World Bank2012-03-192012-03-192009-06-01https://hdl.handle.net/10986/3052The climate is changing; and the Europe and Central Asia (ECA) region is vulnerable to the consequences. Many of the region's countries are facing warmer temperatures, a changing hydrology and more extremes, droughts, floods, heat waves, windstorms, and forest fires. Already the frequency and cost of natural disasters have risen dramatically in the region. And the concentration of greenhouse gases already in the atmosphere guarantees that similar or greater changes are yet to come, even if the world completely stopped emitting carbon dioxide. Now, and at least for the near future, ECA vulnerability is being driven more by its existing sensitivity than by the severity of the climate impacts. In fact, ECA already suffers from a serious adaptation deficit even to its current climate. This derives from a combination of socioeconomic factors and the Soviet legacy of environmental mismanagement. This report presents an overview of what adaptation to climate change might mean for ECA. It starts with a discussion of emerging best practice adaptation planning around the world and a review of the latest climate projections. The report then discusses possible actions to improve resilience organized around impacts on natural resources (water, biodiversity, and the coastal environment), health, the 'unbuilt' environment (agriculture and forestry), and the built environment (infrastructure and housing). The last chapter concludes with a discussion of two areas in great need of strengthening given the changing climate: disaster preparedness and hydrometeorological services.CC BY 3.0 IGOACCESS TO FINANCINGADAPTATION ACTIONADAPTATION ACTIONSADAPTATION CONTEXTADAPTATION DEFICITADAPTATION EFFORTSADAPTATION INITIATIVESADAPTATION MEASURESADAPTATION NEEDSADAPTATION OPTIONSADAPTATION PLANSADAPTATION PRACTICESADAPTATION PRIORITIESADAPTATION PROCESSADAPTATION PROCESSESADAPTATION PROGRAMADAPTATION RESPONSESADAPTATION STRATEGIESADAPTATION STRATEGYADAPTATION TO CLIMATEADAPTATION TO CLIMATE CHANGEADAPTINGADAPTIVE CAPACITYADAPTIVE CAPACITY INDICATORSADAPTIVE CAPACITY TO CLIMATE CHANGEADVERSE EFFECTS OF CLIMATE CHANGEADVERSE IMPACTS OF CLIMATE CHANGEAIR POLLUTIONAPPROACHES TO ADAPTATION PLANNINGARCTIC OCEANARSENICATMOSPHEREBARRIERS TO ADAPTATIONBELIEF IN CLIMATE CHANGEBIOCLIMATIC MODELSCAPACITY FOR ADAPTATIONCARBONCARBON INTENSITYCATASTROPHIC EVENTSCLEAN AIRCLIMATECLIMATE ADAPTATIONCLIMATE CHANGECLIMATE CHANGE ADAPTATIONCLIMATE CHANGE IMPACTSCLIMATE CHANGE POLICYCLIMATE CHANGE PROJECTIONSCLIMATE CHANGE SCENARIOCLIMATE CHANGESCLIMATE CONDITIONSCLIMATE DATACLIMATE EVENTSCLIMATE EXTREMESCLIMATE IMPACTCLIMATE IMPACTSCLIMATE MODELERSCLIMATE PROJECTIONSCLIMATE RESEARCHCLIMATE RISKCLIMATE RISK MANAGEMENTCLIMATE RISKSCLIMATE SCENARIOSCLIMATE SCIENCECLIMATE SCIENTISTSCLIMATE SHOCKCLIMATE STRESSCLIMATE SYSTEMCLIMATE TRENDSCLIMATE VARIABILITYCLIMATE VARIABLESCLIMATIC CHANGECLIMATIC VARIABILITYCO2COLORSCONSECUTIVE DRY DAYSCOPING CAPACITYCOST OF ADAPTATIONDAMAGESDISASTER MANAGEMENTDISASTER PREPAREDNESSDISASTER RISK MANAGEMENTDROUGHTDROUGHT CONDITIONSDROUGHT TOLERANCEDROUGHT YEARSDRY SPELLDRY SUMMERSECOLOGICAL ZONESECONOMIC GROWTHECONOMIC INDICATORSECONOMIC MODELSEFFECTIVE ADAPTATIONELECTRICITYELECTRICITY DEMANDEMISSIONSENVIRONMENTAL CATASTROPHEEPIDEMIOLOGY OF DISASTERSEVAPORATIONEXPOSURE TO CLIMATE CHANGEEXTREME EVENTEXTREME EVENTSEXTREME TEMPERATURESEXTREME VALUE THEORYEXTREME WEATHEREXTREME WEATHER EVENTSFEASIBILITYFINANCIAL CAPITALFINANCIAL RESOURCESFISH STOCKFLOOD CONTROLFLOODINGFLOODSFORESTFOREST FIRESFOREST STOCKFORESTRYFORESTSFRAMEWORK CONVENTION ON CLIMATE CHANGEFROSTFUTURE ADAPTATIONFUTURE CLIMATE CHANGEGCMGENERAL CIRCULATION MODELGHGGLACIAL MELTGLACIERSGLOBAL WARMINGGOLDGREENHOUSEGREENHOUSE GASGREENHOUSE GASESHAILHEATHEAT STRESSHEAT WAVESHEAVY RAINSHOT DAYSHOT SUMMERHURRICANESHYDROLOGYICEICE AGEICE COVERIMPACT OF CLIMATEIMPACT OF CLIMATE CHANGEIMPACT OF HEAT WAVESIMPACTS OF CLIMATE CHANGEIMPLEMENT ADAPTATIONIMPLEMENTING ADAPTATION STRATEGIESINCOMEINSURANCEINTERGOVERNMENTAL PANEL ON CLIMATE CHANGEIPCCLAND MANAGEMENTLAND USELANDFILLSLEACHINGLOW ADAPTIVE CAPACITYMAINSTREAMING ADAPTATIONMALADAPTATIONMELTING GLACIERSMETEOROLOGICAL ORGANIZATIONMITIGATIONMITIGATION EFFORTSNATIONAL ADAPTATIONNATIONAL CLIMATENATURAL DISASTERNATURAL DISASTERSNITROGENOIL EQUIVALENTPARTICULATEPARTICULATE MATTERPESTICIDESPLANT GROWTHPOLICY MAKERSPORTFOLIOPOWER SECTORPRECIPITATIONPROBABILITY DISTRIBUTIONRAINRAINFALLRAINFALL INTENSITYRAINFALL PATTERNSRAINY SEASONREGIONAL CLIMATE MODELRESILIENCE TO CLIMATE CHANGESEA LEVEL RISESEASONAL RAINFALLSEASONAL TEMPERATURESTORM SURGESTORMSSUMMER DROUGHTSSUMMER HEAT WAVESSUMMER TEMPERATURESSURFACE EVAPORATIONTEMPERATURETEMPERATURE CHANGESTEMPERATURE INCREASESTRANSPORT SECTORUNCERTAINTIESUNDERGROUND WATERVULNERABILITY INDICATORSVULNERABILITY TO CLIMATE CHANGEWARMER CLIMATEWARMER TEMPERATURESWARMING CLIMATEWATER TREATMENTWINDOW OF OPPORTUNITYWINTER TEMPERATURESWMOWorld Bank10.1596/3052