Home page > Publications > Climate Report n°27 « Drawing up a national climate change adaptation policy: (...)
The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC ) introduced the adaptation issue at the international level as far back as 1992. At that time, it was specified that the aims of such policies were to minimise the impacts of climate change on countries’ economies and public health systems, and on the quality of their environment. However, in terms of practical measures taken by Governments, which have so far mainly focused on the mitigation side, adaptation was considered until recently as a secondary issue among climate policy priorities, and one that was more related to developing countries.
Since the turn of the century, and more specifically since 2005, adaptation has been attracting increasing interest from political decision-makers in developed countries, which are already seeing the first effects of climate change (severe droughts, flooding, etc.). Prompted by public opinion in their countries, and warned by scientists about the increasing magnitude of these events, decision-makers are beginning to draw up and implement adaptation policies and measures at all government levels, from local to international.
Adapting to climate change raises a large number of research, assessment, governance and implementation issues, often differing from those raised by mitigation policies. The aim of this study is to review the institutional processes for drawing up adaptation policies in five European countries (Germany, Spain, France, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom) and to highlight the decisive factors for drawing up adaptation policies and measures. While these countries are relatively similar in terms of their socio-economic features, they differ widely in terms of their vulnerability to climate change and their governance practices.
Although these countries have drawn up framework adaptation policies, few practical measures have yet been implemented. A comparative analysis of their policies enables us to highlight not only their differences, but also their common features, thus providing us with an indication of the key points that apparently need to be addressed in all adaptation policies, namely: i) high-level research into both local climate change impacts and socio-techno-economic solutions; ii) an appropriate institutional framework and the involvement of stakeholders, which is institutionalised according to the country’s economic and political environment, and iii) the identification of key issues and of potential measures that can be implemented, which are often linked to existing sector or local policies.
