ETC/ACM Technical Paper 'Development of Adaptation Indicators'

A major contemporary issue for policy and decision-makers is to understand and respond to the impacts of climate change on environmental, social, and economic systems. Within this context, adaptation indicators are needed to :
• Monitor the implementation of adaptation policies, measures and actions.
• Target, justify and monitor funding for adaptation programmes.
• Mainstream adaptation through links between sectors (e.g. biodiversity, water) and related indicators (e.g. climate change impact indicators).
• Communicate adaptation to policy and decision-makers and other stakeholders.
• Compare adaptation achievements across sectors, regions and countries.
• Inform climate change negotiations in the international political arena.

The purpose of this report is to present a theoretical and practical framework for the development of adaptation indicators. The paper also aims to apply the framework in the development of indicators for the biodiversity sector and (i) the vulnerability of European biodiversity to climate change and (ii) regions being the interface between high-level national/European policy and local implementation. The studies are used to exemplify how adaptation indicators might be developed to monitor the implementation of adaptation policies, measures and actions. They also illustrate an approach that could be applied in a wider range of policy settings and sectors across Europe.
Reference: Harley, M. and J. v. Minnen (2009) Development of Adaptation Indicators. 2009/6. ETC/ACC Technical Paper. European Topic Centre on Air and Climate Change (ETC/ACC), Bilthoven, NL