Institute of Development Studies

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Climate change gets attention across the world. IPCC findings call for radical limits to atmospheric greenhouse gas concentrations responsible for human-induced climate change. Achieving an international agreement, particularly under the UNFCCC, on emissions targets, burden sharing, trading mechanisms and technological and financial assistance remains a high priority concern for the 'mitigation' of climate change. Simultaneously, there is a growing acknowledgement of the need to enable human and natural systems to adjust to actual or expected climate stimuli or their effects, a process known as 'adaptation'. Adaptation is now a central strand of climate policy, thanks to the increasing engagement of the development community, particularly through emphasising the differentiated nature of impacts across the world and within societies. Adaptation is framed as an equity and rights issue. The central message of this IDS Bulletin is that adaptation will be ineffective and inequitable if it fails to learn from and build upon an understanding of the multi-dimensional and differentiated nature of poverty and vulnerability.

Table of contents

Introduction: Building the Case for Pro-poor Adaptation (pdf 70kb)
Thomas Tanner and Tom Mitchell

'Entrenchment or Enhancement: Could Climate Change Adaptation Help to Reduce Chronic Poverty?'
Thomas Tanner and Tom Mitchell

'A Right to Adaptation: Securing the Participation of Marginalised Groups'
Emily Polack

'The Gender Dimensions of Poverty and Climate Change Adaptation'
Justina Demetriades and Emily Esplen

'The Economic Case for Pro-Poor Adaptation: What do we Know?'
Tamsin Vernon

'Assets and Adaptation'
Martin Prowse and Lucy Scott

'Avoiding Repetition: Time for CBA to Engage witht he Livelihoods Literature?'
Rachel Sabates-Wheeler, Tom Mitchell and Frank Ellis

'Creating Less Disastrous Disasters'
Maria Carmen Lemos and Emma L. Tompkins

'Institutional Capacity, Climate Change Adaptation and the Urban Poor'
David Dodman and David Sattherthwaite

'Evaluating Climate Change: Pro-Poor Perspectives'
Merylyn Hedger, Martin Greeley and Jennifer Leavy

'Towards a Science of Adaptation that Prioiritises the Poor'
Andrew Challinor

'Climate Risk Screening of Development Portfolios and Programmes'
Thomas Tanner

'Video-Mediated Approaches for Community-Level Climate Adaptation'
Pablo Suarez, Fiona Ching, Gina Ziervogel, Isabelle Lemaire, Diane Turnquest, Janot Mendler de Suarez and Ben Wisner

' "Adaptive Social Protection": Synergies for Poverty Reduction'
Mark Davies, Bruce Guenther, Jennifer Leavy, Tom Mitchell and Thoms Tanner

'Microfinance and Climate Change Adaptation'
Anne Hammill, Richard Matthew and Elissa McCarter

'Climate Insurance for the Poor: Challenges for Targeting and Participation'
Rachele Pierro and Bina Desai

'Defining a Future Research Agenda on Pro-Poor Adaptation'
Tom Mitchell and Thomas Tanner