Adapting to Climate Change in China

Tibetan Plateau: Change in river flows / melting glaciers

Southern China: Increase in flood frequency and magnitude; northwards spread of “tropical” disease vectors

Northwest: Desertification (higher evaporation)

North and northeast: Increased water scarcity

Coastal regions: Typhoons, storm surge and long-term inundation

• 1995 - National Climate Centre in China Met Office established

• 1998 - policy shift from scientific issue to development issue

• 1999 - established climate coordination group

• 2001 to 2005, 10th 5 Year National R&D project on Assessing the Impacts of Climate Change on Chinese Key Vulnerable Sectors and Adaptation.

• 2004- first national communication to UNFCCC

• 2006 - first-ever National Assessment Report on Climate Change (NARCC).

• 2006 - climate change coordination group housed at NDRC

• 2007 - establishment of provincial co- ordination groups

• 2008 - State Council Information Office published the first annual white paper, entitled “China's Policies and Actions for Addressing Climate Change 2008” (CPAACC) - prepared by NDRC

• 2009 - Jiangxi and Xiamen establish climate change monitoring/assessment centres

• 2011 - second National Assessment Report on Climate Change (NARCC).

• 2011 - White paper on Foreign Aid, 2011- Coping with Climate Change

• 2011 - 12th 5 Year Plan (5YP)

including a chapter on climate change and specific section on adaptation for the first time;

mandating the development of a National Adaptation Strategy (NAS).

Timeline: Policy, Strategies, and Planning

Formulating/Operationalizing Policy National Government

• Lack of regional climate models

• Limited access to climate data

• Knowledge gaps for sector-specific impacts

• No coherent framework for doing climate vulnerability and risk assessments, and adaptation planning

• Limited collaboration among institutions/sectors

• Working across disciplines without shared glossary

Ongoing Challenges

ACCC is major China – UK – Swiss climate change adaptation project which aims to:

Develop accurate regional/national climate models Integrate physical and social science to improve impacts, vulnerability and risk

assessment in: AgricultureWater resourcesExtreme weather / disaster risk reductionPublic healthGrasslands-livestock

Incorporate planned adaptation into national and provincial development processes Contribute to global knowledge on climate impacts and adaptation especially in

developing countries.

Adapting to Climate Change in China (ACCC) Sharing Knowledge Globally

ACCC is major China – UK – Swiss climate change adaptation project which aims to support China’s national and provincial response to climate impacts through:•Provision of robust impact assessment data•Methods for Assessing Risk and Vulnerability•Promoting understanding and managing risk in development planning•Building awareness and capacity•Sharing this knowledge and experience globally

Adapting to Climate Change in China (ACCC) Sharing Knowledge Globally

Adapting to Climate Change in China (ACCC) has contributed & supported:• filling the global knowledge gap on approaches for reducing vulnerability

to climate impacts through submissions to the IPCC SREX report, AR5 and international academic journals.

• the formulation and drafting of China’s National Adaptation Strategy (due to be submitted to State Council October 2012 and ratified in March 2013).

• the development of global climate policy on adaptation through participation and submission of research findings and policy recommendations at Rio+20, Nairobi Work Programme (inc. Focal Point Session COP17, Water technical meeting in Mexico), UNFCCC Losses & Damages Expert Working Group under SBI and Asia Adaptation Platform meeting.

• the development of a robust evidence base for building large scale South-South projects on climate change adaption through a major scoping study in 10 target countries in Africa, Asia and the SIDS

Contributing to Global Climate Policy and Knowledge

Pilot Provinces

NingXia

Inner Mongolia

Guangdong

ACCC Adaptation Framework

Key Sectors:• Agriculture• Water• Grasslands• Health• DRR

Integration:Physical and socio-economic

dimensions

Integrated Vulnerability Assessments Climate

Risk Assessments

Identification of options: integration with dev. goals

Analysis and Evaluation of Options, Prioritization

Provincial Adaptation Roadmaps

Policy Integration - national adaptation strategy

Monitoring and Evaluation

Impact assessments

Climate Science Downscaling GCM to RCM and new climate scenarios 

Sharing and dissemination of climate data

Scoping studies 

Stakeholder Engagement

Focus Areas:• Agriculture• Water• Forest• Coastal Areas• Health• Ecosystems• Infrastructure and

Energy Security

National Adaptation Strategy (NAS)

Priority Areas:• Capacity Building• Legislation• Planning• Warning Systems• Natural Disaster

Prevention and International Co-operation

ACCC Project: Facilitates and Enables NAS

International responsibility, UNFCCC

NDRC: Design national climate change adaptation strategy

Effective adaptation options identified and available

Sufficient knowledge and information

available

Design provincial adaptation plans options

ACCC Project: research, communication, training, stakeholders engagement, sufficient expertise and policy makers

Climate disasters and risks, economic losses

CAAS and CRCPP have been appointed by NDRC to draft “China’s Climate Change Adaptation Mid-to-Long Term Strategy”

Provincial-level teams contributed to “12th five-year plan”

International Sharing

ACCC in Numbers• 10 countries in the South-South Scoping Study• 7+ contributing Authors on the IPCC SREX • 6 UN and multilateral initiatives that ACCC is

active within• X Journal Articles published on ACCC work• X Capacity Building activities delivered• 3 Regionally Downscaled Climate Models• 3 Provincial *Insert the stage*• 1 National Adaptation Strategy

Thank You!www.ccadaptation.org