Adapting to Climate Change: Assessing the World Bank Group ...

4. Anticipatory Adaptation to Climate ChangeHighlights Climate models have been more useful for setting context than for informing investment and policychoices. They have limited reliability for decisions involving precipitation extremes in small areas. Although hydropower has a long tradition of dealing with climate variability, the Bank Group lacksguidance on appropriate methods for incorporating climate change considerations into projectdesign and appraisal. Land use planning is, in theory, critical to anticipatory adaptation for disaster exposure reduction,coastal zone management, and biodiversity conservation. But experience and success are limited. The Bank has begun to incorporate ACC into biodiversity projects, but few projects have had thegoal of conserving biodiversity that could be critical for agricultural adaptation.Figure 4.1. Glacial Retreat in BoliviaThese images show the retreat of the Chacaltaya Glacier in Bolivia, an illustration of long-term transformationalclimate change impacts.Source: Cynthia Rosenzweig, NASA. http://www.giss.nasa.gov/research/briefs/rosenzweig_02/Image credits: IPCC Working Group II Fourth Assessment Report 2007; 1940 Servicio Aerofotográfico Nacional,Bolivia; 1982 Reinhardt & Jordan; 1996, 2005 Bernard Francou61