Developing a climate change analysis: extract adapted from Christian Aid Adaptation Toolkit (PLA 60)

The basic approach to developing a climate change analysis is to obtain information from two sources of climate expertise: climate science and community or local knowledge. These can be used to develop a ‘most likely scenario’ with communities, showing what climate trends are emerging and how they might affect livelihoods in the future. The analysis can feed into a participatory vulnerability and capacity assessment (PVCA), which may focus on several priority factors increasing vulnerability, including climate change. This in turn could be used as a basis for climate change adaptation planning by communities. Participatory ways of presenting climate science, and combining it with local knowledge, are central to the process of developing a climate change analysis. This article includes case studies, from Zimbabwe, Climate Field Schools in Indonesia and the use of seasonal analysis charts in India. The case studies, drawn from Christian Aid and other valuable experience, show some examples of how this can be done.

Participatory Learning and Action (PLA, formerly PLA Notes) is the world's leading series on participatory learning and action approaches and methods. PLA publishes articles on participation aimed at practitioners, researchers, academics and activists. All articles are peer-reviewed by an international editorial board. See: www.planotes.org

Article in: PLA 60. Guest-edited by: Hannah Reid, Mozaharul Alam, Rachel Berger, Terry Cannon and Angela Milligan.

Keywords: CBA, climate change, adaptation, participation, DRR, disaster risk reduction.

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