IPCC WGII FIFTH ASSESSMENT REPORT (AR5): EXPANDING THE SOLUTION SPACE FOR ADAPTATION

The document outlines the IPCC WGII AR5 findings, emphasizing that climate risk is a product of hazards, exposure, and vulnerability. It advocates for a 'solution space' for adaptation that includes structural, institutional, and social measures, while noting that adaptation has limits and must be paired with strong mitigation to avoid irreversible tipping points.

• Climate risk is not determined by hazards alone, such as floods or droughts, but emerges from the interaction of hazards, exposure, and vulnerability. Addressing inequality is therefore considered an adaptation action because marginalized groups are typically more vulnerable.
• There is significant evidence that anthropogenic climate change is already impacting human and natural systems globally, including the shrinking of almost all glaciers, shifts in species distribution in oceans and on land, and negative impacts on crop yields for wheat and maize, particularly in low latitudes.
• Future risks are categorized into five 'reasons for concern' (RFCs): unique and threatened systems, extreme weather events, distribution impacts, global aggregate impacts, and large-scale singular events. A temperature increase between 1°C and 4°C presents a high risk of crossing tipping points, such as the deglaciation of the Greenland ice-sheet.
• The 'solution space' for adaptation can be expanded by moving beyond technical and infrastructural measures to include ecosystem-based options (e.g., mangrove restoration), institutional tools (e.g., economic incentives and regulations), and social measures (e.g., education and behavioral change).
• Adaptation should be mainstreamed into broader public actions such as poverty alleviation, health, and sustainable development to identify 'low-regret' options with synergistic benefits.
• Adaptation has biophysical and socioeconomic limits; some options may be too costly or resource-intensive. Consequently, strong mitigation is essential to prevent irreversible impacts and the crossing of tipping points, especially in the second half of the 21st century.

APA

de Murieta, E. S., Neumann, M. B., & Markandya, A. (2014). IPCC WGII FIFTH ASSESSMENT REPORT (AR5): EXPANDING THE SOLUTION SPACE FOR ADAPTATION. Basque Centre for Climate Change. https://www.bc3research.org/h6T8Uy8Nm4gFs0O/20140516115912866561779.pdf

Chicago

de Murieta, Elisa Sainz, Marc B Neumann, and Anil Markandya. IPCC WGII FIFTH ASSESSMENT REPORT (AR5): EXPANDING THE SOLUTION SPACE FOR ADAPTATION. Basque Centre for Climate Change, 2014. https://www.bc3research.org/h6T8Uy8Nm4gFs0O/20140516115912866561779.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=de Murieta |first1=Elisa Sainz |last2=Neumann |first2=Marc B |last3=Markandya |first3=Anil |title=IPCC WGII FIFTH ASSESSMENT REPORT (AR5): EXPANDING THE SOLUTION SPACE FOR ADAPTATION |publisher=Basque Centre for Climate Change |date=2014 |url=https://www.bc3research.org/h6T8Uy8Nm4gFs0O/20140516115912866561779.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{demurieta2014ipcc, author = {de Murieta, Elisa Sainz and Neumann, Marc B and Markandya, Anil}, title = {{IPCC WGII FIFTH ASSESSMENT REPORT (AR5): EXPANDING THE SOLUTION SPACE FOR ADAPTATION}}, institution = {Basque Centre for Climate Change}, year = {2014}, url = {https://www.bc3research.org/h6T8Uy8Nm4gFs0O/20140516115912866561779.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }