Step 5.1 Developing adaptation strategies and plans

Key message

Develop an adaptation plan, reflecting on the agreed objectives and the selected adaptation options.

You should now develop an adaptation strategy and an action plan, using the adaptation options selected in Step 4.2. These documents will be a crucial resource for you, helping to drive organisational change, foster collaboration, influence stakeholders, secure funding and guide your monitoring, evaluation and learning efforts. Developing these policy documents will involve using information collected, analysed and agreed on in other steps

Before starting, you should ensure alignment with existing national/regional strategies or plans, as legal obligations may require conformity. Check your country's national adaptation platform or Climate-ADAPT’s country profiles for information on existing strategies or plans.

Definition Box 1 What is an adaptation strategy and plan?

The terms might be used interchangeably, but developing a climate change adaptation strategy or plan involves different processes.

A strategy serves as an overarching element in the early stages of policy formulation, which is key to implementation. It's a flexible, medium- to long-term, non-binding document that outlines your organisation’s vision, adaptation objectives, processes and recommendations for enhancing adaptive capacity in your area.

A plan is developed subsequently, focusing on practical execution of the strategy. It outlines the adaptation actions prioritised for the short term (e.g. 5 years), along with the resources allocated and the designated actors. It requires broad involvement from the community and other stakeholders, which may pose challenges for adoption, compared to the strategy.

Some local or regional authorities may develop these as a single document.

Adaptation strategies should contain at minimum

Introduction – Set the scene by outlining the strategy's context, including existing policies (Step 1.1), responsible bodies (Step 1.3) and target groups (Step 2.2). Summarise the climate risks and priorities identified in your climate risk assessment (Step 2.3).
Strategic vision - Present your organisation's vision, with a message from the leadership emphasising the importance of adaptation. List strategic areas and priorities, highlighting interlinkages, trade-offs and potential conflicts. Translate the vision into clear strategic objectives, reflecting on Step 2.4.
Adaptation goals – Set out specific, measurable, achievable, relevant and time-bound (SMART) adaptation objectives, based on your key risks (Step 2.4), the organisation's vision and as agreed with stakeholders.
Cross-border cooperation – Describe the level of cooperation with neighbouring local or regional authorities that share risks with you, taking into account their policy instruments (Step 2.2). Ensure alignment and avoid contradictions.
Adaptation options – Provide an overview of the adaptation options considered in Step 4.1. Include information on costs, benefits and impacts of implementation.
Closing knowledge gaps – Address information needs to fill knowledge gaps, emphasising the importance of action despite limitations.
Future outlook – Describe the expected outputs/outcomes and provisions for monitoring, evaluation and learning (Step 6).
Stakeholder engagement strategy – Explain your engagement strategy, defined in Step 1.3, stating details clearly in a transparent way.

Adaptation action plans should contain at minimum

Adaptation measures – Outline specific measures (Step 4.2), processes, and synergies with mitigation efforts and environmental objectives, prioritising different workstreams and identifying trigger points for changes in implementation.
Roles and responsibilities – Define the roles and responsibilities for coordinating and implementing actions.
Implementation timeframe – Set a timeline for implementation.
Financial plan – Estimate the human and financial resources needed, identify available funding schemes, and outline planned investments (Steps 1.4 and 5.3).
Monitoring and evaluation – Define indicators aligned with your adaptation objectives (Step 6) and specify responsibilities for monitoring and evaluation.

Resources

EU Covenant of Mayors’ Local action plans
Browse action plans from members.

Planning for Adaptation to Climate Change – Guidelines for Municipalities (ACT)(2013)
Guidelines on formulating local adaptation plans (see chapter 4).

Green Deal Going Local Handbook, European Committee of the Regions (2022)
Supports implementation of the European Green Deal at local and regional level, with step-by-step guidance adapted to each local context.

Methods and Tools for Adaptation to Climate Change - A Handbook for Provinces, Regions and Cities, Environmental Agency Austria (2014)
Contains methods and tools to assist politicians and experts in public administrations and regional management in the adaptation process (see part 2).