Climate Change Adaptation: Oxfam’s Approach Catherine Pettengell, Global Adviser - Climate Change Adaptation 12 th July 2010

What we’ll talk about  What’s the issue?  Why is climate change adaptation needed?  Who is most vulnerable and why?  Oxfam’s approach to CCA

What’s the issue?  It’s a development issue: climate change threatens to stall – and then reverse – progress made to achieve the MDGs.  It’s an equity issue: poor women and men in developing countries are those worst affected by climate change, yet are the least responsible for causing it.  It’s an urgent issue: the impacts of climate change are already having an impact on women and men living in poverty; undermining livelihoods and increasing weather-related disasters, and this trend will get worse.

Why is climate change adaptation needed? Photo: Shehab Uddin/DRIK/Oxfam GB Climate changing is undermining the sustainability of livelihoods.  Climate change is overwhelming the natural resources on which livelihoods depend.  Climate change is increasing climate-related disaster risk.

Who are most vulnerable and why?  Those who depend on climate-sensitive resources and ecosystems for their livelihoods; agriculture, fisheries, forests.  Those who live in marginalised and hazard prone areas; deforested hillsides, flood plains, urban slums.  Those with limited assets and political voice to enable them to respond to the impacts of climate change; low adaptive capacity.

Oxfam and CCA  CCA cannot be viewed in isolation from Oxfam’s broader development work because, like any other driver of poverty and suffering, climate change does not act in isolation but instead amplifies existing vulnerability and inequality.  Oxfam’s approach to CCA draws together experience from gendered sustainable livelihoods, natural resource management and disaster risk reduction programming in order to bring about transformative change in the lives and livelihoods of women and men suffering the impacts of climate change.

How? Warming of the climate system is unequivocal. Local level info relevant to planning is lacking. Therefore demands an approach that manages uncertainty and fosters adaptive capacity.  Learning to adapt is as important as any specific adaptation intervention.

Oxfam’s approach to CCA

Well-being disaster time (a) coping (d) climate change adaptation time Well-being hazards (b) resilience time disaster time (c) climate change impacts more frequent disasters Gradual changes undermining well-being Coping, resilience and adaptation