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DOI: 10.1002/wea.504

Robust adaptation to climate


change
Robert L. Wilby1 adaptation is gaining ground (UNDP, 2007; needed for model calibration may be of
Parry et al., 2009). This poses a challenging dubious quality or patchy, the links
and Suraje Dessai2,3 question: how can we ensure that adapta- between regional and local climate are
1
Department of Geography, tion measures realize societal benefits now, poorly understood or resolved, and where
Loughborough University, and over coming decades, despite uncer- technical capacity is not in place. Another
Leicestershire, UK tainty about climate variability and concern is that high-resolution downscal-
2
School of Geography, University of change? ing can be misconstrued as accurate down-
Exeter, Exeter, UK The scientific community is developing scaling (Dessai et al., 2009). In other words,
3 regional climate downscaling (RCD) tech- our ability to downscale to finer time and
Tyndall Centre for Climate Change
niques to reconcile the scale mismatch space scales does not imply that our con-
Research, UK between coarse-resolution OA/GCMs and fidence is any greater in the resulting
location-specific information needs of scenarios.
adaptation planners. The resulting ‘scenar- The value of high-resolution climate
Introduction ios’ are regarded as plausible descriptions change scenarios for long-term planning
Coupled ocean/atmosphere general circula- of the future climate that reflect the influ- may be questionable wherever climate
tion models (OA/GCMs) have been instru- ence of local topography and/or land-sea variability is already stressing human and
mental in showing the need for global effects, and their interactions with chang- environmental systems. For instance, parts
action to curb the anthropogenic emis- ing synoptic-scale weather patterns under of North Africa and the Middle East are
sions that cause climate change. It may be rising concentrations of greenhouse gases. facing a water crisis due to rapid popula-
contested, however, that these tools have Thanks to widely available and user-friendly tion growth, combined with weak govern-
been less helpful in informing how to adapt tools, the volume of peer-reviewed research ance, climate variability and limited
at regional and local scales (Schiermeier, on RCD has grown dramatically over the renewable supplies. Under these circum-
2007). Given the legacy of past emissions last decade (Wilby et al., 2009). It is becom- stances, even achieving Millennium
and the prospect of unavoidable climate ing apparent, however, that downscaling Development Goals (MDGs) by 2015 (such
change, the case for committing more also has serious practical limitations, espe- as access to safe drinking water) may seem
180 financial and technical resources to cially where the meteorological data a remote prospect, let alone sustaining
Future 2004). Experience from the UK Climate
society Projections (UKCP09) tells us that consider-
able time and effort must be invested in
GHG training user communities to discern the
emissions most appropriate scenarios and tools for the
The cascade of uncertainty

Adaptation to climate change


tasks in hand.
Climate ‘Bottom-up’ methods focus on reducing
model
vulnerability to past and present climate
variability, typically in the wake of an
Regional extreme event or disaster (such as the
scenario
floods of 1953 and 2000 in the UK). The
term ‘bottom up’ is used because the analy-
Impact
model sis begins with the factors and conditions
that enable successful coping with climate-
Local
related threats at the level of individuals,

Weather – July 2010, Vol. 65, No. 7


impacts households and communities. Although
these responses do not depend on climate
change scenarios, sufficiently lengthy
Adaptation
responses observations are needed to assess magni-
tudes and frequencies of extreme events as
The envelope of uncertainty well as their associated societal and/or
environmental consequences (as in the
Figure 1. A cascade of uncertainty proceeds from different socio-economic and demographic case of the well-documented impacts of
pathways, their translation into concentrations of atmospheric greenhouse gas (GHG) the 2003 summer heatwave in Europe
concentrations, expressed climate outcomes in global and regional models, translation into local (Palutikof et al., 2004)). Formal records can
impacts on human and natural systems, and implied adaptation responses. The increasing be extended by anecdotal evidence of how
number of triangles at each level symbolize the growing number of permutations and hence severe weather has affected a community
expanding envelope of uncertainty. For example, even relatively reliable hydrological models can (e.g. the UK Climate Impacts Programme
yield very different results depending on the methods (and observed data) used for calibration. (2008) Local Climate Impacts Profiles);
however, there is always a danger of over-
progress under climate change to the permutations of emission scenario, climate or under-reporting of extreme events by
2020s and beyond. Hence, there have been model, downscaling method, and so on, local media.
calls to re-examine the ways in which cli- proliferating at each stage (Figure 1). In practice, climate vulnerability is deter-
mate risk information is used in adaptation Although this is the most widely repre- mined by a host of factors including varia-
and development planning (Dessai et al., sented approach within the scientific evi- tions in wealth, social equality, food
2005). dence reviewed by the Intergovernmental availability, health and education status,
This paper begins by comparing two dif- Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), there are physical and institutional infrastructure,
ferent approaches to climate risk assess- very few tangible examples of anticipatory access to natural resources and technology
ment in adaptation planning. We then or planned adaptation decisions arising (Brooks et al., 2005). Vulnerability indicators
describe a framework for robust adaptation from this route. The vast majority of research can be helpful in tracking changes in cli-
decision-making that departs from tradi- studies stop at the impact assessment mate risk exposure and the effectiveness of
tional ‘predict and provide’ methods. We stage. adaptation strategies over time; indicators
draw upon examples from the water sectors One explanation may be that the range can also help to target resources on ‘hot
of developing and developed countries as (or envelope) of uncertainty expands at spots’. Adaptation occurs by improving cop-
evidence of how significant progress can be each step of the process to the extent that ing strategies or by reducing exposure to
made in the majority of cases without cli- potential impacts and their implied adapta- known threats. Examples of the former
mate change projections. Our views are also tion responses span such a wide range as might be upgrading flood forecasting sys-
shaped by recent experiences of supporting to be practically unhelpful. Although more tems or flood-proofing individual home-
adaptation in practice. exhaustive characterization of uncertainty steads against floods on riverine islands in
may be scientifically tractable (through Bangladesh, by constructing earth plat-
international comparison studies involving forms (Tanner et al., 2007). An example of
Complementary approaches large ensembles of climate models and reducing exposure would be to lower the
to adaptation downscaling methods such as PRUDENCE,1 percentage of a population living in flood-
Broadly speaking, there are two main per- ENSEMBLES,2 NARCCAP3), the prospect of plains or low-lying coastal zones, by
spectives on climate risk assessment for reducing uncertainty depends on further facilitating pro-poor economic migration.
adaptation. ‘Top-down’ (also known as progress being made in the underpinning Conventional vulnerability assessments,
‘scenario-led’) methods involve first downs- climate science (Hawkins and Sutton, 2009). however, are less suited to guiding adapta-
caling climate projections from OA/GCMs There also remains a danger that ensemble tion if coping thresholds change, or climate
under a range of greenhouse gas emissions projections are perceived as actual proba- risks emerge that are outside the range of
scenarios. The resulting local scenarios are bilities of change when, in fact, the resultant recent experience. For example, successive
then fed into impacts models (to estimate, distributions of temperature and precipita- drought years in India might progressively
for example, future stream flow or crop tion changes are highly dependent upon reduce coping thresholds of the rural poor
yields), before finally invoking adaptation the experimental design (Dessai and Hulme, by increasing indebtedness, or as a result of
measures to maximize any benefits or coun- deteriorating health linked to food scarcity.
1
ter anticipated risks. The term ‘top down’ is http://prudence.dmi.dk/ Later droughts will thus have a dispropor-
2
used because information is cascaded from http://ensembles-eu.metoffice.com/index.html tionately greater impact on communities
one step to the next, with the number of 3
http://www.narccap.ucar.edu/ than earlier episodes.
181
Adaptation options appraisal
According to the IPCC Fourth Assessment
Report (2007), there is a low level of agree-
ment amongst climate models even about
Adaptation to climate change

the sign of the change in seasonal rainfall


over large parts of Africa, Asia and South
America (Figure 2). When uncertainty in
such an important variable is combined
with the high vulnerability of populations,
it makes sense to identify development
strategies that perform well (though not Figure 2. Changes in precipitation (%) for the period 2090–2099, relative to 1980–1999. Values are
necessarily optimally) over a wide range of multimodel averages based on the Special Report on Emissions scenario A1B for (a) December to
conditions faced now and potentially in the February and (b) June to August. White areas are where less than 66% of the models agree in the
future. Ideally, ‘no regret’ strategies should sign of the change and stippled areas are where more than 90% of the models agree in the sign of
Weather – July 2010, Vol. 65, No. 7

yield benefits regardless of climate change. the change. (Source: IPCC, 2007).
In practice, there are opportunity costs,
trade-offs, or externalities associated with
adaptation actions so it is better to refer to Table 1
such interventions as ‘low regret’. Such Examples of ‘low regret’ adaptation measures for water management.
measures should address present develop-
Scientific and climate risk information
ment priorities as well as keeping open or
maximising options for adaptation in the • Centralize meteorological data collection, quality control and dissemination.
future. For example, protecting water • Support meteorological data rescue and digitization.
sources from contamination or salinization • Monitor baseline and environmental change (indicators) at reference sites.
is a sound strategy under any climate con-
• Improve surface and groundwater models leading to more reliable resource estimates.
text. Likewise, long-term monitoring of
environmental quality is necessary for esti- • Improve understanding of regional climate controls and land surface feedbacks.
mating the sustainable resource and for • Develop real-time, seasonal and decadal forecasting capability.
benchmarking changing conditions or the • Improve the dissemination and uptake of forecasts for emergency management.
outcome of management decisions. Other
examples of low-regret water management • Survey at high resolutions to identify zones most vulnerable to coastal and fluvial
flooding.
measures are listed in Table 1. All make
sense regardless of the very uncertain out- Water management practices
look for climatic and non-climatic drivers of
• Strengthen water governance and methods of allocation.
water availability.
Here we propose a framework that sifts • Undertake source protection from pollution and salinization.
for robust adaptation measures that are low • Increase agricultural (and urban) drainage water re-use.
regret, or reversible, incorporate safety • Manage artificial aquifer recharge.
margins, employ ‘soft’ solutions, are flexible
• Undertake asset management and maintenance (leakage control, urban drainage
and mindful of actions being taken by oth-
systems).
ers to either mitigate or adapt to climate
change (Hallegatte, 2009). Assuming that • Improve water efficiency (domestic, agricultural, industrial sectors).
the most significant risks posed by climate • Develop faster-growing and/or more drought-resistant crop cultivars.
(and non-climatic) hazards have been iden- • Employ traditional water-harvesting and retention techniques (such as terracing).
tified, the first step is to construct an inven-
• Test contingency plans and improve post-disaster management.
tory of all such adaptation options (labelled
A, B, C...) (Figure 3). This set could include
hard engineering solutions and retrofit to new reservoir or irrigation system), then it (e.g. water saving measures). If no regional
existing infrastructure, as well as soft solu- is necessary to evaluate performance across climate projections are available, it may be
tions involving re-allocation of resources, a range of scenarios. necessary to revert to narratives about cli-
behaviour change, institutional and/or sec- This is the point at which RCD might mate change from OA/GCMs (such as
toral reform/restructuring, awareness-rais- inform the options appraisal by establishing ‘warmer’, ‘delayed melt’, ‘more extremes’).
ing, or risk spreading via financial plausible upper and lower bounds to cli- Even qualitative descriptions of climate
instruments (Wilby et al., 2009). Through mate change sensitivity testing. Where variability or the direction of change can
screening and appraisal it should be possi- impacts models are available, options’ per- help planners embrace uncertainty by look-
ble to identify a sub-set of preferred adapta- formance can be quantitatively analyzed ing for more resilient options that meet
tion measures (labelled B, H, S and W) that under different combinations of precipita- agreed standards. This thinking is evident
would reduce vulnerability under the tion, temperature, sea level, etc. Other, non- in the first three principles of the World
present climate regime, whilst being socially climatic, drivers (such as land-use change) Wildlife Fund’s primer on Adapting Water to
acceptable, technically and economically might also be introduced to the sensitivity a Changing Climate, namely: (1) develop
feasible given the prevailing regulatory testing at this stage (Legesse et al., 2003). institutional capacity for effective govern-
environment. If the lifetime of the scheme For many practical purposes, detailed ance; (2) create flexible [water] allocation
is a few years or less, then it may be suffi- numerical modelling may not be feasible systems and agreements and (3) reduce
cient to test the measures using recent cli- (because of time, cost, technical constraints, external non-climate pressures (Matthews
matology. If the lifetime of the measure etc.) or even necessary if the option delivers and Le Quesne, 2008). Measures that pass
spans multiple decades (as in the case of a benefits regardless of the climate outlook the sensitivity test and/or comply with
182
change factors that reflect some (but cer-
tainly not all) climate and hydrological mod-
Observed Observed climate
non-climatic variability and elling uncertainty (UKWIR, 2007). Climate
pressures Vulnerability change change factors are used to adjust historic
(now) rainfall or river flow sequences. In the case

Adaptation to climate change


of the River Itchen in southern England, the
low flows (Q95) – which are critical to the
survival of iconic species such as salmon –
Adaptation are on average expected to decrease by just
options
2% by the 2020s (Figure 4). The 90% confi-
A, B, C....
Social acceptability Economic appraisal dence limits for the change in low flow,
however, span +4% to −24%. The resulting
Technical feasibility Regulatory context deployable water supply estimates are then
Preferred incorporated within water utilities’ 25-year
measures plans, alongside other drivers of the water

Weather – July 2010, Vol. 65, No. 7


Monitoring
B, H, S, W supply-demand balance. The overall
framework is a good example of the top-
Narratives of down, scenario-led approach.
Climate change
non-climatic Compared with tropical regions, there is
narratives
pressures Vulnerability a relatively high degree of agreement
(future)
amongst climate models about the future
direction of rainfall changes across the UK
(Figure 2). Even so, agreement does not nec-
Adaptation principles Sensitivity analysis essarily equate with certainty, and there is
Robust
measures still a wide range of projected impacts at
B, W the scale of individual water resource zones.
For example, a study of the River Thames
found that summer low flows could change
Performance appraisal New evidence by between −19% and +74% by the 2020s
Adaptation (Wilby and Harris, 2006). Overall, 82% of the
pathways scenarios point to lower flows, and hence
W then B
the possibility of diminished supplies at the
time of peak demand and pressure on fresh-
water ecosystems. This leaves a water com-
Figure 3. Conceptual framework for a scenario-neutral approach to adaptation planning. pany with the choice of obtaining water
supplies from new sources, taking steps to
accepted principles are then deemed to be of existing tidal defences (2035–2070) and save water, or a combination of both. But
robust to climate change (labelled B and W). (3) continued maintenance of the exist- what about the other 18% chance of higher
For example, using a narrative of ‘greater ing system or construction of a new bar- flows in summer? If realized, any investment
water scarcity’ a programme of de-silting rier (2070 onwards). The Plan is flexible to in new infrastructure (based only on the
traditional water tanks was supported in changing climate because interventions climate change driver) could be a costly
preference to the construction of a new $4 can be brought forward in time, alterna- mal-adaptation.
billion dam in Andhra Pradesh, India tive option pathways are not excluded, the This simple example highlights the ben-
(Pittock, 2008). design of structures can be modified, and efit of testing the sensitivity of adaptation
Given the long-term trend to glo- land has been secured for new defences decisions to a plausible range of climate
bal mean temperature increases and and habitat creation (Environment Agency, change projections. Referring back to
sea-level rise – even if emissions are dramat- 2009a). Ten ‘triggers for change’ will be Figure 3, the process begins by compiling
ically reduced in the short term – adaptation monitored throughout the life of the Plan; as complete a list as possible of all the
strategies should be open-ended. Adaptive if rapid change is detected in any indica- economically, politically, socially, and envi-
management of climate risks involves care- tor (such as mean sea level), the adaptation ronmentally viable adaptation options. The
ful monitoring of the environment and pathway can be adjusted accordingly. performance of individual and combina-
systematic appraisal of the performance of The following examples further illustrate tions of measures can then be tested under
measures (Figure 3). The resulting adaptation how principles of resilience, adaptive man- different climate conditions using impact
pathway will be shaped by the evolving agement, and monitoring are being incor- models. Using this methodology it was
scientific evidence and societal attitudes to porated in UK water management found that adaptation options within
risk. For example, scheduling of alternative strategies. Anglian Water Services’ 25-year Water
flood defence options within the Thames Resource Plan (2004) for East Suffolk and
Estuary 2100 (TE2100) Plan depends criti- Essex were robust to most of the sampled
cally on future changes in key components Case study: Water climate change uncertainties (Dessai and
of flood risk (i.e. sea-level rise, tidal surge, management in Hulme, 2007). A similar study of the
fluvial flooding, and urban flash flooding). England and Wales Wimbleball water resource zone in south-
Large uncertainty is attached to all ele- west England used the super-ensemble of
ments, so the Plan was broken down into The UK water sector has been taking poten- the ClimatePrediction.net experiment to test
three phases: (1) maintaining and improv- tial impacts of climate change into account the performance of different options (e.g.
ing existing flood defences, plus safeguard- for over a decade (Arnell and Delaney, water saving, reduced environmental flows,
ing spaces for future flood management 2006). Recent industry-agreed standards for increased reservoir storage) under climate
(2010–2034); (2) renewal and replacement water companies rest on suites of climate change (Lopez et al., 2009). By comparing
183
20 guidance (set out in the FCDPAG3 supple-
mentary note4) requires all flood manage-
15
ment plans in England and Wales to allow
10 for climate change by incorporating, within
5 a cost-benefit analysis, an increase in river
Adaptation to climate change

Percent change

flows of up 20% over the next 50 years, and


0
beyond. The allowance was based on
-5 detailed climate impacts modelling and a
-10 review of the available scientific evidence
at the time. The policy review is being
-15
informed by modelled changes in the
-20 20-year flood across the breadth of climate
-25 projections held in IPCC and UKCP09
archives. The analysis shows (for different
-30
types of catchment) the fraction of scenar-
Weather – July 2010, Vol. 65, No. 7

ios that could lead to peak river flows above


5 25 50 75 the existing precautionary allowance. Any
decision to modify the allowance (nation-
95 Median Dry Scenario Wet Scenario
ally or regionally) will depend on what is
Figure 4. Climate change flow factors for the River Itchen at Highbridge, Hampshire, UK. The filled deemed an acceptable flood risk, as well as
black circles show the central estimate of the changes based on an ensemble of climate and on the financial implications of different
hydrological model simulations. The other symbols show the 5th, 25th, 75th percentiles, alongside standards of protection.
three marker scenarios (dry, wet and median). The final bar (Q95) shows the central estimate and
range of uncertainty in the river flow that is exceeded 95% of the time. (Source: UKWIR, 2007.)
Conclusions
the frequency of failures to meet average generic options in Table 1, none of the pro- This paper has provided an overview of dif-
and peak water demand in autumn, it was posed adaptation measures is ‘no regret’ ferent approaches to climate risk assess-
found that simply increasing reservoir because there are certainly costs attached ment and adaptation with reference to
capacity was not enough to tackle succes- to each. A shift of emphasis from supply- to examples from the water sector: scenario-led,
sive dry years; demand reduction measures demand-side management, however, vulnerability-based, and a combination of
were also needed. favours options that are robust to the uncer- the two. It is accepted that adapting to cli-
Climate-insensitive approaches figure tainty in climate change projections. In mate change involves rejecting basic
prominently in the most recent Water practice, climate change is just one pressure assumptions about stationary conditions that
Resources Strategy for England and Wales amongst many affecting the water supply- have underpinned earlier flood, water, and
(Environment Agency, 2009b). Although the demand balance, so the cost-benefit of dif- conservation management (Milly et al., 2008).
report contains an illustrative projection of ferent adaptation configurations must still Opinion is divided, however, on how best to
the impact of climate change on mean be tested for different types of society and move forward. Some argue for increased
naturalized flows by 2050, much of the governance. sophistication and higher-resolution climate
document is devoted to improving resil- Finally, it is noted that sensitivity testing models to better characterize and constrain
ience of water supplies and critical infra- is also being applied in a review of climate uncertainty in the regional climate projec-
structure. Table 2 gives examples of some change allowances used by flood engi- tions offered to decision-makers.5 Others
of the measures envisaged. As with the neers (Reynard et al., 2009). Current Defra assert that simply coping with present cli-
mate variability is enough of a challenge
(Washington et al., 2006).
Table 2 We suggest that significant benefits may
Examples of actions to manage water resources and protect the environment in the face of accrue by allowing adaptation options
climate change. Adapted from Environment Agency (2009b). appraisal to take centre stage, rather than
climate change scenarios. In the majority of
Actions cases, simple steps can be taken to review
• Compulsorily convert all permanent abstraction licenses to time-limited status, to options that make sense today and are likely
provide the flexibility to respond to climate change. to be beneficial in the future, whatever the
• Increase the connectivity of water supply infrastructure to improve resilience of
existing resources and provide additional security from extreme events. 4
http://www.safecoast.org/editor/databank/File/
• All abstractors to consider accepting a reduction in the reliability of supply as an UK_climatechangeupdate.pdf [Accessed 10
option for resolving future deficits. December 2009]
• Increase levels of metering with suitable tariffs to improve water and economic 5
See for example a recent Blogs and Opinion
efficiency whilst protecting vulnerable groups. page of the UK’s Natural Environment Research
• Support water neutrality where new development is planned and require Council (http://planetearth.nerc.ac.uk/blogs/
developers to produce water cycle studies where housing developments are story.aspx?id=503) or the statement issued by
proposed. the 6–9 May 2008 World Modelling Summit for
Climate Prediction jointly organized by the
• Identify water efficiency standards for non-household buildings at a regulatory World Climate Research Programme, World
level and a voluntary code beyond that. Weather Research Programme, and the
• Further leakage control based on alternative methods of setting targets that better International Geosphere-Biosphere Programme
reflect the costs to society and the environment. (http://wcrp.ipsl.jussieu.fr/Workshops/
• Introduce further incentives for the purchase and fitting of water efficient ModellingSummit/Documents/
equipment and appliances. FinalSummitStat_6_6.pdf ).
184
climate outlook. This is not an anti-climate-
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that is practicable. In fact, the same families Cambridge University Press: Cambridge, better management of rivers for people
of climate modelling and downscaling are UK. and nature. WWF International: Gland,
already providing operational support to Dessai S, Lu X, Risbey JS. 2005. On the Switzerland. 33pp.

Adaptation to climate change


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to an uncertain climate change. Global

Weather – July 2010, Vol. 65, No. 7


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