Adaptation is emerging as a part of policy planning process, to varying degrees, within the public and private sectors and in communities in the United States and elsewhere. According to an assessment report by the United Nations’ Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, for instance:

• European adaptation policy has been developed across all levels of government, with some integrated into coastal and water management, environmental protection, land planning and disaster-risk management.
• In Asia, adaptation is working its way into development planning, early warning systems, water resources management, agroforestry, and coastal reforestation.
• In Australia, there’s wide adoption of adaptation in planning for sea-level rise and water shortages.
• Central and South America is seeing ecosystem-based adaptation for protected areas, conservation agreements, and community management of natural areas.
• In Africa, most national governments are initiating governance systems for adaptation.

In the United States, particularly at the municipal level, both governments and the private sector are assessing incremental adaptation. At the federal level, the White House says steps being taken to adapt to climate change include:

• Updating building codes and investing in more resilient infrastructure
• Adjustments in managing natural resources
• Planning for rapid recovery from damages that do occur.

Visit our resource guide for more examples of government adaptation policies now in place.