Climate change adaptation
Also called: Adaptation · Topic: Climate Change: Causes, Evidence and the Global Response · NCERT: Class 7, Ch 3 "Climates of India"
Meaning
Climate change adaptation means adjusting to climate change that is happening now or is expected, so that it causes less harm. It does not stop warming. It helps people, farms and cities cope with heat waves, floods and droughts. It works alongside resilience, which is the ability to withstand a shock or recover from it quickly. Adaptation and mitigation are two halves of climate action.
Example
In 2013, Ahmedabad in Gujarat made the first heat action plan in South Asia. It warns people early during heat waves and prepares hospitals for heat cases. Other examples in India are climate-resilient seeds, better forecasts under Mission Mausam (approved September 2024) and mangrove planting under MISHTI (2023).
Don't confuse with
- Climate change mitigation: mitigation cuts the causes of warming, such as emissions. Adaptation reduces the damage that warming causes.