Climate Taxonomy Tool Turns Risk Assessments Into Adaptation Guidance

As climate impacts such as heat waves, floods and fires intensify worldwide, researchers at IIASA have developed a new tool to translate climate science into practical guidance. It integrates climate drivers, risks and adaptation options in one framework grounded in the science of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). The tool, a climate impact taxonomy, was described in research published in Nature Climate Change.

IPCC assessment reports offer a wealth of scientific information, but integration between climate science and the assessment of impacts and adaptation options has been limited. The taxonomy bridges that gap by connecting all 35 IPCC climatic impact drivers, such as coastal flooding, drought and extreme heat, with eight representative key risks covering ecosystems, infrastructure, food security, water resources, cities and human well-being. Each connection lists the systems affected, adaptation examples, and links to mitigation options and IPCC chapters.

"This work is less about producing new climate science and more about making existing information actionable," said lead author Michaela Werning, a researcher in the energy, climate, and environment program. She said the taxonomy gives an easier entry point into IPCC reports by linking climatic impact drivers directly to specific risks and adaptation responses.

The team describes the taxonomy as a prototype that could ground more coherent climate impact assessments. Co-author Alexander Nauels said it offers "a structured and transparent way for people to submit feedback," since no single team can cover the full breadth of climate impacts. Co-author Seth Monteith of ClimateWorks Foundation said a shared framework will be increasingly critical as risks intensify.

The researchers found several patterns. More than half of the climate hazard-risk combinations occur mainly at regional scales, and there is an almost even split between gradual climate changes and extreme events. Just under half of the driver-risk combinations are expected to reach high risk levels at around 1.5°C of global warming, while a similar share reaches high risk levels beyond 2°C.