Editing IPCC:AR6/WGII/Chapter-15 (section)

=== 15.2.2 Points of Departure on Adaptation ===

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New knowledge of adaptation responses used in small islands has grown significantly since AR5. Strategies include hard protection, land reclamation and permanent relocation, with improved appreciation for when each strategy is relevant ( [[#IPCC--2019|IPCC, 2019]] ). Evidence of migration as an adaptation response to climate change remains limited ( [[#Roland--2020|Roland and Curtis, 2020]] ). Understanding of ecosystem-based adaptation (EbA) has improved considerably but there is ''medium agreement'' regarding its benefits ( [[#Doswald--2014|Doswald et al., 2014]] ; [[#Nalau--2018a|Nalau et al., 2018a]] ) and ''limited evidence and low agreement'' on its economic efficiency and long-term effectiveness ( [[#Renaud--2016|Renaud et al., 2016]] ; [[#Oppenheimer--2019|Oppenheimer et al., 2019]] ).

Since the previous assessment, integration of IKLK into adaptation is recognised as a major benefit in preparing and recovering from TCs and EbA ( [[#Narayan--2020|Narayan et al., 2020]] ). The roles of social capital, health-related adaptation strategies and livelihood responses are more fully understood ( [[#Nalau--2018b|Nalau et al., 2018b]] ; [[#Nunn--2018|Nunn and Kumar, 2018]] ; [[#Abram--2019|Abram et al., 2019]] ; [[#IPCC--2019|IPCC, 2019]] ). Gender equity, climate justice, climate services, early warning systems and disaster risk reduction (DRR) ( [[#Vaughan--2014|Vaughan and Dessai, 2014]] ; [[#Newth--2018|Newth and Gunasekera, 2018]] ), which were data gaps in AR5, have received more treatment, especially in the context of small islands. Stronger evidence confirms that education and awareness-raising enhance household and community adaptation ( ''high confidence'' ).

Knowledge has improved on limits to adaptation, including projected timeframes of limits for hard protection ( ''high confidence'' ) and EbA ( ''medium confidence'' ) ( [[#IPCC--2019|IPCC, 2019]] ). There is also a better understanding that barriers and governance challenges vary by island and island groups ( ''high confidence'' ) and result in them having different adaptive capacities ( [[#IPCC--2019|IPCC, 2019]] ). A major barrier to adaptation is limited information on the feasibility, outcomes and sustainability of adaptation responses in small islands. Moreover, limited time series data on monitoring and evaluation make evaluating the feasibility of adaptation responses difficult.

Adaptation financing for small islands has increased since AR5 although leveraging finance is a constraint and remains complex ( [[#Robinson--2017|Robinson and Dornan, 2017]] ). Informal microfinancing has grown and risk transfer mechanisms are being explored although funding and access to insurance schemes are limited ( [[#Handmer--2019|Handmer and Nalau, 2019]] ; [[#Nunn--2019a|Nunn and Kumar, 2019a]] ; [[#Petzold--2019|Petzold and Magnan, 2019]] ). In small islands the methods and mechanisms to assess climate-induced losses and damages remain undeveloped ( ''medium confidence'' ) ( [[#Thomas--2017|Thomas and Benjamin, 2017]] ; [[#Handmer--2019|Handmer and Nalau, 2019]] ).

Many small islands have experienced economic shock arising from COVID-19 and have had to re-direct investment previously targeting sustainable development ( [[#Sheller--2020|Sheller, 2020]] ). Adaptation will be affected by economic contraction and indebtedness. Framing adaptation within climate resilient development pathways (CRDPs) that emphasize systems transition and are implemented at scale may bolster small islands’ resilience to multiple shocks such as COVID-19.

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