Overview of Main Issues
According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), to 2005, the average global temperature increased by about 0.76ºC and global mean sea level rose by 12 to 22 cm during the last century. Furthermore, an additional increase of approximately 1.4°C to 5.8°C by 2100 is projected.
The Millennium Ecosystem Assessment warns that this climate change is likely to become the dominant direct driver of biodiversity loss by the end of the century. In fact, climate change is already having an impact on biodiversity either through shifting habitat, changing life cycles, the development of new physical traits or species die-offs and extinctions.
Adaptation activities can help species and ecosystems cope with changing climatic conditions. Ranging from the construction of protective infrastructure to the development of corridors or the planting of resistant tree or crop varieties, adaptation activities can have either a positive, negative or neutral impact on biodiversity.