Adaptation to climate change is a reality for all countries, and a comprehensive framework that allows all countries to adapt has to be created, said a UN climate body chief in Bali yesterday.

"Adaptation needs to be a priority on our agenda, " said Yvo deBoer, the executive secretary of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) at the opening ceremony for the 13th session of the Conference of the Parties (COP13) to the UNFCCC.

"It is essential that vulnerable developing countries are in a position to draw up plans to prepare for climate change impacts," said de Boer as the United Nations Climate Change Conference - Bali, 2007 is underway, poised for a breakthrough in international climate change negotiations.

Coping with a changing climate --

Scientific evidence of climate change, as contained in the fourth assessment report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), puts the reality of human-induced global warming beyond any doubt. The Earth's surface temperature is rising, thereby changing the Earth's climate. Adaptation is about finding and implementing ways of adjusting to climate change.

Rising temperatures this century will have serious effects on rainfall, the strength and distribution of tropical storms, sea levels and glacier melt, thereby causing greater risks to life and livelihood and increasing damage-related costs. The impacts of climate change increase, among other things, the prospect of water and food shortages, coastal inundation, the distribution of vector-borne diseases such as malaria and dengue fever, and the rate of extinction for many species (up to 30 per cent with a 2C rise in temperature.)

Adaptation is vital, even if countries reduce their greenhouse gas emissions, because the greenhouse gases already in the atmosphere will continue to cause a rise in temperature. The IPCC report predicts that by 2100, average global temperatures will rise to at least 1.8C and may be as high as 4C, depending on different emission scenarios.

Different methods of adaptation --

Adapting to climate change will entail adjustments and changes at every level from community-based to national and international. The range of practices that can be used to adapt to climate change is diverse, and includes changes in behavior (e.g. in water use or farming practices), structural changes (e.g. in the design specification of bridges and roads), policy based responses (e.g. integrating risk management and adaptation into development policy), technological responses (e.g. increased sea defenses, improved forecasting) or managerial responses (e.g. improved forest management and biodiversity conservation.)

The Nairobi work program --

Any successful adaptation strategy needs to be based on sound scientific assessment. In response to this need, the Nairobi work program on impacts, vulnerability and adaptation to climate change was launched in 2005. The objective of the five-year program is to help countries improve their understanding of the impacts of climate change and to make informed decisions on practical adaptation actions and measures.

National Adaptation Programs of Action --

Developing countries are the most vulnerable to climate change impacts because they have fewer resources to adapt: A number of developing countries have drawn up adaptation plans or are in the process of finalizing them. This includes the National Adaptation Programs of Action (NAPAs) of least developed countries. The NAPAs allow identification of priority activities that respond to immediate needs and concerns for adaptation to climate change. They build upon existing coping strategies at the grassroots level and promote the use of relevant traditional knowledge and practice.

Promoting sustainable development --

Climate change requires a global framework for international cooperation, and adaptation action is a vital part of this framework. Furthermore, any action taken to enable adaptation to climate change raises opportunities to promote sustainable development. However, developing countries require resources in order to promote these actions. A successful framework must therefore directly involve assistance for adaptation in developing countries, particularly small island developing States and least developed countries, given that they will disproportionately bear the brunt of climate change impacts.