Adapting to climate change:  Reducing carbon emissions is the part of the climate change discussion that gets most attention.  But equally important is the need to adapt to a new reality.  Climate change is happening, and the climate will continue to change, even if all emissions were eliminated tomorrow.  A new UN assessment released today, the 2017 Adaptation Gap Report, finds that progress needs to be made towards assessing adaptation at the global level to meet the requirements of the Paris Agreement. The Agreement established the global goal on adaptation of enhancing adaptive capacity, strengthening resilience and reducing vulnerability to climate change, with a view to contributing to sustainable development and ensuring an adequate adaptation response in the context of the temperature goal.

The report explores the opportunities and challenges associated with assessing adaptation progress at the global level and recommends a framework is needed that can capture the big picture, what is changing, and be flexible as methods improve. The full report can be found at: http://www.unenvironment.org/resources/adaptation-gap-report

More information: UN.org