The State of Adaptation and the Role of Climate Information (Invited Presentation)

Substantial adaptation planning is occurring in the public and private sectors and at all levels of government; however, few measures have been implemented and those that have appear to be incremental changes. Barriers to implementation of adaptation include limited funding, policy and legal impediments, and difficulty in anticipating climate-related changes at local scales. While no “one size fits all,” sharing best practices, learning by doing, and iterative and collaborative processes including stakeholder involvement, can help support progress. Information on climate change is among the key barriers to adaptation. This includes uncertainty about climate change and its impacts, fragmented sources of information, and a lack of climate information.