Day: 17 February, 2022 (Thursday)
Time: 12:00 pm to 1:00 pm (IST) | Click here for time in your location

Overview

According to the Fifth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), adaptation is defined as the process of adjustment to actual or expected climate change and its effects. Resilience, conversely, is defined as the “the ability of a social or ecological system to absorb disturbances while retaining the same basic structure and ways of functioning, the capacity of self-organization, and the capacity to adapt to stress and change”. Due to the accumulated greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, as well as the phenomenon of Earth’s inertia, climate change impacts in the form of extreme weather events are felt all over the world. By altering and intensifying risk patterns, climate change and the ongoing global COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated other stressors such as poverty, and inequities, impacting livelihoods, infrastructure and ecosystems, as well as threatening the ability of countries to achieve their sustainable development goals. Hence, building adaptive capacities and resilience, especially for the most vulnerable and low-lying countries, becomes crucial. Although strides have been made to include mitigation in the context of the Paris Agreement temperature goals, adaptation and resilience have traditionally not been treated on the same footing as mitigation.

Resilience is the capacity of a system, be it an individual, a forest, a city or an economy, to deal with change and continue to develop. It is about how humans and nature can use shocks and disturbances like a financial crisis or climate change to spur renewal and innovative thinking. The integration of adaptation and mitigation responses can generate mutual benefits, as well as introduce co-benefits with development policies. In many cases, reducing the risk of climate change can enhance management of other risks, as well. According to IPCC, the scope for adaptation and resilience is decreasing with time, and it will be difficult to act once the limits to adaptation are crossed.

Need for a systemic approach to address greater vulnerability of developing countries

In developing countries, livelihoods and socioeconomic activities depend on climate sensitive sectors. Thus, developing countries are vulnerable to climate variability. Climate vulnerability coupled with poverty and increasing inequalities makes interventions important despite the challenges. Effects of climate change lead to decelerating development and less developed regions tend to have a weaker adaptive capacity and are more prone to climate impacts thus leading to a vicious cycle. To ensure a climate resilient development, it is crucial to consider issues that are complex, interconnected, and require interventions at the temporal and spatial levels. Five systems are crucial: (1) agriculture and food systems; (2) water; (3) health; (4) urban/ built environment; (5) natural ecosystems.

Crucial systems for climate resilience

Role of multi-stakeholder processes

International cooperation is an important link to provide critical support to partner countries in the form of finance, technical know-how, as well as capacity building. The public and private sectors, civil society organisations, communities and households all play important roles in addressing these challenges to achieve climate-resilient development that benefits the most vulnerable. Developing countries require urgent access to long-term, affordable finance to implement climate-resilient recovery measures.

Guiding Questions

Format of the Session

The session will involve a moderated discussion which will start with remarks (4–5 minutes) by the Chair/moderator. The Chair will then invite each speaker to deliver the Ministerial Address for 5–6 minutes. After this, a 15-minute rapid fire round will follow where the moderator/ chair asks 2 questions based on issues emerging from the discussions and asks for a ‘one sentence answer’ from all speakers in the panel. Strict time management is to be followed. There will be an on-screen timer for the same.

Session Line-up

Moderator

Ministerial Addresses

Special Addresses