Climate Change Adaptation:
Oxfam’s Approach
Catherine Pettengell, Global Adviser - Climate Change Adaptation
12th July 2010
What we’ll talk about
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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?
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It’s a development issue: climate change
threatens to stall – and then reverse – progress
made to achieve the MDGs.
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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.
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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?
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Climate changing is undermining
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Photo: Shehab Uddin/DRIK/Oxfam GB
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?
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Those who depend on climate-sensitive resources
and ecosystems for their livelihoods; agriculture,
fisheries, forests.
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Those who live in marginalised and hazard prone
areas; deforested hillsides, flood plains, urban
slums.
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Those with limited assets and political voice to
enable them to respond to the impacts of climate
change; low adaptive capacity.
Oxfam and CCA
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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.
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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?
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Warming of the climate system is unequivocal.
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Local level info relevant to planning is lacking.
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Therefore demands an approach that manages
uncertainty and fosters adaptive capacity.
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Learning to adapt is as important as any specific
adaptation intervention.
Oxfam’s
approach
to CCA
Coping, resilience and adaptation
(b) resilience
(c) climate change impacts
Well-being
(a) coping
Gradual
changes
undermining
well-being
time
time
disaster
disaster
more frequent disasters
Well-being
(d) climate change adaptation
time
hazards
time