Overview

The aim of the Adaptation Support Tool (AST) is to assist policy makers and coordinators on the national level in developing, implementing, monitoring and evaluating climate change adaptation strategies and plans. The AST was developed as a practical guidance tool for national level actors for all steps needed to develop, implement, monitor and evaluate a national adaptation strategy. It also supports sub-national actors and transnational actors to prepare for, develop, implement and monitor and evaluate adaptation strategies. It refers to relevant resources and dedicated tools in climate change adaptation (CCA).

The European Commission issued the EU guidelines on developing adaptation strategies in 2013 as a component of the EU strategy on adaptation to climate change with the aim to support EU Member States (MS) in the process of developing, implementing and reviewing their adaptation strategies. The steps and recommendations of the AST are aligned with the contents of these guidelines

The role and purpose of the AST has changed over time, reflecting on the context, namely more guidance for advancing, improving and updating national adaptation strategies and policies; more focus on implementation and Monitoring & Evaluation; and raised importance of cross-sector and multi-level governance issues as implementation progresses to more regional and local levels.

The AST is based on the adaptation policy cycle, which is a valuable analytical tool, but in practice, steps may tend to overlap and intermit. Since CCA is not a strictly sequential, linear process and countries may be in very different stages of the process, the AST needs to provide guidance in an iterative process that will help ensure decisions are based on up-to-date data, information and knowledge. An integral part of this iterative process is the monitoring of implementation progress and effectiveness of measures, their evaluation and the revision of policies. In its design, the Adaptation Support Tool borrows from the UKCIP Adaptation Wizard and various risk assessment frameworks.

6 Steps to Effective Adaptation:

1. Preparing the ground for adaptation
2. Assessing climate change risks and vulnerabilities
3. Identifying adaptation options
4. Assessing adaptation options
5. Implementing adaptation
6. Monitoring and evaluating adaptation