Climate Change Adaptation

The reality is that climate change is happening – higher global temperatures are locked in, even if we could stop all greenhouse gas emissions today. Planners and decision-makers need to act in response to climate change, and cannot be paralysed by the uncertainty that exist in emission scenarios, policy responses and climate outcomes. Delaying or not making a decision is itself a decision with consequences. Instead of ignoring the uncertainties, Net Balance’s robust methods of planning explicitly acknowledge and embrace them.

We help clients develop robust adaptation strategies that remain viable under the widest range of possible futures. Multiple adaptation options are often available with very different cost and benefits. Options must be evaluated and prioritised, and real trade-offs made, despite uncertainties that cannot be resolved in the timeframes allowed to make decisions. We have developed a practical toolkit for people who have to take steps to adapt to future climate scenarios now. But climate adaptation is an ongoing, iterative process.

Our priority is to ensure that we help our clients develop their own capacity to continually refine and develop their adaptation plans. We call this building climate resilience in organisations and communities.