Methodological and Technological issues in Technology Transfer

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15.7.1 Evaluation of Current Status

Ever since humans have lived near the sea they have developed and applied technologies to reduce their vulnerability to coastal hazards. The same technologies can be applied to adapt to anticipated impacts of climate change. However, access to these technologies in vulnerable areas can be a problem without effective technology transfer. Improving and facilitating the process of technology transfer are key challenges to reduce coastal vulnerability worldwide.

This chapter has shown that effective coastal adaptation and associated technology transfer may have to overcome a large number of very diverse obstacles. Many of these are site-specific and require site-specific solutions. The four major general barriers to coastal-adaptation technology transfer are the following:

• lack of data, information and knowledge to identify adaptation needs and appropriate technologies;
• lack of local capacity and consequent dependence of customers on suppliers of technology for operation, maintenance and duplication;
• disconnected organisational and institutional relationships between relevant actors;
• access to financial means.

Additionally, coastal adaptation itself is often hampered by a number of factors (see also Chapter 4):

• the uncertainty about the location, rate and magnitude of climate-change impacts;
• the local nature of coastal-adaptation requirements;
• the absence of global benefits of coastal adaptation, which constrains its international financing;
• the fact that adaptation is often not considered a development objective.