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The economics of adaptation and climate-resilient development: lessons from projects for key adaptation challenges

Author

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  • Paul Watkiss
  • Federica Cimato

Abstract

This working paper aims to inform the development community about the current state-of-knowledge and emerging thinking on the economics of adaptation and the application to development. The paper explores a number of key challenges on the economics of adaptation, and investigates examples of how these are being addressed in practical case studies. The case studies are drawn from the portfolio of the International Development Research Centre (IDRC) and the wider literature. The key areas of focus have been to assess: – Mainstreaming adaptation into development planning. – The analysis and appraisal of building (adaptive) capacity and non-technical adaptation. – The consideration of distributional effects. – The phasing and prioritisation of adaptation and the application of light-touch approaches for decision making under uncertainty.

Suggested Citation

  • Paul Watkiss & Federica Cimato, 2016. "The economics of adaptation and climate-resilient development: lessons from projects for key adaptation challenges," GRI Working Papers 235, Grantham Research Institute on Climate Change and the Environment.
    • Handle: RePEc:lsg:lsgwps:wp235
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    6. Paul Watkiss, 2015. "A review of the economics of adaptation and climate-resilient development," GRI Working Papers 205, Grantham Research Institute on Climate Change and the Environment.
    7. Richard S.J. Tol & Gary W. Yohe, 2006. "The Weakest Link Hypothesis For Adaptive Capacity: An Empirical Test," Wesleyan Economics Working Papers 2006-005, Wesleyan University, Department of Economics.
    8. Joyashree Roy, "undated". "Estimating the Economic Benefits of Arsenic Removal in India: A Case Study from West Bengal," Working papers 15, The South Asian Network for Development and Environmental Economics.
    9. Ahmad, Munir & Siftain, Hassan & Iqbal, Muhammad, 2014. "Impact of Climate Change on Wheat Productivity in Pakistan: A District Level Analysis," MPRA Paper 72859, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    10. Hallegatte, Stephane & Shah, Ankur & Lempert, Robert & Brown, Casey & Gill, Stuart, 2012. "Investment decision making under deep uncertainty -- application to climate change," Policy Research Working Paper Series 6193, The World Bank.
    11. Thureson, Disa, 2012. "Avoiding path dependence of distributional weights: Lessons from climate change economic assessment," Working Papers 2012:8, Örebro University, School of Business, revised 01 Feb 2016.
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    2. Anna Josephson & Rodrigo Guerra Su & Greg Collins & Katharine Jacobs, 2024. "The Economics of Climate Adaptation: An Assessment," Papers 2411.16893, arXiv.org.
    3. Sonja, Vermeulen & Meryl, Richards & Alessandro, De Pinto & Dino, Ferrarese & Peter, Läderach & Le, Lan & Marty, Luckert & Enrico, Mazzoli & Laura, Plant & Roberto, Rinaldi & Jim, Stephenson & Paul, W, "undated". "The Economic Advantage: Assessing the value of climate-change actions in agriculture," IFAD Advantage Series 304740, International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD).
    4. Amsalu Woldie Yalew & Georg Hirte & Hermann Lotze-Campen & Stefan Tscharaktschiew, 2019. "The Synergies and Trade-Offs of Planned Adaptation in Agriculture: a General Equilibrium Analysis for Ethiopia," Economics of Disasters and Climate Change, Springer, vol. 3(3), pages 213-233, October.

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