What is climate change adaptation mainstreaming and how it can be made operational at national and sub-national levels? This report looks at the ways in which mainstreaming of climate change adaptation has been defined and it gives an overview of available resources and screening tools to support components of mainstreaming. It argues that although available definitions point to the need for mainstreaming, they give limited practical guidance as to how to integrate climate concerns into the different levels of planning and decision-making.
Considerable progress has been made over the last ten years in constructing a conceptual framework for mainstreaming climate change adaptation. A range of adaptation activities and related mainstreaming efforts have been undertaken. However, although there is consensus at the general level on the precept of climate change adaptation mainstreaming, there is no universally agreed definition. Furthermore, mainstreaming guidance documents attempt to conceptualise a framework for mainstreaming at various levels, rather than providing detailed instructions on how to implement mainstreaming.
Climate change adaptation methods and screening tools have been developed largely by independent national and international bodies, based on different rationales and objectives. Nevertheless, the following broad definitions emerge:
- Mainstreaming can be described as the integration of climate concerns and adaptation responses into relevant policies, plans, programmes and projects.
- Climate change screening provides a way of assessing the impacts of climate change on development activities, and how these linkages can be taken into account in development activities and national planning processes.
- Climate proofing involves ensuring that climate risks are reduced to acceptable levels through long-lasting, environmentally sound, economically viable, and socially acceptable changes. These changes are implemented at one or more of the following stages in the project cycle: planning, design, construction, operation, and decommissioning.
- Climate risk management is a generic term for an approach to promote sustainable development by reducing the vulnerability associated with climate risk.
There is a broad spectrum of approaches used in climate screening exercises. An analysis of thirty different tools reveals the following issues:
- Some people see the diversity of approaches as positive factor contributing to awareness-raising, cross-referencing and collaboration. Others see the need for a more harmonised approach.
- The approaches of the various climate screening tools differ in terms of whether mainstreaming is the point of departure or whether there is an emphasis on the formulation of new adaptation activities.
- The specific knowledge level of climate change required to use a given climate risk screening tool varies considerably.
- While climate risk screening tools need to be simple in order to be useful, the recommendations based on simple tools may in fact lead to maladaptation.
It is essential to develop further a common understanding of what climate change mainstreaming is about and how it can be operationalised.
- Establishing clear definitions of key climate change adaptation and mainstreaming concepts and transparent indicators for assessing climate change adaptation activities should be a priority.
- Climate risk screening efforts are immensely useful to support a number of mainstreaming components. Their relevance is not confined to the project level. Different approaches are required at different mainstreaming levels.
- Pre-screening of climate risks and vulnerabilities and detailed climate risk assessments are central to mainstreaming efforts.
- The links between development and the various adaptation concepts should be considered.
- Mainstreaming efforts and experiences in other areas such as disaster relief can be explored to understand how to integrate climate change into development planning and policymaking processes.
- A common approach to climate screening would not only increase transparency and facilitate cross-cutting comparisons of screening efforts, it would allow the expansion of mainstreaming processes to involve all relevant stakeholders at the national level.
