As the climate continues to change, we must adjust and adapt to new conditions, and businesses are no exception.
The overall goal of climate adaptation is to ensure we are better prepared to respond to current and future climate impacts. While it aims to create more climate-resilient communities by taking proactive measures to prepare for the impacts of projected climate change, the concept can be quite vague. So, let’s look at how cities and countries are adapting to climate change to further understand what climate adaptation looks like.
With flooding being one of the most significant climate-related risks in Ireland, the country has created comprehensive Catchment Flood Risk Assessment and Management (CFRAM) strategies. These include the construction of flood defences, enhancing drainage systems in vulnerable areas, and river dredging. For instance, towns such as Limerick and Cork have witnessed substantial investments in flood protection infrastructure like walls, flood barriers, and embankments.
Additionally, Ireland’s extensive coastline is vulnerable to sea-level rise and coastal erosion. With this in mind, the government has implemented coastal protection schemes like constructing sea walls and dune restoration projects.
The Irish agricultural sector is one of the most exposed ones, and it is also working to adapt to changing climate conditions to avoid detrimental outcomes and mitigate business risks. The Teagasc Adaptation Plan is a prime example of this, with a focus on supporting farmers in making their operations more resilient. This entails practices like using more resilient crop varieties, enhancing soil health, and implementing water conservation practices to cope with changing weather patterns and more frequent droughts.
Ireland’s National Adaptation Framework (NAF) was established in 2018 to guide adaptation efforts across various sectors, including transport and health. The framework encourages local governments to devise specific adaptation strategies tailored to their regions, addressing risks such as rising temperatures, extreme weather, and shifting ecosystems.
Ireland has also initiated programmes to protect and preserve biodiversity, such as habitat restoration and rewilding in vulnerable areas. This includes projects like wetland restoration that act as natural flood defences and conserve biodiversity besides acting as carbon sinks.
Further afield, the Netherlands has been implementing adaptation strategies to address flooding risks. Due to extremely high water levels, they introduced the ‘Room for the River’ Project, which widens riverbanks to minimise flooding risk. The Dutch government developed the programme in 2007 to manage higher river water levels by lowering flood plains, relocating levees, increasing the depth of side channels, creating water buffers, and constructing flood bypasses. The programme consists of more than 30 projects, most of which were completed at the end of 2018.
In the UK, under the Climate Change Act 2008, the country is legally required to adapt to climate change. The government must produce a climate change risk assessment to identify risks and a five-yearly national adaptation programme to address these risks. The third National Adaptation Programme (NAP3) was published in July 2023. So far, they have primarily focused on making infrastructure more resilient. For instance, Transport for London has adapted train systems to withstand extreme heat. Moreover, efforts have been made to improve drainage systems to manage more intense rainfall. However, their NAP3 also includes plans such as investment in the natural environment and shifts in crops and agriculture, changes to be made to the built environment to protect public health, and shifts in business practices.
In saying that, the UK has received some scrutiny from parliamentary committees, independent organisations, and experts regarding its progress in implementing climate change adaptation measures.
Australia, famous for climate ignorance in the past, has experienced increased bushfires with devastating impacts due to the climate crisis and has also developed and initiated climate adaptation strategies. Some steps include controlled burns to reduce fuel loads, upgraded building codes for fire-prone areas, and enhanced early-warning systems for rapid evacuation. Controlled burns involve setting planned fires to maintain the health of a forest. These burns are scheduled for a time when the fire will not pose a threat to fire managers or the public.
While many countries have implemented substantial climate adaptation measures, significant work remains to be done globally and locally. The efforts above showcase promising steps toward climate resilience. However, these initiatives are not always matched by the necessary pace and scale of change required. Many regions still lag in addressing climate impacts, with adaptation plans either underfunded or not fully implemented.
These adaptation plans are also indicators for businesses to rethink their operations while considering innovating and spotting market opportunities to address climate challenges.
Governments, industries, and communities must act collectively to create resilient systems that not only mitigate risks but also allow people and businesses to thrive under changing climate conditions.
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Written by Bronagh Loughlin, journalist
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