Geoscience Reference
In-Depth Information
33. Model response strategies for future sea-level rise
There are, however, limits to adaptation. First, climate change in particular areas may be
such that it goes beyond our ability or finances to protect the population living there. Se-
cond, in some regions our ability to predict the effects of climate change are limited and
ample was discussed and our current inability to predict whether climate change will in-
crease or decrease its annual discharge. Advising policy makers becomes extremely hard
when the uncertainties do not even allow one to tell if a river catchment system in the fu-
ture will have more or less water. But this lack of knowledge should also be communic-
ated to policy makers so they understand the whole range of possible local climate scen-
arios they may face.
The other problem is that adaptation requires money to be invested now; many countries
just do not have the money, and where they do, people do not want to pay more taxes to
protect themselves in the future; most people live for the present. This is, of course, des-
pite the fact that all of the adaptations discussed will in the long term save money for the
local area, the country, and the world. As a global society we still have a very short-term
view, usually measured in a few years between successive governments. Hence the solu-
