Dear Colleagues,

The Global Climate Adaptation Partnership (GCAP) in partnership with the University of Cape Town, the SysTem for Analysis, Research and Training (START), the University of Reading, the UK Met Office and Grupo Laera invite you to enrol in the 2012 Adaptation Academy Foundation Course in Oxford, United Kingdom from the 13 to 31 August. The course will target mid-senior level professionals working in the field of climate change adaptation.

Participants in the 2012 Oxford Foundation Course will gain a practical understanding of critical issues in the field of climate change adaptation and develop skills to address some of the crucial challenges that they face in practice. Unlike other courses, the Adaptation Academy engages with participants to create a learning environment where they work with fellow colleagues and international experts to shape their thinking and develop real-world solutions to their existing projects and programmes.

The Foundation Course integrates four central learning themes throughout the course:

1. Causal chains of climate science
2. Adaptation as a process
3. Project/Programme development
4. Participants' role as change makers  

Building on these four central themes, we have developed a range of different modules and exercises with which to develop the appropriate course for you. The content of this year's Foundation Course will consist of the following:

1. Concepts of climate change, risk, vulnerability and adaptation
2. Analysing climate data for change and variability - trends and extreme events
3. Using climate change scenarios - uncertainty, probability, climate envelopes
4. Assessing vulnerability and impacts
5. Mapping socio-institutional networks, information flows and needs
6. National, sectoral, urban and local strategies and measures
7. Disaster risk reduction
8. Economics of adaptation and adaptation finance
9. Communicating climate risks
10. Screening adaptation options to develop sound projects
11. Monitoring, evaluation and learning in adaptation pathways
12. Project development and practical skills development

For more information please visit: www.adaptationacademy.org and/or email Mica Longanecker at academy@climateadaptation.cc.

Please feel free to share this course invitation with your partners and stakeholders.

We look forward to seeing you in Oxford!

Kind regards, The Adaptation Academy Team