Vulnerability, risks and adaptation

Adaptation to climate change was slow to emerge onto the international climate scene. Today, however, it is receiving growing attention at all levels, from the local level to the international stage with the post-2012 negotiations. IDDRI has been making a considerable effort in this field for several years, associating anthropogenic and environmental dynamics, conceptual analyses and case studies, research and dialogue with stakeholders.

The purpose of this is threefold:

• Contributing to the improvement of scientific knowledge on vulnerability and adaptation;
• Fostering the implementation of pragmatic, contextualised adaptation strategies, on different spatial and temporal scales;
• Using this in-depth research to contribute to international negotiations.

IDDRI has pursued its activities in this field particularly through its strong involvement in two ongoing projects:

• Circe (Climate change and impact research : The Mediterranean environment), a European project on climate change in the Mediterranean and adaptation strategies, for which IDDRI is coordinating economic and social science research, mainly focusing on induced policies.
  Particular attention is given to the tourism sector and the regions in which it is developing. 
• INVULNERABLe, which aims to create the conditions for a dialogue between the scientific community and the private sector on climate change scenarios and their industrial impacts. The initial findings of the project have been published in the form of fact sheets that present series of data to inform the strategic guidance of industrial activities.