Issues 94: March 2011
Climate Change Adaptation

Editorial

Let 10,000 Adaptation Projects Bloom
Reducing greenhouse gases remains important, but we had best start thinking harder about how we will adapt to the coming changes.

Prosperity or Posterity?
Imminent climate change impacts raise serious questions about the balance between prosperity and posterity.

Climate Adaptation: Preparing for the Worst or Hoping for the Best?
What does climate adaptation mean for us and what are the best ways to go about it?

Climate Change:
Adapt Now for the Future
The choices and plans we make as a society to address climate change will affect our future social, economic and environmental resources.

Adaptation Benchmarking
A survey of the current level of adaptation planning in Australian organisations gives some interesting insights into adaptation activity and understanding.

Climate Change and Health:
Impacts and Adaptation
Reducing the effect of climate change on health rests on effective mitigation and adaptation strategies.

Adaptation to Climate Change:
The Case for Agriculture
Agriculture faces a massive challenge: feeding a growing population under future climates that will be less suitable for crop growth. Much effort needs to be given to adaptation of agricultural and food systems.

“We Should Not Farm Anymore Like Our Grandfathers Did”
A fast-changing environment forces farmers to think differently.

Seeds of Life:
Adapting for Food Security
Looking at crop varieties and farming practices in Timor Leste is essential to food security.

Seed Selection for Food Security
Pre-selection of crops is an important step towards food security in a changing climate. Projects in Ethiopia and Papua New Guinea are working with gene banks and the traditional custodians of seeds and diversity – women.

First Historic Shipment of Australian Seeds to Arctic Vault
An Australian farmer is travelling to Norway to make the historical first deposit of crop seeds from Australia in the Arctic “doomsday” seed vault.

Relocating Species to Ensure Survival in a Changing Climate
In the face of climate change, conservation measures to protect species may not be enough. Managed relocation is the radical last resort.

Livestock and the Environment
More nuanced approaches to livestock development are needed.

Adapting to Climate Change by Banking on Water Storage
Rainfall variability, a key constraint to agricultural production in many countries, is likely to be exacerbated by climate change. Various forms of water storage can increase water security.