Adaptation is the process, action, or the end result of an action taken to change behavior or practices because of changing weather patterns and climate change. Resilience is the condition or capacity of a country or community to climate change. While different, these two concepts are looked at together to better understand vulnerability and a country’s ability to adapt to climate change.

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s (IPCC) definition of adaptation refers to an ‘adjustment in natural or human systems in response to actual or expected climatic stimuli or their effects, which moderates harm or exploits beneficial opportunities.’ The policy implications of understanding how a country can/is adapting is crucial for the survival of many communities and form the basis for many policy proposals to the UNFCCC/Green Climate Fund in attracting finance for on-the-ground projects in different parts of the developing world.

However, only a small fraction of what is needed has been awarded to these countries in terms of adaptation action. The core question is: How resilient is a community? And how can humans best anticipate and respond to change in a sustainable manner?