7.2.3 Adaptation Technologies
Many of the technologies that mitigate GHG emissions also help adapt to the
potential effects of climate change. For example, the ability of local governments
to provide effective land use planning is essential to address many environmental
problems. With such authority, local governments can cluster higher density
residential and commercial land use to improve the system efficiency of combined
heat and power systems. A city's streets and building lots can be laid out to
optimise the potential use of solar energy. By limiting developments on flood
plains or potential mud slide zones, a city can adapt to both current and anticipated
future flooding. The minimisation of paved surfaces and the use of trees can
reduce flooding, moderate the urban heat island effect and reduce the energy
required for air conditioning. Water using equipment, such as clothes washers,
can be developed and marketed that are both energy efficient and use less water.
Building codes and standards reduce energy consumption and also reduce the damage
to buildings from destructive weather anomalies. A systems, or whole-building
approach, can achieve both mitigation and adaptation objectives through the
optimal integration of land use, building design, equipment and material choices
and recycling strategies.
A fuller description of these technologies can be found in the IPCC's Second
Assessment Report, Working Group II (Watson et.al, 1996a) and the IPCC's Technical
Paper I, Technologies, Policies and Measures for Mitigating Climate Change (IPCC,
1996b). Other sources are included in the references (Interlaboratory Working
Group, 1997; CADDET, 1997; Worrell, 1996). Adaptation strategies vary between
developed and developing countries. While the published literature deals primarily
with new technologies, indigenous technologies using thermal mass, convective
air movement and night radiation use no energy, and could be more widely used
in both developing and developed countries.
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