Climate Change Mitigation and Adaptation

Overview
Climate change has profound implications for environmental and social systems, necessitating both mitigation (reducing greenhouse gas emissions) and adaptation (adjusting to climate-induced changes). Impact assessment (IA) plays a crucial role in identifying and addressing both contributions to and risks from climate change in project and policy development.

Prosperous nations are major emitters, while developing countries often bear the brunt of climate impacts, with polar regions experiencing the most significant physical changes. IA, including Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) and Health Impact Assessment (HIA), provides a structured approach to evaluating climate-related risks and opportunities in projects and policies worldwide.

Integration of Climate Change in Impact Assessment
IA methodologies must evolve to adequately address climate-related risks, incorporating:

• Scoping and baseline conditions – Accounting for future climate scenarios in assessments.
• Impact assessment – Identifying direct and indirect climate-related effects on projects and communities.
• Mitigation and adaptation strategies – Developing responses to reduce emissions and enhance resilience.
• Cumulative impacts – Evaluating long-term climate stressors alongside other environmental and social changes.

While IA traditionally focused on project-level emissions (mitigation), adaptation considerations—such as infrastructure resilience, biodiversity shifts, and socio-economic impacts—are becoming more central to assessment processes.

Challenges and Emerging Trends

• Regulatory evolution – Governments, financial institutions, and international frameworks increasingly require climate risk considerations in decision-making.
• Sectoral vulnerability – Infrastructure, agriculture, and coastal developments are particularly sensitive to climate variability.
• Risk management – Aligning IA with financial and insurance industry standards to enhance resilience planning.
• Public and private sector roles – Strengthening collaboration in climate adaptation financing and implementation.

Looking Ahead
Incorporating climate change into IA requires a forward-looking approach, integrating scientific projections, sector-specific risks, and evolving regulatory frameworks. The challenge remains in ensuring consistency across jurisdictions while adapting methodologies to reflect climate uncertainties.

For further resources, see:

• Equator Principles – Guidelines for financial institutions incorporating environmental and social risk management.
• UK Climate Impacts Programme – Tools and reports on adaptation strategies.
• Multilateral Development Banks (MDBs) Climate Strategies – Approaches to integrating climate risk in global financing.