27 September 2016: The incoming Presidency of the 22nd session of the Conference of the Parties (COP 22) to the UNFCCC organized the ‘Metrics of Adaptation Conference – Measuring Adaptation for Concrete Action.’ The event aimed to explore the scientific and technical issues related to the assessment of adaptation to climate change, in particular by advancing the topic of adaptation metrics, which is identified as a key driver for informed and impactful decision making from the public and private sectors.
The Conference was based on the identification of two objectives: qualifying and then quantifying adaptation needs, and developing a set of transferable indicators to measure and track the success of adaptation projects.
The day-long event was divided into four substantive panels and a closing session. Each panel consisted of presentations by experts, followed by a question and answer session. The panels focused on: adaptation metrics for the financial sector; measuring adaptation through its impact on resilience; sectorial approach to adaptation metrics; and linking adaptation metrics with Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) metrics.
In the panel on the financial sector, panelists and participants addressed, inter alia: the perspective of the World Bank on the implications for development actors of adaptation and resilience metrics; the emerging experience of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) in measuring adaptation inputs and impacts; lessons learnt in measuring adaptation impacts; and the perspectives from the Moroccan insurance sector on climate risk assessment.
The panel on impact on resilience addressed: approaches and early experiences in measuring adaptation outcomes through their impacts on vulnerability and resilience; the experience of a Moroccan region in monitoring and evaluating climate change adaptation; the perspective from the Adaptation Committee of the UNFCCC on measuring adaptation through its impact on resilience; the innovative value chains approach to assess options for adaptation; a physical vulnerability to climate change index; impact differences between 1.5 and 2°C warming and implications for adaptation; and the Vulnerability Reduction Credit as a more universal metric for climate adaptation projects.
The panel on sectorial approaches discussed: the vulnerability to climate change of key socioeconomic sectors in Morocco; the development of national monitoring systems; the experience of the Global Open Data for Agriculture and Nutrition (GODAN) initiative in tracking agriculture and climate change data; the Moroccan experience in measuring climate change adaptation in the agricultural sector; sectorial adaptation and the intended Nationally Determined Contributions ((I)NDCs); urban resilience in Casablanca; and tracking adaptation in the agricultural sector.
The panel on adaptation and SDG metrics covered: adaptation and development gaps and metrics; issues related to tracking adaptation emerging from the Paris Agreement and the SDGs; measuring adaptation at local level; the perspective of the European Commission on measuring climate resilient development and preparedness; the approach of the World Health Organization (WHO) to measuring health adaptation and mitigation of climate change; and the importance of national adaptation planning.
The Metrics of Adaptation Conference took place in Rabat, Morocco, on 27 September 2016. It brought together approximately 50 participants. [Conference Webpage] [IISD RS Sources]