Measuring effective and adequate adaptation
This issue paper defines the components of effective and adequate adaptation and recommends a way of reviewing progress. The methods and tools to assess the effectiveness and adequacy of adaptation need to support learning and improvement of the adaptation activities rather than just reporting and to be flexible enough to capture local contexts as well as allow aggregate assessments at different scales over time.
To measure the effectiveness of any adaptation activities, the long-term objectives must be defined. Later, policymakers and practitioners can assess the extent to which these objectives were reached and thus can consider the quality of the activities. To assess the adequacy of adaptation, this paper adds another dimension of scope — quantity — to the process. This helps policymakers and practitioners determine whether adaptation has done enough.