Adaptation Examples from Oxfam Exchange

One of the aims of the Oxfam American Climate Change Campaign is to secure funding for adaptation initiatives in poor nations affected by climate change. The Spring 2008 issue of Oxfam Exchange includes an essay by Anna Kramer which highlights the ways in which several communities around the world are already adapting to the changing climate.

• In Peru, people have revived an ancient canal-building technique designed to provide moisture to farms during drought and drainage during heavy rains.
• In Vietnam, communities are planting dense mangroves along the coast to diffuse the waves caused by tropical storms.
• In Uganda, people are using the radio and Internet to share early warning and climate information at the local level.

These are the types of projects which Oxfam America is committed to supporting - projects which reduce the vulnerability of world communities to climate-related disasters and help these communities adapt to changing circumstances. But adaptation requires funding. The United Nations estimates that as much as $86 billion each year will be necessary to provide adaptation assistance to nations and communities in need of it.

If you'd like to read more, please download the Spring 2008 issue of Oxfam Exchange (which also includes articles on civil rights training for women and girls in El Salvador, humanitarian efforts in the Democratic Republic of Congo, and programs to ensure that residents of mineral-rich nations like Ghana have a say in how oil, gas and mining companies develop their natural resources). Then, get involved! Join the campaign, sign the petition, or contact your legislators (Project Vote Smart has an excellent tool for finding them) and let them know that you're concerned about the impact of climate change on the world's poorest communities.