Climate Adaptation NetworkLaunched by MacArthur, WWF, and IUCN

The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation is giving $2 million to the World Wildlife Fund and the International Union for the Conservation of Nature to develop programs to help human communities and vulnerable ecosystems adapt to climate change. The conservation groups will use the money to establish an Ecosystems and Livelihoods Adaptation Network, which is designed to identify regions especially vulnerable to climate change and study ways to cushion the impact of higher temperatures, rising sea levels, and other effects of global warming. The new network will initially examine how a rise in sea level will impact coastal ecosystems and communities in Melanesia, the Caribbean, and Madagascar. The $2 million grant is part of a larger, $50 million effort by MacArthur to develop climate adaption programs. Foundation President Jonathan Fanton said that while it is important to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, the rapid pace of climate change “demands global cooperation and innovation to help animal and human populations adapt to our changing planet.”