Edited by Agathe Euzen, Bettina Laville, and Stéphanie Thiébault
Adapting to climate change. A question for societies
CNRS Editions, 2017, 416 p.
Adapting to climate change and global change has become a vital objective for all societies. Sometimes brutally confronted with the increased frequency and intensity of meteorological phenomena such as floods, droughts, and tornadoes, they must also deal with rising temperatures and their impact on the balance of ecosystems, the evolution of animal and plant species, and the development of human populations, their living conditions, and their social organization. While the study of climate variations over time shows the ability of ecosystems to adapt or transform, the acceleration of certain phenomena, such as the global increase in temperature due to human activities, may lead to a point of no return. This book, composed of some fifty articles written by scientists and experts on the subject, is unique. It encourages reflection on what adaptation and maladaptation are, drawing on several disciplinary, sectoral, and territorial fields. While highlighting obstacles and limitations, it also provides evidence and suggests ways to act and adapt.
These contributions support the implementation of the Paris Climate Agreement (2015) and in particular COP 23 (23rd Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, in Bonn, 2017), a climate conference whose priorities include adaptation, both in terms of its objectives and its financing.