1. Mainstreaming Adaptation to
Climate Change &
Sustainable Development
A small Island Perspective
Dr Rolph Payet
Special Advisor to the President
Seychelles, November 2007
2. Presentation Summary
• Adaptation
• Government Awareness
• Climate Data and Trends
• Capacity building and Knowledge Management
• Economic Planning & Factoring
• Climate Risk Assessment & Management
• Infrastructure Development
• Climate Proofing
• Sea Level Rise Foundation
4. Mainstreaming ?
• Adaptation Mainstreaming is the integration
of climate change issues/adaptation in
national (and regional) decision making
processes (planning, budgeting etc.)
• Can be top-down or bottom-up
• Can be sectoral or cross-sectoral
5. Modes
Mainstreaming from top-down:
• Government Awareness
• Research and Development
• National Policies/Planning
• Economic Policies
Mainstreaming from bottom-up:
• Community-based action/local input
• Technology applications and entrepreneurs
• Risk identification and management
• Input into Government Policies/Planning
6. Key Links to existing processes
• Seychelles Development Strategy 2017
• Environment Management Plan 2000-2010 ( our
SD blueprint)
• Development and Land Use Planning
• District-level Management Plans
• Disaster Risk Management Strategy
• Mauritius Strategy
• Biodiversity Strategy & Action Plan
• National Capacity Self-Assessment
• Education and Human Recourse Strategy
• Millennium Development Goals
8. Government Awareness
• Political Attention given to National Sustainable
Development Strategies – highest office, bias
• Sensitization of Policy-makers – scientific vs. public
opinion
• Policies and guidelines – home-grown/re-inventing
the wheel
• Implementation and Enforcement – M&E, C&C
• Dialogue with Private Sector – representation on
policy bodies, input into policies, innovative
opportunities
• Local government influence – grassroots influence,
overwhelmed with primary response
9. Cycle of adaptation
Nature’s equilibrium
Human event
Climate event
Human response
11. Climate Data and Trends
• IPCC Outcomes – relevance to policy
• Regional scenarios – appropriateness to small
islands
• National Assessments – data needs
• Climate Variability and climate change –
relevance to policy
• Extreme events and climate change – policy
windows
• Return periods and climate change – cost-
effectiveness of climate proofing
• Ecosystem responses, resilience and recovery –
ecological adaptation
12. Capacity building and Knowledge
Management
• Expertise – Climate, Assessments, Planning
• Management – ICZM, IWRM, EIA, SEA
• Education – Curriculum integration, Innovation,
School Clubs
• Community empowerment – Media, Action,
Responsible behavior
• Technology application – prototypes, promotion,
reducing barriers, service & support
• Research and development – University, specialized
institutes
• Sharing and exchange – Knowledge-bases, networks
of experts, access to resources
13. Economic Planning
• The adaptation factor of production !! – the
profound change that adaptation will have on
economic growth/performance
• Integration of adaptation factors in
development goals – MDGs
• Financing adaptation – Global Adaptation
Fund, CDM, Carbon Taxes
• Public financing mechanisms – budgeting
integration
• Private sector financing mechanisms –
inclusive part of investment models/plans;
profits for adaptation
14. Infrastructure Development
• ROI – relevance to adaptation ( a long-
term investment)
• Design considerations – energy
conservation + climate proofing
• Engineering considerations – capacity,
return periods, unit cost
• Additional costs – risk assessment,
insurance, long-term vs short-terminism
16. Sea Level Rise Foundation
Why – another Foundation ??
• Sea level rise leads to very complex interactions and impacts
• No international focus on sea level rise issues
• Significant opportunities for exchange and use of existing resources
and knowledge
• No tools for adequately mainstreaming adaptation to SLR, and its
links to sustainable development
Features
• Launched in September 2007 in Rome by President Michel as a
mechanism for mainstreaming adaptation to sea-level rise
• Home-grown from a small island state, representing the voice and
issues of small islands and low-lying coastal areas
• A Platform of Excellence on Climate Change
• Local Chapters to target grass-roots
www.sealevel-rise.org
17. Role of SLRF
• Build a grass-roots but global platform of excellence
on sea level rise
• Increase resilience and reduce risk to sea level rise
• It will bring together countries, scientists, policy-
makers, and other stakeholders to share ideas,
technologies and know-how;
• It will provide a platform for public-private
partnerships
• mainstream adaptation and sea-level rise proofing to
government and other stakeholders (e.g. developers
alike);
• It will raise and optimise use of the financial and
technical resources required to engage all nations in
avoiding the first climate refugees, those living on
islands and in low-lying areas.
