Geography and Environment

This paper aims to characterise some of the ways in which the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) is trickling down to effect national level action on climate change. State and non state actors are interviewed at the 8th UNFCCC Conference of Parties (COP8) during October and November 2002. The interviews reveal that climate change is already perceived to be a priority issue, or is becoming one. In all countries much legislation is already in place to facilitate climate change preparedness (both adaptation and mitigation), although respondents suggest that in the majority of cases these changes are not being developed in response to the UNFCCC but to other drivers. While changes were seen at the national level, mostly through planning and research, few saw action at the local level. Respondents agreed that climate risks must be managed through both national mitigation and adaptation, with many highlighting the importance of finding ways to participate in the Kyoto Protocol mechanisms and managing the impacts of foreign direct investments. The majority of respondents focussed on in-country actions such as identifying the most vulnerable groups, few identified the need for greater global cooperation.
To conclude, the Convention plays a role in shaping the discourse of climate change and in generating national level responses. These responses are played out differently according to the geographic, environmental, economic, social and cultural conditions of each country. The Convention is clearly important, but perhaps it is not adequate to shape a total response to climate change. There appears to be scope for additional initiatives, through collaboration, trade or aid, and through bilateral arrangements.

Adaptation and mitigation are usually in different policy domains and communities. Hence, despite the clear overlaps in policy responses, they are treated separately. We propose that a useful starting point to developing national climate policy is to understand what societal response might mean. First we frame the set of responses as a trade off between investment in the development and diffusion of new technology, and investment in encouraging and enabling society to change its behaviour and or adopt the new technology. We argue that these are the pertinent trade-offs, rather than those usually posited between mitigation and adaptation per se. The preference for a more technological response as opposed to a policy response that focuses on changing social behaviour will be influenced by the capacity of different societies to change the climate; perceived vulnerability to climate impacts and capacity to modify social behaviour and physical environment. Starting with this complete vision of response options should enable policy makers to re-evaluate the risk environment and the set of response options available to them. From here, climate policy has to consider who is responsible for taking response decisions and when actions should be taken. Institutional arrangements dictate social and political acceptability, they structure worldviews, and they determine the provision of resources for investment in adaptation and mitigation technology. The importance of focussing on the timing of the response is emphasised to maximise the potential for adjustments through social learning and institutional change at different policy scales. We argue that the ability to adapt is linked to, not separate from, the ability to mitigate as both depend on social and technological constraints. The resilience of society to climate change impacts and the need for technological change for both decarbonisation and for dealing with surprise in general, are central to concepts of sustainable development.

This guidebook provides information about the risks associated with climate change, as well as providing ideas, tools and techniques for those who need to start taking action today to prepare. It is primarily aimed at government officers who would like to learn more about climate change, its impacts and how to start preparing. Specifically, it has been written to facilitate incorporation of climate change into planning and development activities on small islands. The
general approach described is also useful for other geographic locations, enabling any reader to apply the recommendations and develop their own climate change adaptation plans.

This guidebook has been produced by the Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research, UK, as part of a project: ‘XOT 005 Preparing for and adapting to climate change in the UK Overseas Territories’. It has been funded through the UK Overseas Territories Environment Programme, a joint initiative of the Department for International Development and the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, in partnership with the UK Overseas Territories.