Shaping climate-resilient development: a framework for decision-making - a report of the economics of climate adaptation working group. 1) Test case on Samoa: focus on risks caused by sea level rise

Abstract

In Maharashtra, a large state in central India that is home to nearly 100 million people, agriculture accounts for 60 percent of employment, most of it in small-scale and marginal farming. But the region’s agriculture depends on rainfall for much of its water supply, and even a small dip in precipitation can put millions of people’s food security at risk. In a drought year, a third of the state’s food grain production may be lost, with severe impact on the small-scale farmers– most of whom have no reserves to see them through lean years. Climate change could worsen these losses significantly within a generation. For example, scenario analysis in this report suggests droughts that historically have occurred once every 25 years might now take place as frequently as every 8 years.