How can you prioritize climate adaptation strategies based on feasibility and impact?

1 Assess the context

The first step is to understand the context of your adaptation problem, including the climate hazards, exposure, vulnerability, and adaptive capacity of the system or population you are working with. You also need to consider the goals, values, and preferences of the stakeholders involved, as well as the existing policies, institutions, and resources that shape the adaptation options. A context assessment can help you identify the key drivers, constraints, and opportunities for adaptation, as well as the potential impacts and uncertainties.

2 Identify and evaluate strategies

The next step is to identify and evaluate possible adaptation strategies that can address the problem and meet the goals. You can use different sources and methods to generate and screen strategies, such as literature review, expert consultation, stakeholder engagement, scenario analysis, or decision support tools. You can then evaluate the strategies based on criteria such as effectiveness, efficiency, equity, co-benefits, risks, and robustness. You can use qualitative or quantitative methods, or a combination of both, to compare and rank the strategies according to these criteria.

3 Prioritize and select strategies

The final step is to prioritize and select the most feasible and impactful strategies for implementation. You can use different approaches and techniques to prioritize and select strategies, such as multi-criteria analysis, cost-benefit analysis, cost-effectiveness analysis, or participatory methods. You can also apply different principles and frameworks to guide your prioritization and selection, such as no-regret, low-regret, win-win, or transformational adaptation. You should also consider the trade-offs and synergies among the strategies, as well as the timing, sequencing, and scaling of the actions.

4 Monitor and review strategies

Once you have prioritized and selected the adaptation strategies, you should monitor and review their implementation and outcomes. You should establish indicators and targets to measure the progress and performance of the strategies, as well as the changes in the context and the impacts. You should also collect and analyze data and feedback from the stakeholders and beneficiaries of the strategies, as well as the external factors that may affect them. You should then review and adjust the strategies as needed, based on the evidence and learning.

7 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?