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You may have seen or heard this figure: between 3.3 and 3.6 billion people live in areas at risk due to climate change. These climate risks are numerous: more intense, frequent, and prolonged weather events (extreme heatwaves, fires, droughts, floods, etc.), food and water insecurity, harm to human physical and mental health, etc. They affect all continents. To address these risks and limit their damage, the IPCC presents factors identified in scientific literature that could help us transition towards a resilient model: “Climate Resilient Development” (CRD).
How do we define our climate resilience? It refers to our social, economic, and ecosystem capacity to cope with climate events, trends, and disruptions. In this article, we will take a closer look at this point of the report and understand why it is crucial to consider this type of development to transform our systems in a viable way.
Reminder: What is the IPCC report?
The IPCC assessment report is a report synthesizing all scientific and technical information related to global warming. It is currently the most comprehensive work concerning the origin and impacts of global warming on the planet. We discussed the first part of this report in this article.
On February 28, 2022, the second part of the report was published. It highlights the major, and potentially very serious, impacts that climate change could cause. But it also proposes "solutions" to help us limit the damage and adopt a resilient way of life in the long term.
The urgency of immediate action
The urgency of immediate action is regularly reiterated in the report: due to actions taken and not taken in the past, we are now restricted to a smaller window for climate action, which continues to shrink over time. We still have the means to stay below 1.5°C: the long-term outcomes and impacts of climate change heavily depend on short-term climate action choices.
The figure below shows the trajectory opportunities that allow us to stay below the 1.5°C threshold and the outcomes of such a trajectory: The trajectory depends on economic, social, and environmental criteria.
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How to Act? A Focus on Climate Resilient Development (CRD)
The 18th chapter of this section synthesizes existing literature related to the topic of “Climate Resilient Development” or CRD. But what is CRD?
It involves three parallel actions:
- Climate change mitigation.
- Adaptation of natural and human systems to climate change.
- Sustainable development (according to the 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals).
The combination of these actions aims to build CRD pathways towards a maximum target of +1.5°C : it is important to remember that a CRD pathway is not a predetermined path but a continuous process of decision-making and actions that strengthen sustainable development, poverty and inequality reduction, and equitable and cross-sectoral adaptation.
According to this section of the report, it is no longer feasible to prepare for potential future scenarios without one of these three actions. Greenhouse gas (GHG) reduction and sustainable development are interdependent, andadaptation to climate change cannot be achieved without these first two levers of action. Indeed, many systems have already reached their hard and/or soft adaptation limits, and the adaptation scenarios proposed in the literature would no longer be effective or even feasible if the average temperature rise exceeded 1.5°C. It is therefore important to rely on pathways that jointly combine these 3 actions.
Who should act for resilience, when and where?
When?
To maximize impact, it is obviously necessary to act as soon as possible. Firstly, current trajectories, which are sharply increasing, are moving us away from sustainable development goals.
Secondly, events related to global warming create social and economic difficulties that negatively impact our ability to undertake and invest in decarbonization. If 500 million people are forced to leave their uninhabitable countries, will the neighbors' primary concern truly be investing in decarbonization?
Moreover, there is a dangerous vicious cycle linked to increasing emissions: tipping points.
These tipping points correspond to a certain level of warming beyond which a geological balance is irreversibly disrupted, thereby generating new GHG emissions. For example: We risk soon reaching the tipping point beyond which the melting of permafrost in the Arctic will become irreversible, potentially releasing tons of GHGs previously stored in the frozen soil.
Who and where?
In the context of climate-resilient development, the report distinguishes two main types of regions:
- The so-called “developed, mature, and highly resilient” economies, which could focus on energy transition and the reduction of gas emissions,
- Economies affected by poverty and greater inequalities, which could prioritize addressing the reduction of these criteria through short-term economic development, and benefit in the long term from an improved capacity for climate action.
Thus, in France, our biggest challenge today corresponds to the first point.
Who are the actors? They are a multitude of stakeholders in decision-making (governments, industries, media, civil society, science) who are part of different governance systems for implementing these actions (local, urban, territorial, European, global). This concerns all of us!
Examples of concrete climate adaptation measures
A closer look at a few points mentioned in the report regarding the types of measures that contribute to climate resilience.
1. Co-benefits between sustainable development goals and climate resilience
Many sustainable development priorities align with climate change mitigation and climate resilience. For example, air pollution reduction policies improve environmental quality (health factors and ecosystem preservation). Another example is making clean drinking water more accessible, which helps reduce poverty (sustainable development) and increases the resilience of populations vulnerable to climate impacts. This is an aspect widely highlighted in the report: the social benefits of sustainable development contribute to climate resilience and sometimes to reducing climate change impacts.
2. Inclusive Participation of All Social Categories in the Process
On many points, the report emphasizes the importance of implementing inclusive measures for all social categories to achieve climate-resilient development goals. As mentioned above, this transition towards a sustainable model involves a multitude of actors who must all be considered: all social and cultural categories can contribute to resilient development. For example, the report notes that the knowledge of indigenous peoples and local expertise can provide major solutions in the fight against global warming, food security, biodiversity conservation, and other areas.
Another example, regarding the integration of different social categories into this development: climate movement progress today is largely driven by young people. Some combat climate inaction by calling for disruptive actions and advocate for collective awareness on the issue. As a result, these movements have led to strong political decisions at both local and national levels.
From an adaptation perspective as well, it is imperative to include all social categories, for example, in developing adaptation strategies. The report indicates that it is necessary to consider the most vulnerable populations, especially those more exposed to social inequalities (women, children, minorities, etc.) in adaptation scenarios, because these inequalities expose populations differently to climate risks.
3. "Nature-based Solutions"
A key aspect of climate-resilient development is biodiversity conservation and ecosystem maintenance.
For this, so-called nature- and ecosystem-based solutions are ways to reduce climate risks by mitigating climate change and ensuring food security. For example, among the adaptation opportunities mentioned, are the development of climate-adapted agriculture and the development of large green spaces to ensure urban resilience.
Just as there are synergies between the inclusion of social categories and resilient sustainable development, there are real co-benefits in the joint maintenance of ecosystems, biodiversity, and resilient sustainable development.
4. Coordinated Multi-sectoral Efforts
Finally, to conclude with one point (among many others we haven't mentioned), the report highlights the importance of developing solutions to combat global warming multi-sectoral. It cites 5 key transitions as examples: a transition towards a clean energy production system, sustainable food production, adapted urban planning and transportation, universal health coverage, and social protection, all of which aim for common benefits in terms of health and well-being. It is possible that these five transitions must be pursued simultaneously to achieve climate-resilient development. We must advance all sectors on the climate issue, yes, all of them.
💡 It's our turn to act!
The key takeaway from this chapter and report is that we still have a window of opportunity to transition to a sustainable society, and we must aim for it starting today ! In addition to previous reports, this latest one particularly emphasizes the importance of social justice in establishing climate-resilient development and a real synergy among different sectors, ecosystems, and actors (the inclusive nature of development).
Among the many trajectories discussed and possible, actions and solutions interact significantly through synergies but also have trade-offs that must be measured when establishing a sustainable and climate-resilient model. Some compromises will have to be made, as stakeholders may perceive certain actions as undesirable or unethical. Therefore, improving equity is a full-fledged consideration in achieving such development. These transitions can generate benefits across different sectors and regions, provided they are facilitated by appropriate enabling conditions. This includes effective governance, policy implementation, innovation, and climate and development finance, which are currently insufficient. At every level, every sector has a role to play in this transition.
There is no magic bullet, nor a clear user guide. It is possible to readjust decisions as we go, and above all, it is urgent that we chart this course with ambitious means to stay below the 1.5°C threshold, which will allow us to live in a sustainable world.
Conclusion: we still have room to act; everyone must play their part, and do so, all together!