Professor of Ecological Economics and Environmental Studies at Université Paris-Saclay
Vincent Viguié
Researcher in Climate Economics at CIRED
Key takeaways
Adaptation is the process of adjusting to the current or expected climate and its effects, in order to mitigate damage or exploit beneficial opportunities.
Coupled with mitigation, adaptation is useful in many areas, such as territorial risks or food security.
The role of the state is key in coordinating actors and disseminating the right information.
Transformational adaptation is about changing the fundamental characteristics of a system, as opposed to incremental adaptation.
The Global Commission on Adaptation estimates that investing $1.8 billion between 2020 and 2030 can generate $7.1 billion in benefits.
Senior Researcher in "adaptation to climate change" at the Institute for Sustainable Development and International Relations (IDDRI-Sciences Po)
Key takeaways
The population groups most vulnerable to climate change are those in precarious situations and/or in isolation.
But the more affluent parts of societies will also suffer, less quickly and less directly, because their wealth is based on all the other strata of society.
The risk level for some areas is increasing due to the intensification of natural hazards, such as the intertropical and polar areas.
Drought could accelerate social and political destabilisation in areas where conflicts already exist, such as the semi-arid areas of Africa.
Adaptation is the solution to reduce vulnerabilities, but it requires, among other things, institutional changes and relevant public policies.
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