adaptation

The process of adjustment to actual or expected climate and its effects. In human systems, adaptation seeks to moderate or avoid harm or exploit beneficial opportunities. In some natural systems, human intervention may facilitate adjustment to expected climate and its effects. Incremental adaptation: Adaptation actions where the central aim is to maintain the essence and integrity of a system or process at a given scale. Transformational adaptation: Adaptation that changes the fundamental attributes of a system in response to climate and its effects. See also Autonomous adaptation, Evolutionary adaptation, and Transformation.