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directly or indirectly increase energy use, land

cymakers should work to enhance adapta-

clearance, coastal development, and other

tion and promote economic development.

activities that contribute to greater greenhouse

First, policymakers should work toward

gas emissions or climate change damages.

increasing adaptive capacity, particularly in

As part of this effort, OECD nations

developing countries, by promoting efforts to

should also reduce, if not eliminate, agricul-

reduce vulnerability to today's urgent climate-

tural subsidies and barriers to trade. Not only

sensitive problems--malaria, hunger, water

are such subsidies and barriers expensive for

stress, flooding, and other extreme events--that

might be exacerbated by climate change.89 The

consumers in OECD nations, they damage

the economies and well-being of many devel-

technologies, human capital, and institutions

oping nations whose economies and employ-

that will need to be strengthened or developed

ment are dominated by the agricultural sec-

to accomplish this will also be critical in

tor.92

addressing these very problems in the future if

and when they are aggravated by climate

Ironically, one of the arguments advanced

change. Increasing adaptive capacity might also

for rapid reductions in greenhouse gases is that

increase the level at which GHG concentration

it would help developing countries who are

would need to be stabilized to "prevent danger-

considered to be least able to cope with climate

Policymakers

ous anthropogenic interference with the cli-

change because they currently lack the neces-

should strengthen

mate system," which is the stated "ultimate

sary economic and human capital to imple-

objective" of the UN Framework Convention

ment adaptive technologies. Reducing such

the institutions

on Climate Change.90 Alternatively, increasing

subsidies would go some way toward relieving

necessary to

a major reason of concern for climate change.

adaptive capacity could postpone the deadline

advance economic

Fifth, policymakers should develop a more

for stabilization. In either case, it could reduce

robust understanding of the science, impacts,

the costs of meeting the ultimate objective.

growth, human

and policies of climate change in order to

Second, policymakers should strengthen or

capital, and the

develop response strategies that would fore-

develop the institutions necessary to advance

stall "dangerous" impacts of climate change

and/or reduce barriers to economic growth,

propensity for

(per Article 2 of the UN Framework Conven-

human capital, and the propensity for techno-

technological

tion on Climate Change) while at the same

logical change. Doing so would improve both

change.

time advancing human well-being.

adaptive and mitigative capacities, as well as

the prospects for sustainable development.91

Sixth, policymakers should monitor the

impacts of climate change to give advance

Third, policymakers should implement no-

warning of "dangerous" impacts and, if neces-

regret mitigation measures now, while expand-

sary, to rearrange priorities should the adverse

ing the range and diversity of future no-regret

impacts of warming on human and environ-

options. The latter could be advanced by re-

mental well-being occur faster, threaten to be

search and development to improve existing--

more severe, or threaten to be more likely than

and develop new--technologies that would

is currently projected.

reduce atmospheric greenhouse gas concentra-

Together, these policies constitute an adap-

tions more cost-effectively than currently possi-

tive management approach to addressing cli-

ble. Should new information indicate that

mate change that would help solve today's

more aggressive mitigation action is necessary,

urgent problems while bolstering our ability to

future emission reductions might then be

address tomorrow's climate change challenge.

cheaper, even if they have to be deeper to com-

pensate for a delay in a more aggressive

response in the short term.

Conclusion

Fourth, policymakers should allow the

market to run its course in implementing no-

regret (i.e., no-cost) options. Among other

Climate change is not now--nor is it likely

things, that implies reducing subsidies that

to be for the foreseeable future--the most

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