Assessing Climate Change Impacts
Climate change effects should be explicitly considered in decision-making about proposed policies, plans, programs, and projects. Impact Assessment (IA) can ensure that the design of policies, plans, programs, and projects properly addresses the risks and opportunities of climate change impacts, and contributes to both the mitigation of, and adaptation to those impacts.
Doing this can reduce the vulnerability of infrastructure and human populations to climate impacts, and vulnerability to a changing climate and thus increase the resilience of natural and human systems. IA can also play a significant role in achieving national, regional or sectoral climate change objectives.
IA should be used to assess climate change impacts over a time horizon of many decades (up to 100 years) to support decision-making that will reduce potential climate change risks, identify opportunities, and increase the coping capacity of natural and human systems in the long term.
Doing this can reduce the vulnerability of infrastructure and human populations to climate impacts, and vulnerability to a changing climate and thus increase the resilience of natural and human systems. IA can also play a significant role in achieving national, regional or sectoral climate change objectives.
IA should be used to assess climate change impacts over a time horizon of many decades (up to 100 years) to support decision-making that will reduce potential climate change risks, identify opportunities, and increase the coping capacity of natural and human systems in the long term.