Social dilemmas, policy instruments, and climate adaptation measures: the case of green roofs

Abstract There are many normative answers on the question how to realize climate adaptation, ranging from pleas for the government to play a decisive role, to calls for refraining from action and relying upon spontaneous adaptation of both government and non-governmental actors. In this article, we present a Q methodological study, aimed at investigating the governance preferences among non-governmental actors in the Netherlands and the “narratives” they use to motivate these preferences. Our empirical results underline the fact that the question “how to organize adaptation”, is a controversial one. The results resemble the various positions in the current academic debate about the governance of adaptation, and add important insights and nuances to it. Many respondents feel that the current climate adaptation policy is too non-committal. The dominant viewpoint underscores a need for more rules and norms and the possibility to sanction organizations that do not adapt. Minority viewpoints show an urge to stimulate and support self-organization of partners, as well as a need for more action. However, financial and regulatory preconditions are needed to stimulate actors in order to see to the necessary investments. Policy-makers have to invest in mixing their policy instruments. Clearly, most nongovernmental actors are in favor of the government setting a framework with rules and norms for climate adaption. However, the viewpoints show that this is not sufficient. The government should facilitate networks, joint efforts and create the financial and regulatory preconditions to remove current barriers blocking adaptation measures.

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From vision to action: roadmapping as a strategic method and tool to implement climate change adaptation – the example of the roadmap ‘water sensitive urban design 2020’

Water Science & Technology ◽

10.2166/wst.2016.065 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 73 (9) ◽

pp. 2251-2259 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

J. U. Hasse ◽

D. E. Weingaertner

Keyword(s):

Climate Change ◽

Urban Design ◽

Climate Change Adaptation ◽

Climate Adaptation ◽

Regional Climate ◽

Adaptation Measures ◽

Support Tool ◽

Process Support ◽

Development Processes ◽

Water Sensitive Urban Design

As the central product of the BMBF-KLIMZUG-funded Joint Network and Research Project (JNRP) ‘dynaklim – Dynamic adaptation of regional planning and development processes to the effects of climate change in the Emscher-Lippe region (North Rhine Westphalia, Germany)’, the Roadmap 2020 ‘Regional Climate Adaptation’ has been developed by the various regional stakeholders and institutions containing specific regional scenarios, strategies and adaptation measures applicable throughout the region. This paper presents the method, elements and main results of this regional roadmap process by using the example of the thematic sub-roadmap ‘Water Sensitive Urban Design 2020’. With a focus on the process support tool ‘KlimaFLEX’, one of the main adaptation measures of the WSUD 2020 roadmap, typical challenges for integrated climate change adaptation like scattered knowledge, knowledge gaps and divided responsibilities but also potential solutions and promising chances for urban development and urban water management are discussed. With the roadmap and the related tool, the relevant stakeholders of the Emscher-Lippe region have jointly developed important prerequisites to integrate their knowledge, to clarify vulnerabilities, adaptation goals, responsibilities and interests, and to foresightedly coordinate measures, resources, priorities and schedules for an efficient joint urban planning, well-grounded decision-making in times of continued uncertainties and step-by-step implementation of adaptation measures from now on.

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Evaporation from (Blue-)Green Roofs: Assessing the Benefits of a Storage and Capillary Irrigation System Based on Measurements and Modeling

Water ◽

10.3390/w10091253 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 10 (9) ◽

pp. 1253 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Dirk Cirkel ◽

Bernard Voortman ◽

Thijs van Veen ◽

Ruud Bartholomeus

Keyword(s):

Energy Balance ◽

Urban Areas ◽

Evaporation Rate ◽

Climate Adaptation ◽

Irrigation System ◽

Green Roof ◽

Green Roofs ◽

C3 Plants ◽

Rapid Decline ◽

Air Temperatures

Worldwide cities are facing increasing temperatures due to climate change and increasing urban density. Green roofs are promoted as a climate adaptation measure to lower air temperatures and improve comfort in urban areas, especially during intensive dry and warm spells. However, there is much debate on the effectiveness of this measure, because of a lack of fundamental knowledge about evaporation from different green roof systems. In this study, we investigate the water and energy balance of different roof types on a rooftop in Amsterdam, the Netherlands. Based on lysimeter measurements and modeling, we compared the water and energy balance of a conventional green roof with blue-green roofs equipped with a novel storage and capillary irrigation system. The roofs were covered either with Sedum or by grasses and herbs. Our measurements and modeling showed that conventional green roof systems (i.e., a Sedum cover and a few centimeters of substrate) have a low evaporation rate and due to a rapid decline in available moisture, a minor cooling effect. Roofs equipped with a storage and capillary irrigation system showed a remarkably large evaporation rate for Sedum species behaving as C3 plants during hot, dry periods. Covered with grasses and herbs, the evaporation rate was even larger. Precipitation storage and capillary irrigation strongly reduced the number of days with dry-out events. Implementing these systems therefore could lead to better cooling efficiencies in cities.

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A Framework for Identification, Assessment and Prioritization of Climate Change Adaptation Measures for Roads and Railways

International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health ◽

10.3390/ijerph182312314 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 18 (23) ◽

pp. 12314

Author(s):

Yvonne Andersson-Sköld ◽

Lina Nordin ◽

Erik Nyberg ◽

Mikael Johannesson

Keyword(s):

Climate Change ◽

Risk Reduction ◽

Climate Adaptation ◽

Preventive Measures ◽

Hazard Identification ◽

Sensitivity Analyses ◽

Costs And Benefits ◽

Adaptation Measures ◽

Severe Accidents ◽

Risk Reduction Measures

Severe accidents and high costs associated with weather-related events already occur in today’s climate. Unless preventive measures are taken, the costs are expected to increase in future due to ongoing climate change. However, the risk reduction measures are costly as well and may result in unwanted impacts. Therefore, it is important to identify, assess and prioritize which measures are necessary to undertake, as well as where and when these are to be undertaken. To be able to make such evaluations, robust (scientifically based), transparent and systematic assessments and valuations are required. This article describes a framework to assess the cause-and-effect relationships and how to estimate the costs and benefits as a basis to assess and prioritize measures for climate adaptation of roads and railways. The framework includes hazard identification, risk analysis and risk assessment, identification, monetary and non-monetary evaluation of possible risk reduction measures and a step regarding distribution-, goal- and sensitivity analyses. The results from applying the framework shall be used to prioritize among potential risk reduction measures as well as when to undertake them.

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Climate Adaptation Finance and Justice. A Criteria-Based Assessment of Policy Instruments

Analyse & Kritik ◽

10.1515/auk-2018-0004 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 40 (1) ◽

pp. 73-106 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Christian Baatz

Keyword(s):

Climate Adaptation ◽

National Level ◽

Emission Trading ◽

Policy Instruments ◽

Global South ◽

International Community ◽

Carbon Taxes ◽

Border Tax Adjustments ◽

Domestic Trading

Abstract Although the international community repetitively pledged considerable amounts of adaptation finance to the global South, only little has been provided so far. Different instruments have been proposed to generate more funding and this paper aims at identifying those that are most suitable to raise adaptation finance in a just way. The instrument assessment is based on the following main criteria: fairness, effectiveness and feasibility. The criteria are applied to four instruments: contributions from domestic budgets, international carbon taxes collected at the national level, border tax adjustments as well as selling emissions allowances in domestic trading schemes. Domestic emission trading schemes and border tax adjustments achieve the best-or rather, the least bad-results. Two further findings are that (feasible) instruments are unable make agents pay for past excessive emissions and that all instruments generate rather small amounts of funding. As a consequence of the latter, adaptation finance will continue to be highly insufficient in all likelihood.

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Uncertainty and sensitivity analysis for natural risk and adaptation appraisal modeling with CLIMADA

10.5194/egusphere-egu21-1773 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Chahan M. Kropf ◽

Alessio Ciullo ◽

Simona Meiler ◽

Laura Otth ◽

Jamie W. McCaughey ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Sensitivity Analysis ◽

Green Infrastructure ◽

Climate Adaptation ◽

Damage Model ◽

Adaptation Measures ◽

Natural Risk ◽

Impact Function ◽

Uncertainty And Sensitivity Analysis ◽

Global Uncertainty ◽

The Impact

Modelling societal, ecological, and economic costs of natural hazards in the context of climate change is subject to both strong aleatoric and ethical uncertainty. Dealing with these is challenging on several levels &#8211; from the identification and the quantification of the sources of uncertainty to their proper inclusion in the modelling, and the communication of these in a tangible way to both experts and non-experts. One particularly useful approach is global uncertainty and sensitivity analysis, which can help to quantify the confidence in the output values and identify the main drivers of the uncertainty while considering potential correlations in the model. Here we present applications of global uncertainty analysis, robustness quantification, and sensitivity analysis in natural hazard modelling using the new uncertainty module of the CLIMADA (CLIMate ADAptation) platform.CLIMADA is a fully open-source Python program that implements a probabilistic multi-hazard global natural catastrophe damage model, which also calculates averted damage (benefit) thanks to adaptation measures of any kind (from grey to green infrastructure, behavioral, etc.). With the new uncertainty module, one can directly and comprehensively inspect the uncertainty and sensitivity to input variables of various output metrics, such as the spatial distribution of risk exceedance probabilities, or the benefit-cost ratios of different adaptation measures. This global approach does reveal interesting parameter interplays and might provide valuable input for decision-makers. For instance, a study of the geospatial distribution of sensitivity indices for tropical cyclones damage indicated that the main driver of uncertainty in dense regions (e.g. cities) is the impact function (vulnerability), whereas in sparse regions it is the exposure (asset) layer.&#160;CLIMADA: https://github.com/CLIMADA-project/climada_python&#160;(1) Aznar-Siguan, G. et al., GEOSCI MODEL DEV. 12, 7 (2019) 3085&#8211;97 (2) Bresch, D. N. and Aznar-Siguan., G., &#160;GEOSCI MODEL DEV. (2020), 1&#8211;20.

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Supporting Climate Adaptation Measures in Small- to Medium-Sized Austrian Cities Using Climate Modelling

10.1007/978-3-030-65181-7_32 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 405-413

Author(s):

Sandro M. Oswald ◽

Brigitta Hollosi ◽

Maja Žuvela-Aloise ◽

Linda See ◽

Stefan Guggenberger ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Climate Adaptation ◽

Climate Modelling ◽

Adaptation Measures

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Methodology to Prioritize Climate Adaptation Measures in Urban Areas. Barcelona and Bristol Case Studies

Sustainability ◽

10.3390/su12124807 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 12 (12) ◽

pp. 4807 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

María Guerrero-Hidalga ◽

Eduardo Martínez-Gomariz ◽

Barry Evans ◽

James Webber ◽

Montserrat Termes-Rifé ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Case Studies ◽

Urban Areas ◽

Climate Adaptation ◽

Extreme Rainfall ◽

Extreme Weather Events ◽

Urban Resilience ◽

Adaptation Measures ◽

Welfare Impacts ◽

Depth Analysis ◽

Detailed Assessment

In the current context of fast innovation in the field of urban resilience against extreme weather events, it is becoming more challenging for decision-makers to recognize the most beneficial adaptation measures for their cities. Detailed assessment of multiple measures is resource-consuming and requires specific expertise, which is not always available. To tackle these issues, in the context of the H2020 project RESCCUE (RESilience to cope with Climate Change in Urban arEas), a methodology to effectively prioritize adaptation measures against extreme rainfall-related hazards in urban areas has been developed. It follows a multi-phase structure to progressively narrow down the list of potential measures. It begins using less resource-intensive techniques, to finally focus on the in-depth analysis on a narrower selection of measures. It involves evaluation of risks, costs, and welfare impacts, with strong focus on stakeholders’ participation through the entire process. The methodology is adaptable to different contexts and objectives and has been tested in two case studies across Europe, namely Barcelona and Bristol.

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The motley drivers of heat and cold exposure in 21st century US cities

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences ◽

10.1073/pnas.2005492117 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 117 (35) ◽

pp. 21108-21117 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Ashley Mark Broadbent ◽

Eric Scott Krayenhoff ◽

Matei Georgescu

Keyword(s):

Los Angeles ◽

21St Century ◽

Cold Exposure ◽

Climate Adaptation ◽

Urban Climate ◽

Heat Exposure ◽

Ghg Emissions ◽

Adaptation Measures ◽

Relative Significance ◽

Metropolitan Regions

We use a suite of decadal-length regional climate simulations to quantify potential changes in population-weighted heat and cold exposure in 47 US metropolitan regions during the 21st century. Our results show that population-weighted exposure to locally defined extreme heat (i.e., “population heat exposure”) would increase by a factor of 12.7–29.5 under a high-intensity greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and urban development pathway. Additionally, end-of-century population cold exposure is projected to rise by a factor of 1.3–2.2, relative to start-of-century population cold exposure. We identify specific metropolitan regions in which population heat exposure would increase most markedly and characterize the relative significance of various drivers responsible for this increase. The largest absolute changes in population heat exposure during the 21st century are projected to occur in major US metropolitan regions like New York City (NY), Los Angeles (CA), Atlanta (GA), and Washington DC. The largest relative changes in population heat exposure (i.e., changes relative to start-of-century) are projected to occur in rapidly growing cities across the US Sunbelt, for example Orlando (FL), Austin (TX), Miami (FL), and Atlanta. The surge in population heat exposure across the Sunbelt is driven by concurrent GHG-induced warming and population growth which, in tandem, could strongly compound population heat exposure. Our simulations provide initial guidance to inform the prioritization of urban climate adaptation measures and policy.

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European and German Nature Conservation Instruments and their Adaptation to Climate Change—A Legal Analysis

Journal for European Environmental & Planning Law ◽

10.1163/18760104-01001004 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 10 (1) ◽

pp. 54-71 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Stefan Möckel ◽

Wolfgang Köck

Keyword(s):

Climate Change ◽

Environmental Law ◽

Policy Instruments ◽

Conservation Policy ◽

Legal Analysis ◽

The European Union ◽

Local Planning ◽

Adaptation To Climate Change ◽

Adaptation Measures ◽

Legal Problems

The article discusses the most significant legal problems facing the makers of conservation policy in the European Union and in Germany in adapting biodiversity to climate change. In the introduction, we give an overview of the possible consequences of climate change for species and landscapes and propose a number of adaptation measures. We then analyse and discuss three issues relating to the policy instruments of European and German environmental law: 1. the problems associated with protected areas in terms of justification and flexibility; 2. the need for more biotope networks, especially in agriculturally dominated landscapes; and 3. the potential and shortcomings of regional and local planning instruments.

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