Adaptation Options

Climate-ADAPT includes strategic and specific adaptation options.

Strategic adaptation options rovide broad directions for addressing climate change adaptation. These options may take the form of policy initiatives (e.g. strategies and plans) or general approaches and frameworks designed to manage climate change impacts and risks. Their descriptions typically outline a range of solutions and actions, without going into detailed technical specifications. Examples include tourism Diversification strategies, Flood risk management plans, and Climate-resilient forest management.

By contrast, specific adaptation options have a specific focus on a well-defined measure. The description of specific adaptation options presents more technical details than strategic adaptation options. Examples are Beach nourishment, Desalination, Precision agriculture.

Explore below the Climate-ADAPT catalogue of adaptation options by selecting specific climate impacts, adaptation sectors, adaptation approaches and Key Type of Measures (KTM) categories. 

Alternatively, you can also access the adaptation options navigating across the Climate-ADAPT resource catalogue. It shows the same data in lists with the option to download search results.

On the individual adaptation options pages, you can easily navigate between strategic and specific adaptation options through the related resources displayed at the bottom of each page. There you can also learn more about practical and technical guidance, by accessing the related implementation measures and techniques via external resources.

Climate-ADAPT adaptation options are categorised according to Key Type Measures (KTM). It is a system offered to report climate adaptation actions in the EEA member countries, as part of the Energy Union Governance Regulation (EU 2018). It was developed to provide a standardised way of communicating various adaptation measures to better support adaptation policy processes across the EU.

Climate-ADAPT adaptation options are also categorised according to the IPCC system, in order to strengthen global engagement and exchanges on adaptation, as required by the 2021 European Adaptation Strategy. The IPCC AR5 categorisation system (see Chapter 14: Adaptation needs and options) is the most globally recognised system to cluster adaptation options. Other developing approaches to adaptation options, considering “Representative Key Risks” and “System Transitions” can be found in the IPCC AR6 (see Chapter 17: Decision Making Options for Managing Risk).

Each individual adaptation option shows in the right hand panel at least one or more inspirational examples of how this option was implemented in practice. To benefit from lessons learnt in implementing those generic adaptation options, also navigate across those Climate-ADAPT case studies via a map-based Explorer or via a downloadable list, where adaptation options are implemented in diverse locations with varying circumstances across Europe.

Evidence on efforts and costs of maintaining adaptation measures is not yet broadly available in the scientific literature and thus not yet systematically reported for all Climate-ADAPT adaptation options. However, alongside the implementation of measures, the efforts and costs for their maintenance should be carefully considered for effective and sustainable long-term climate resilience. Information on efforts and costs of measures, already reported in some case studies, will help to systematically enhance this knowledge in the adaptation options.

The efforts and costs for the maintenance of the adaptation options are not yet systematically reported for all Climate-ADAPT adaptation options. Alongside with the implementation of the adaptation measures, the efforts and costs for their maintenance should be carefully considered for an effective long-term adaptation process. However, information on efforts and costs of measures are reported in some case studies that inform on practical experiences on the implementation of those measures.

The implementation of measures must be coordinated at the proper spatial scale, fit to the specific local context and compliant with national and subnational regulations and plans. Even though implemented at the local scale, adaptation options often require coordination with higher levels of governance to ensure sustainable and harmonised spatial planning of the whole region. Inspirational case studies on the collaboration with higher levels of governance are available on Climate-ADAPT.