Informing Adaptation

The document argues that effective climate adaptation requires a comprehensive information system comprising basic climate data, economic cost-benefit analyses, adaptation best practices, and vulnerability assessments. It emphasizes that information must be user-centered and iterative, moving beyond simple scientific publication to a collaborative dialogue between providers and decision-makers. The author highlights significant gaps in observational data, particularly in the developing world, and the difficulty of scaling global climate models to local levels. To ensure equitable and effective use, the paper suggests the use of 'boundary organizations' like NGOs and local universities to translate complex data into locally relevant knowledge, while adhering to specific communication principles to overcome barriers like scientific jargon and uncertainty.

• Effective adaptation decision-making requires four primary types of information: basic climate data, the economic costs and benefits of adaptation, a catalog of adaptation options and best practices, and an understanding of public risk perceptions.
• Vulnerability information is critical because climate impacts are determined by the interaction between climatic changes and the vulnerability of a system; focusing on the 'adaptation gap' can enable effective responses even when specific climate projections remain uncertain.
• There are four major challenges in providing basic climate information: geographic gaps in observation networks (especially in the developing world), disagreement among major climate models regarding regional/local changes, the difficulty of scaling global models to local landscapes, and the lack of accurate modeling for variables like extreme event frequency or sea level rise timing.
• Adaptation information systems must be user-centered and iterative, utilizing a process called 'iterative risk management' where decisions are constantly monitored and adjusted based on new knowledge and experience.
• Economic estimates for adaptation are characterized by high uncertainty and varying assumptions; for instance, some estimates suggested adaptation costs could exceed $150 billion annually, which influenced the goal of $100 billion a year by 2020 for climate response.
• Intermediary 'boundary organizations'—such as NGOs, local universities, and extension services—are essential for translating complex climate information into accessible, locally relevant formats and providing feedback to data providers.
• Inequitable access to information can exacerbate social and economic inequalities, such as when advance harvest failure forecasts allow speculators to disadvantage producers or when adaptation options are only available via the internet or in dominant languages.

APA

Liverman, D. (2010). Informing Adaptation. World Resources Institute. https://files.wri.org/d8/s3fs-public/2023-02/wrr-2010-11-question-6-response-5.pdf

Chicago

Liverman, Diana. Informing Adaptation. World Resources Institute, 2010. https://files.wri.org/d8/s3fs-public/2023-02/wrr-2010-11-question-6-response-5.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Liverman |first1=Diana |title=Informing Adaptation |publisher=World Resources Institute |date=2010 |url=https://files.wri.org/d8/s3fs-public/2023-02/wrr-2010-11-question-6-response-5.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{liverman2010informing, author = {Liverman, Diana}, title = {{Informing Adaptation}}, institution = {World Resources Institute}, year = {2010}, url = {https://files.wri.org/d8/s3fs-public/2023-02/wrr-2010-11-question-6-response-5.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }