How do you adapt in an uncertain world? Lessons from the Thames Estuary 2100 project World Resources Report Uncertainty Series

INTRODUCTION As the international debates on appropriate policy responses to climate change carry on, the climate continues to warm and the commitment to further longterm warming grows. The US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) recently pronounced that 2010 tied with 2005 as the warmest year globally since records began in the late 19 century. In December 2010, the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) released a report that concluded that even if nations meet the pledges made under the Copenhagen Accord for 2020, the world could still be on track to experience a warming of between 2.5 to 5°C above pre-industrial levels by 2100, depending on how quickly greenhouse emissions are reduced post 2020 (UNEP, 2010)