Climate Change Adaptation & Resilience 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: What is 'ecosystem-based adaptation' (EbA)?
- Replacing natural ecosystems with engineered flood barriers
- Using biodiversity and ecosystem services to help people adapt to climate change (Correct answer)
- Adapting ecosystems to human needs through genetic modification
- Relocating endangered species to climate-stable regions
Correct answer: Using biodiversity and ecosystem services to help people adapt to climate change
Ecosystem-based adaptation uses the services provided by healthy ecosystems—such as flood regulation by wetlands or cooling by urban forests—to help communities adapt to climate impacts.
Question 2: Why are heat action plans particularly important for cities with large elderly populations?
- Elderly people generate more body heat, worsening urban heat islands
- Older adults are more physiologically vulnerable to heat stress and less able to self-regulate body temperature (Correct answer)
- Elderly residents use more electricity, increasing heat emissions
- Older buildings where elderly live are better insulated from heat
Correct answer: Older adults are more physiologically vulnerable to heat stress and less able to self-regulate body temperature
Older adults experience reduced thermoregulatory capacity, are more likely to have chronic illnesses, and take medications that impair heat tolerance, making them disproportionately vulnerable to extreme heat.
Question 3: What is 'drought-tolerant crop variety development' an example of in climate adaptation?
- Geoengineering
- Technological adaptation in the agricultural sector (Correct answer)
- Loss and damage compensation
- Carbon sequestration
Correct answer: Technological adaptation in the agricultural sector
Developing crop varieties that can withstand reduced rainfall is a technological adaptation strategy that helps farmers maintain yields under changing precipitation patterns.
Question 4: How does the US National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) influence climate adaptation decisions?
- It encourages development in flood-prone areas by subsidizing insurance costs
- It provides flood maps and insurance that can either incentivize or disincentivize floodplain development depending on pricing (Correct answer)
- It prohibits all construction within 500-year floodplains
- It exclusively funds flood barrier construction
Correct answer: It provides flood maps and insurance that can either incentivize or disincentivize floodplain development depending on pricing
The NFIP's flood maps and insurance pricing signal flood risk to property owners, and when premiums are subsidized, they can inadvertently encourage risky development rather than retreat.
Question 5: What is 'permafrost thaw' a major adaptation challenge for, in the US context?
- Agricultural communities in the Great Plains
- Alaska Native communities whose infrastructure, roads, and buildings are built on frozen ground (Correct answer)
- Coastal cities in Florida dealing with sea level rise
- Southwestern cities managing water scarcity
Correct answer: Alaska Native communities whose infrastructure, roads, and buildings are built on frozen ground
As permafrost thaws in Alaska, buildings sink, roads buckle, and traditional hunting and gathering landscapes change, creating severe infrastructure and cultural adaptation challenges for Alaska Native communities.
Question 6: What does 'building codes that incorporate climate projections' help achieve?
- Reducing construction costs for developers
- Ensuring new infrastructure is designed to withstand future climate conditions, not just historical ones (Correct answer)
- Eliminating the need for environmental impact assessments
- Standardizing aesthetics across urban neighborhoods
Correct answer: Ensuring new infrastructure is designed to withstand future climate conditions, not just historical ones
Forward-looking building codes that account for projected increases in extreme heat, flooding, and wind speeds ensure that new construction will remain functional and safe under future climate conditions.
Question 7: What is the concept of 'transformative adaptation' distinct from incremental adaptation?
- Making small improvements to existing systems to handle more climate stress
- Fundamentally changing systems, structures, or locations rather than defending the status quo (Correct answer)
- Adapting only to temperature changes, not precipitation changes
- Using technology exclusively rather than nature-based solutions
Correct answer: Fundamentally changing systems, structures, or locations rather than defending the status quo
Transformative adaptation involves fundamental changes to social, economic, or governance systems rather than incremental adjustments, and is considered necessary when incremental changes are insufficient.
Climate Change Adaptation & Resilience 3
What is 'ecosystem-based adaptation' (EbA)?