Notes on Managing Climate Change.

The first 200 words of this essay...

Managing Climate Change

Adaptive Capacity: the extent to which a system can cope with climate change. In human systems it depends on available human physical and financial resources.

Climate vulnerability: the degree to which a natural or human system lack the ability to cope with climate change. Vulnerability is a result of the magnitude of the change, its speed of onset, the sensitivity of the system and its adaptive capacity.

Mitigation or adaptation?

Mitigation mean reducing the output of greenhouse gases and increasing the size of greenhouse gas sinks. I.e. targets to reduce emissions, switching to renewable energy sources, capturing carbon emissions from power stations and storing them.

Adaptation means changing the lifestyles to cope with new environment rather than trying to stop climate change. I.e. managed retreats of coastlines vulnerable to sea level rise, developing drought resistant crops, enlarge conservation areas to allow shifting of habitat zones.

> For human systems i.e. the economy, mitigation could involve an upfront cost, to reduce atmospheric pollution to 'safe' levels. Adaptation might mean costs were more gradual and spread over time.

> For natural systems like ecosystems, mitigation