All Party Parliamentary Climate Change Group Is a Cross-Party ...

2.3 Whether to Include Adaptation Policies
49. It is important to be clear about the distinction between mitigating climate change (primarily
actions to limit current and future greenhouse gas emissions) and adapting to it (the variety of
actions needed to cope with change as it occurs). The targets and means discussed above
relate primarily to mitigation strategies, although some measures for adapting to climate
change do also mitigate it.
50. On the question of whether a consensus should cover adaptation policy, the evidence was
generally supportive, but not unanimously so. Some contributors felt that including
adaptation could distract from the important task of mitigation, others that it should receive a
secondary focus, and others that adaptation is so essential it must be included, not least
because it will take time.
Box 3 – The Balance Between Mitigation and Adaptation
“Too much emphasis on adaptation may distract us from the over-riding need to make deep cuts in emissions of
greenhouse gases, and soon. It may suggest (falsely, I believe) that there is a meaningful trade-off between
adaptation and mitigation. To maintain a strong focus on mitigation, it is probably best if adaptation did not fall
within the remit of the cross-party coalition on climate change.” Gerry Wolff
“Action on climate change is not a choice between mitigation and adaptation. Both are imperative and urgent.”
Practical Action
“…there is growing realisation that it is essential to adapt to the changes that are already unavoidable….the
Government needs to set a regulatory and legislative context in which the rest of society can adapt.” Chris West,
University of Oxford
“For organisations like National Grid, where infrastructure changes and enhancements need a reasonably long
lead time, agreement on the types of adaptation the all-party parliamentary group support would be useful….
Adaptation is (a) significant aspect of living with climate change and hence needs to be included. Likely risks
such as flooding…can be calculated into the scenarios so that these key areas are considered ahead of time.”
National Grid
“…adaptive responses will inevitably be necessary……this involves issues of advance preparation, for example
how to deal with heat-waves or assist with future disasters in the third world and resettlement efforts.” James
Levy
2.4 The Importance of Public Involvement
51. A number of submissions and witnesses pointed to the role that a cross-party consensus might
play in helping to engage the wider public with climate change issues and the actions needed
to address them. Governments can do much through legislation, fiscal incentives and
international agreements, while business will be at the forefront in the development of new
technology and energy systems. But the many decisions and activities of the everyday lives
of ordinary people do much to influence the UK’s ability to meet its emissions targets. There
was broad agreement that a cross-party consensus would be a beneficial step in the process of
convincing people about the actions that they could take. Some of the submissions suggested
that having the party leaders make a consensus statement or declaration would be one way to
demonstrate to people the urgency of the situation that we face and bring its consequences to
the forefront in society. Others argued that a major government effort in public information
was required (something which the UK Climate Change Programme 2006 does incorporate 18 ).
18 See Ch. 9 of UK Climate Change Programme 2006.
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