Climate Change Adaptation in a Changing Environment Course

Climate change impacts will affect social and ecological systems in complex and broad-ranging
ways as technological, economic, social and ecological changes take place across regions, groups
and sectors. Many of these impacts, such as impacts on ecological systems, have cascading effects
on social, economic and health outcomes. In order to respond to climate change, more vigorous
actions are required to mitigate emissions of greenhouse gases (GHGs) and to adapt to
unavoidable consequences that are increasing vulnerability around the world.

This training places local sustainability, its development challenges and local vulnerabilities in the
context of climate changes at regional and global levels in order to understand their linkages. It is
well recognized that a response strategy to climate change is an additional and new area of
sustainable community development, that in addition to many other local priorities like reducing
poverty, improving sanitation and safe access to fresh water, health issues and diminishing
ecological resiliency.

TOPICS TO BE COVERED

Module 1: Principles and key concepts

• Introduction to climate change and climate change adaptation
• Strategy development and planning for Climate Change Adaptation
• Legal frame work for Climate Change Adaptation
• Characteristics of Vulnerability and Scope of the Assessment
• Vulnerability Assessments and the DPSIR Framework
  • Defining vulnerability
  • Vulnerability to climate change
• Monitoring Vulnerability

Module 2: Introduction to GIS for Climate change

• Introduction to GIS software
• Planning for a GIS system installation
• Working with a GIS software
• Introduction to GPS
• GPS data collection
• GPS data download

Module 3: Impacts of Climate Change and their Assessment

• Economic sector
• social structure
• Agriculture
• Natural resources
• Migration and disasters

Module 4: Climate Change Response

• Creating Responses: Determining the adaptation options     
• Mainstreaming climate change into development decisions     
• Developing adaptation responses
• Contingency Planning

Module 5: Knowledge resources for Climate Change Adaptation

• Climate modeling climate forecasting and applied technologies for Climate Change monitoring
• Vulnerability assessment
• Uncertainties and risk management
• Capacity building for Climate Change Adaptation
• The role of GIS and Remote Sensing in climate forecasting and modeling

Module 6: Prioritizing Adaptation Responses

• Developing a Basic Implementation Plan and a Communication Strategy
  • Implementing adaptation responses
  • Communicating climate change and adaptation