• Energy Research

Adaptation practice is a novel and dynamic field. This is reflected by an as yet limited experience in how climate change uncertainties can be best dealt with in particular situations. This chapter synthesises the theoretical (scientific) and practical aspects of the preceding chapters, draws key lessons and provides guidance for those involved in supporting and ultimately making adaptation decisions. For this purpose a Common Frame of Reference (i.e. common definitions, principles and understandings) for dealing with uncertainties in climate adaptation decision-making is presented and applied to the analysis of the twelve real-life cases presented in this book. This framework intends to support complex climate adaptation decision-making processes that have to deal with uncertainties and still make informed decisions. Two central questions were addressed and applied to the cases reported: (i) how did the approaches used to deal with climate uncertainty influence the adaptation decision-making process and (ii) have better informed adaptation decisions been made because uncertainties were conscientiously addressed? The objective of this chapter is not to provide a simple checklist to be followed when facing uncertainties in a climate adaptation process but rather to inform and guide the reader by presenting key lessons and insights from real-life cases where decision-makers and those that support them have already faced and responded to climate adaptation related uncertainty.

This article shows how Bangladesh and India intentionally maintain the status quo for the Brahmaputra River at the transboundary level, using material and ideational resources. Results show that India wants to reduce its hegemonic vulnerabilities and Bangladesh aims to maintain its control over the Brahmaputra river, simultaneously building its technical and negotiation skills. We conclude that the underlying processes of maintaining the status quo can be comprehended as ‘non-decision making’. The analysis presented will help policy actors to push towards a forward-looking climate change adaptation planning for the Brahmaputra River.

This study examines the impacts of climate change on potato production in East Africa. To assess these impacts, we utilised the WOFOST crop model to simulate both potential yield (Yp) and water-limited yield (Yw) for the present-day (1981–2010), near-future (2036–2065), and far-future (2066–2100) under two climate scenarios (SSP3.7 and SSP5–8.5), using a five-member General Circulation Model (GCM) ensemble from the ISIMIP project. The simulations consistently reveal a substantial decline in both Yp and Yw across all future periods. Specifically, without CO2 fertilisation, potential yields are projected to decrease by 37–71 %, and water-limited yields by 25–57 % during the Long Rain season (LRS), while during the Short Rain Season(SRS), these declines range from 39–75 % for potential yields and 32–60 % for water-limited yields, with variations depending on elevation and scenario. Even when accounting for elevated CO2 levels, Yp still decline by 23–57 %, and Yw by 20–49 % in LRS, and by 21–60 % and 20–48 % in SRS. Furthermore, the projected decline in land suitability for potato cultivation is stark, with 82 % of land becoming unsuitable by 2050 and 89 % by 2080, particularly during the LRS. Although elevated CO2 and slight increases in rainfall may provide some limited benefits, these are insufficient to counteract the detrimental effects of rising temperatures, which remain the primary constraint on potato productivity. Consequently, these findings suggest that conventional potato cultivation may become unsustainable by the end of the century due to climate change. The study underscores the pressing need for effective adaptation strategies, including the implementation of Climate Smart Agriculture (CSA) practices, to sustain potato production in the medium term. It further highlights the potential necessity of transitioning to alternative crops in regions that may become unsuitable for potatoes under future climate conditions. By offering region-specific insights based on relatively high-resolution CMIP6 data and the WOFOST crop model, this research provides actionable guidance for the development of adaptation strategies, reinforcing the importance of integrating climate change mitigation and adaptation into agricultural planning to ensure food security and protect rural livelihoods in East Africa.

Many Climate Smart Agricultural (CSA) technologies fail to achieve their full potential impact due to low levels of adoption by smallholder farmers and difficulties in scaling CSA. This paper presents how small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) can act as change agents for the uptake of CSA technologies where their business models may be seen as adoption and scaling mechanisms. Drawing upon our fieldwork in Punjab (India) during which over 100 respondents have been interviewed, critical issues and enabling factors for the business model of two types of SMEs, i.e. farmer cooperatives and individual service providers of climate smart technologies have been identified. Enabling factors supporting adoption are driven by scientific and practical evidence of CSA technologies, good partnership between SMEs and research institutes, good customer relationships and effective channels through farmers’ field trials. Critical issues consist of distortive government subsidies on energy and the lack of market intelligence affecting the profitability of the business model. Scaling is enhanced through market intelligence and a favouring regulatory landscape. However, difficult socio-economic circumstances and distortive government subsidies limit the role of SMEs business model as mechanism for scaling

Vooroeversuppleties kunnen tegelijkertijd bijdragen aan de waterveiligheid en aan de ecologie en economiein de Oosterschelde. Dit artikel bespreekt deze potentiële bijdragen aan de hand van een praktijkervaringen een rekenvoorbeeld. Het laat zien dat met vooroeversuppleties een reductie van de belastingvan dijklichamen mogelijk is waarmee reguliere dijkversterking uitgesteld kan worden en tegelijkertijdnatuur- en recreatiedoelen kunnen worden gediend. Bestuurlijke afspraken over de verdeling van investeringskosten,beheer en onderhoud zijn daarbij een belangrijke succesfactor.Vooroeversuppleties in deOosterscheldeIn en rondom de Oosterschelde zijn in de afgelopen zestigjaar grote ingrepen uitgevoerd om het gebied veiligerte maken in het kader van het eerste Deltaplan.Daardoor staat de Oosterschelde niet langer in verbindingmet de Rijn en de Schelde en is de voormalige zeearmveranderd in een zoutwater baai met gereduceerdgetij. De aanleg van de Oosterscheldekering, de OesterenPhilipsdam heeft ook geleid tot erosie en herverdelingvan zand en sediment van platen en slikken naarde geulen van de Oosterschelde (ook wel zandhongergenoemd). Hierdoor slinkt het areaal intergetijdengebiedin de Oosterschelde met circa 50 hectare per jaar(Eelkema et al., 2013; Van Zanten & Adriaanse, 2008).De Oosterschelde is sinds 2002 een Nationaal Park.Behoud van intergetijdengebied is een substantiële opgavein het kader van het Europese natuurbeleid; binnenenbuitendijkse gronden zijn aangewezen als Natura2000-gebied. De droogvallende slikken en platen in deOosterschelde zijn van belang voor de zeehonden en foeragerendewatervogels, in het bijzonder voor steltlopers.Het ontwerpbeheerplan is in juni 2015 ter inzage vrijgegeven(Rijkswaterstaat, 2015).In het Deltaprogramma is opgenomen dat het peil- ensluitregime van de Oosterscheldekering en het beheer enonderhoud van de dijken aangepast zullen worden methet oog op klimaatverandering (Staf Deltacommissaris,2014). Alvorens dat te doen zal eerst uitgezocht wordenof de toepassing van innovatieve dijkconcepten (inclusiefzandsuppleties van de vooroevers) en een gewijzigdpeil- en sluitregime van de Oosterscheldekering realiseerbaarzijn en welke mogelijke meerwaarde deze biedenvoor veiligheid, natuur, recreatie en visserij. In eerderonderzoek van Rijkswaterstaat zijn locaties geïdentificeerdwaar vooroeversuppleties theoretisch mogelijkzijn (figuur 1).Dit artikel onderzoekt en vergelijkt een praktijkvoorbeeldvan een uitgevoerde vooroeversuppletie(Sophiastrand) en een rekenvoorbeeld van een mogelijkevooroeversuppletie (Slikken van den Dortsman), ziefiguur 1, wat betreft hun potentiële bijdrage aan waterveiligheid,ecologie en economie. De gegevens zijn verkregendoor het samenbrengen en interpreteren van deresultaten uit beleidsondersteunend onderzoek in hetkader van het Deltaprogramma. Daarnaast worden aanbevelingengedaan over het aanvullen van de integraleontwerprichtlijnen uit het innovatieprogramma Buildingwith Nature (De Vriend et al., 2015) voor de dimensioneringvan specifieke vooroeversuppleties in estuaria.

AbstractSince the early work on defining and analyzing resilience in domains such as engineering, ecology and psychology, the concept has gained significant traction in many fields of research and practice. It has also become a very powerful justification for various policy goals in the water sector, evident in terms like flood resilience, river resilience, and water resilience. At the same time, a substantial body of literature has developed that questions the resilience concept's systems ontology, natural science roots and alleged conservatism, and criticizes resilience thinking for not addressing power issues. In this study, we review these critiques with the aim to develop a framework for power‐sensitive resilience analysis. We build on the three faces of power to conceptualize the power to define resilience. We structure our discussion of the relevant literature into five questions that need to be reflected upon when applying the resilience concept to social–hydrological systems. These questions address: (a) resilience of what, (b) resilience at what scale, (c) resilience to what, (d) resilience for what purpose, and (e) resilience for whom; and the implications of the political choices involved in defining these parameters for resilience building or analysis. Explicitly considering these questions enables making political choices explicit in order to support negotiation or contestation on how resilience is defined and used.This article is categorized under: Human Water > Water Governance. Engineering Water > Planning Water.

Changes in rainfall patterns and temperatures are likely to affect water resources in India. Also, changes in the extreme events will have direct implications on life and property. Adapting to the adverse effects of climate change becomes critical to avoid huge material and immaterial damages. This paper discusses the use of a multi-level and participatory approach to develop adaptation options to deal with climate related risks in a manner that contributes to stakeholder engagement, understanding of the risks, identification of the adaptation responses as well as its prioritization for risk reduction. It highlights the importance of involving stakeholders from multiple levels as each level corresponds with different priorities in adaptation options.