a stand-alone training course.
Further information available from:
Michael Hoppe (michael.hoppe@giz.de), Nele Bünner (nele.buenner@giz.de) and Timo Leiter (timo.leiter@giz.de) |
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Workshop ‘Management of Climate-induced Risks’ |
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In March 2013, KfW Development Bank and the Climate Service Center (CSC) organised an international expert workshop concerning the management of climate-induced risks. It was a first intense dialogue between KfW project managers and international climate experts, and aimed to match practical demands for climate information with existing robust climate data from the scientific community. The contacts and the envisaged data range shall serve to support the process of identification, planning and implementation of projects in developing and transition countries. Further information on existing climate-fact sheets available at: www.kfw-entwicklungsbank.de/International-financing/KfW-Development-Bank/....
Further information available from:
Florian Wieneke (florian.wieneke@giz.de) |
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In this section you can find current job offers in adaptation to climate change.
Praktikant (m/w) im Projekt Klimawandelanpassung im westlichen Balkan (ID 14291). Deadline: 30 June 2013:
www.giz.de/en/jobs/...
Jefe/a de equipo, Euroclima, Asistencia Técnica (ID 14248):
www.giz.de/en/jobs/...
Berater/in für soziale Forstwirtschaft, Reform der Forstadministration (Entwicklungshelfer/in), Indonesien (ID 14156):
www.giz.de/en/jobs/...
Praktikant/in Entwicklungszusammenarbeit im Team Klima und Umwelt Nordafrika / Nahost:
www.kfw.de/PDF/Karriere/Direkteinstieg/... |
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• 2 to 14 June 2013, Bonn, Germany: United Nations Climate Change Conference (SB38) organised by the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). Further information at: https://seors.unfccc.int/seors?session_id=SB38
• 7 June 2013, Bonn, Germany: Renewable Energy & Energy Efficiency Partnership (REEEP) workshop: Increasing access to climate and energy data via Linked Open Data. Further information available from: Florian Bauer (florian.bauer@reeep.org).
• 10 June 2013, 1:15 – 2:45 p.m., BMU Bonn, Germany, Room Solar: German side event ‘National adaptation planning (NAPs), adaptation cost and climate finance readiness’. Further information available from: Annette Lutz (annette.lutz@giz.de).
• 9 to 12 July 2013, Nadi, Fiji: Joint Meeting of the Pacific Platform for Disaster Risk Management & Pacific Climate Change Round Table. Further information available from: Ulf Killmann (ulf.killmann@giz.de).
• 16 to 18 July, Lima, Peru: International Workshop ‘Market Development for Insurance associated with Climate Phenomenon’, organized by GIZ. Further Information at: http://seguros/.... |
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• Katja Eichner, formerly active in the KfW Carbon Fund, joined KfW’s Competence Centre for Water and Sanitation in January 2013 as a sector economist for climate change adaptation in the water sector.
• Dorit Lehr joined GIZ’s Green Climate Fund Readiness Programme (GCFit) in Bonn in February 2013 as a junior consultant, focusing on climate finance for both climate change adaptation and mitigation.
• Johannes Wölcke, formerly a senior economist at the World Bank’s Agriculture and Rural Development Unit, joined GIZ’s Competence Centre for Climate Change in March 2013 as a senior planning officer. |
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• ‘Adaptation sur mesure: Un guide pour la conception et le suivi axé sur les résultats des projets d’adaptation au changement climatique‘. Published by GIZ. Download (PDF 1.8 MB)
• ‘Adaptación a medida: Manual para la concepción y el seguimiento basado en resultados de proyectos de adaptación al cambio climático’. Published by GIZ. Download (PDF 1.4 MB).
• Fact sheet ‘Best practices in mainstreaming climate change: The Smart National Adaptation Planning (SNAP) Tool’. Published by GIZ. Download (PDF 0.2 MB).
• Fact sheet ‘Ecosystem-based Adaptation (EbA)’. Published by GIZ. Download (PDF 1.6 MB).
• ‘Rural development and adaptation to climate change: What do we know?’. Published by GIZ. Download (PDF 0.6 MB).
• ‘Der 4°-Bericht: Warum eine vier Grad wärmere Welt verhindert werden muss. Ein Bericht für die Weltbank Erstellt vom Potsdam-Institut für Klimafolgenforschung und von Climate Analytics’. Published by The World Bank. Download (PDF 0.6 MB). |
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Browse previous issues of GIZ's climate adaptation newsletter. |
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