Description
Climate change is now upon us. While mitigation is essential to reduce the future severity of climate change, it will take time and some effects will inevitably continue for centuries. Consequently, more attention is now also being directed to adaptation as a means of reducing losses. As the importance of adaptation becomes more apparent, there is need for wider appreciation and understanding of the concept and its potential as well as the obstacles to its effective deployment.This reader, the first of its kind, pulls together and makes sense of the most significant writings on adaptation to climate change from the past two decades. An introduction maps out the field and traces the evolution of adaptation from a biological concept into a policy objective. The literature is divided into five sections.Climate change is upon us and adaptation is now the only viable option for humanity to avoid the worst of the impacts. This is a unique collection of the most important work on adaptation to climate change, covering all key areas from the science to resiliency and vulnerability to policy. Internationally respected editors introduce the field and make sense of it for lay and professional readers alike. It is essential for all students, practitioners, NGOs and businesses dealing with the future affects of climate changes world-wide.
