Since climate change assessment forms the basis for the development of the climate change action plan, this will entail some considerable costs since data gathering, and numerous workshops and meetings must be conducted. In terms of the identified adaptation measures, the Sorsogon City government and its stakeholders identified quick-wins that were considered realistic and attainable. Quick-wins are viewed as affordable and effective. Although quick-wins can generate benefits for the LGU and its people, longer term strategic investments should not be overlooked.

Crucial in this initiative is the conduct of a climate change assessment. Fieldworks must be done to gather data from the ground. Climate data and models are also essential, along with the capacity to do geographic information system (GIS). UN-HABITAT has produced a toolkit for climate change assessment based on this experience in Sorsogon. Other cities in the Asia and Pacific region have received training to use this toolkit.

The climate change assessment in Sorsogon City began by ensuring the broad support of key national and local stakeholders, such as the mayor, the local council, department heads of the local government, national agencies represented at the city and provincial levels, non-governmental organisations (NGOs), community-based organisations and faith-based organisations, the local university and the private sector. This was deemed essential if the process was to be effective in facilitating the development of realistic interventions while also bringing the wider, national climate change discourse to bear in Sorsogon City. Having established this commitment to mutual working, a core team with multi-disciplinary backgrounds from various local government departments was formed to lead the climate change initiative, reporting to the Mayor. The local-level review of com- munique ́s and macro-assessments undertaken by the national government served to pick out the specificities of the local/city-level vulnerability context. (Button et al., 2013, pp.707-709) Community engagement in local development programmes provided the entry point for climate change action which was carefully developed by communities as incremental to ongoing activities rather than a new approach. This grafting of climate change resilience onto initiatives already being driven from below, but with motivations that often have little to do with climate change per se, has proven successful in other countries too (Satterthwaite 2011, p. 1778). (Button et al., 2013, p.717)

The solution does not have direct environmental impact.