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However, strong arguments for adaptation as a response strategy exist:

Adaptation Strategies

Literature on adaptation advocates 'adaptation strategies'. Poor, vulnerable population at risk from climate change may be provided external help such as technical information or guidance; weather forecasts, drought or flood relief; insurance or other risk management tools.

Current literature also speaks of 'mainstreaming' adaptation into development planning. This means that adaptation should be integrated into development projects, plans, policies and strategies. Developing nations however are often not in a position to integrate adaptation into their development projects. For mitigation, the UNFCCC guidelines include clearly defined objectives, measures and costs; however this is not the case with adaptation. A section of scholars lament the lack of emphasis on adaptation as a strategy.

Three broad strategies at the national level to support adaptation initiatives have been suggested:

National Adaptation Action Plans:
All nations to have National Adaptation Action Plans with a broad strategic view of future development paths and expected climate change impacts, and design and implement policies based on them.

Financing for National Adaptation Plans:
The Global Environment Facility (GEF) along with developed nations would support the adaptation plans for developing countries, who are concerned about the high costs of participation in multilateral environmental agreements. Developed countries which donate to funds established under GEF are apprehensive about donating to these funds, as they are not certain about the effective use of such funds. National Adaptation Plans for developing countries would reduce the misgivings of the donor countries to a large extent.

Climate Insurance:
The poor in developing countries in most cases do not have access to insurance against extreme weather events. Private insurers are not interested due to a number of reasons; hence a public-private initiative is needed. This would: first, spread the risk of an expected event; second, ensure continuity of public effort after a disaster; and third, it would help ensure that adequate adaptation measures are taken. Insurance needs to be available at concessionary rates.

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* Contributed by: -
Suddhachit Mitra, is a research (M. Phil) student of Management at the West Bengal University of Technology, Kolkata.