"We want cake, and tea..."

Those familiar with the film Withnail and I will know what comes next...

CAKE is the Climate Adaptation Knowledge Exchange

It's built around an interactive ESRI map, which has a range of case studies.

What is the Climate Adaptation Knowledge Exchange (CAKE)?

CAKE is a free, innovative, online resource created to help you navigate the world of climate change adaptation (how we prepare for and respond to climate change). Climate change is dramatically altering and affecting natural systems, human communities, and built environments. Managers, scientists, planners, conservation practitioners, and others are grappling with the realities of climate change in their daily work. CAKE, launched in July 2010, was built to support organizations, agencies, and individuals interested and/or engaged in climate change adaptation by providing a venue for open access information exchange between professionals. The primary goals of CAKE are to:

• Build an innovative community of practice around climate change adaptation;
• Facilitate the identification and development of best practices; and
• Connect practitioners to share knowledge and strategies.

CAKE includes Case Studies of on-the-ground adaptation efforts, a Virtual Library of useful resources to support adaptation action, a Directory of individuals and organizations rich with adaptation knowledge, a Tools section full of useful online resources for adaptation action, and a Community section with an expert advice column and more. CAKE is a useful and effective resource because it presents valuable content on climate change adaptation in an approachable format that enables users to quickly access information and contribute as desired. The ultimate goal of CAKE is to create a living knowledge exchange among a growing, interactive community of people concerned about climate change adaptation.

Why focus on adaptation specifically?

The two approaches to addressing climate change are mitigation and adaptation. Mitigation efforts decrease the rate and extent of climate change through the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions or the enhancement of carbon uptake and storage. Adaptation efforts either minimize the negative effects or exploit potential opportunities of climate change. These are not choices to be weighed against each other – both are necessary responses to the challenge of climate change. However, since climate change has already progressed to the point where some effects are unavoidable, adaptation serves as an insurance policy to protect ourselves and our investments from global impacts. For more information on the basics of climate change and adaptation and links to more information, check out the Don’t Panic page.