Thomson Reuters Foundation: Embracing uncertainty while planning for resilience
Mozaharul Alam, Rohini Kohli, and Angus Mackay, climate change adaptation and learning experts at U.N. Environment, UNDP, and UNITAR, respectively, and coordinators of the joint UNDP-U.N. Environment National Adaptation Plans Global Support Programme (NAP-GAP)

“…[H]ow do we respond to a world of increasing uncertainty induced by climate change? We would suggest that the answer lies in effective medium- to long-term adaptation planning. Key to this will be the formulation and implementation of national adaptation plans, which will support countries in achieving their Nationally Determined Contributions to the Paris deal, and serve as a blueprint for future climate action. … National adaptation plans are fundamental to achieving the Paris deal and the Sustainable Development Goals. More importantly, they can help to secure a better future for the billions of people worldwide who face the rising threat of hunger, malnutrition, and uncertainty resulting from climate change. They provide a mechanism to empower those that are most vulnerable through a chain of improved knowledge, skills, and decision-making leading to more effective climate action” (11/13).

Thomson Reuters Foundation: Don’t wait for peace to fight climate change
Laurie Goering, climate editor at Thomson Reuters Foundation

“…Building resilience to climate change in areas beset by conflict and competition for land, water, grazing, and jobs is a challenge — and not just because extreme weather and other climate pressures are making life harder for everyone. The reality is that helping some communities cope more effectively with climate change can leave others worse off — and that can deepen conflict. … But other sorts of conflict are on the rise … In many cases, it is happening in places facing similar pressures: poverty, worsening weather disasters, growing competition for water, land and other resources, and governments that can’t cope. That suggests governments, aid agencies, and other groups trying to help those most vulnerable to climate change are going to need to work in some very tough places, where the right thing to do isn’t always clear. … [A] report released last month … noted that between 2004 and 2014, nearly 60 percent of deaths from disasters happened in countries that are among the top 30 most fragile states. Tackling disaster risk in such countries ‘should therefore be a priority for national governments and the international community alike’ — both on moral grounds and in an effort to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals, the report noted…” (11/12).