1. Introduction 4. Output
2. Aim 5. Material and preparation
3. Input data 6. Exercise instructions


Introduction

Before you start the assessment of challenges and chances generated by climate change, you should familiarize yourselves with climate change and how you think it will affect your region, including the opportunities (chances generated by climate change) and problems (challenges generated by climate change) that might arise. This creates a common platform for the Process Team. 

Aim

This exercise aims at systematically ranking the challenges and chances generated by climate change for your area or economic activity or sector. 

Input data

Future climate in your region 

Output

A list of climate-related challenges and chances arranged according to your perception of the size of challenges and chances and the time frame of their occurrence. The results will provide input to Exercise II and Exercise III on climatic and socioeconomic stressor mapping and Exercise IV on local sensitivity.


Material and preparation
  • Flipchart papers, Post-it notes and red markers.

  • Prepare a flipchart paper as in Figure 1 below. If you are working in different spatial areas or with different economic sectors, prepare one paper for each area or sector. Divide the paper into five sections both vertically and horizontally to facilitate its documentation in the tables.

  • Horizontal axis: time according to the identified challenges and chances (e.g. now to 2020 or 2050 or 2100).

  • Vertical axis: importance of challenge or chance from high to low.

 

Figure 1. Grid showing the size of the challenge and chance generated by climate change and time frame of their occurrence (can be downloaded from the Related files on the right)

Exercise instructions

Perform this exercise for one local area or economic sector at a time. Also make separate runs for the challenges and chances.

1. Begin with the first local area or economic sector. Write down the main challenges that you face now or will face in the future on Post-it notes. Work individually on your own.

a) Present the challenges each group member has identified individually and discuss in the group how you would place the Post-it notes containing your challenges on the prepared chart according to:

  • Importance of the challenge: how high do you think the impact will be on your local area or economic sector?

  • Time: when do you think this challenge will occur or become significant enough to justify social action. Now? All the time? In the future? At specific points in time, such as during a crisis? Discuss the challenges that are unclear.

b) After the challenges have been placed on the chart, identify the ones that are specifically climate-related and mark these with a red marker. Also record why and how you think this is so.

c) Add any more climate related challenges.  

2. Repeat the same exercise (steps a—c) (with new chart and Post-it notes) but this time for chances generated by climate change, instead of challenges. 

3. Repeat the challenges/chances exercise again for other local areas or economic sectors, if relevant.

4. Document your charts and keep them to facilitate preparation of Exercises II, III and IV. Distribute the charts to all participants in the Process Team. The charts can be used to familiarize new participants that join the process at a later date.


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