How can societies respond to the impacts of climate change? 3/4

Types of adaptation 1/2

Societal responses to climate change impacts can vary widely, ranging from harmful inaction to proactive transformation. The following terms, ordered from least to most effective outcomes, describe how communities respond – or fail to respond – to the challenges of a changing climate.

Inaction refers to the absence of any deliberate response to climate change impacts. This approach essentially means continuing business as usual without acknowledging or addressing the changing environmental conditions. For example a coastal community a coastal community that continues building infrastructure in low-lying areas without implementing any protective measures, despite rising sea levels.

Maladaptation refers to inappropriate responses to climate change which create long-term lock-in of vulnerability, exposure and risks that are difficult and costly to face. An example could be the construction of a seawall intended to mitigate sea-level rise, which unintentionally disrupts the local ecosystem by altering water flow and sediment deposition dynamics.