Perspectives of climate change adaptation of building areas against heat waves

For many Americans the impacts of climate change are either hypothetical futures or far-off problems. However, climate change is already impacting millions of Americans as they commute to work each day. In the Nation’s capital the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority has already suffered as heat waves and severe weather damage equipment and reduce service. The transportation authority must take a comprehensive look at its infrastructure and adapt policies to mitigate the current and future risks to transportation services.

Download Full-text

Climate Change Adaptation in Agriculture: The Case of Small Southern Mediterranean Country

10.21203/rs.3.rs-555261/v1 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Abderrazek Ben Maatoug ◽

triki bilel ◽

donia aloui

Keyword(s):

Climate Change ◽

Panel Data ◽

Climate Change Adaptation ◽

Heat Waves ◽

Crop Insurance ◽

Mediterranean Country ◽

Southern Mediterranean ◽

Rcp 8.5 ◽

Potential Losses

Abstract In this study, we examined the effect of climate change on the incomes of farmers in a southern Mediterranean country. We proposed that crop insurance could be potentially used as a means to adapt to climate change. Using panel data for Tunisian regions, we were able to highlight the important effects of climate change on crops yields by considering two scenarios of the Representative Concentration Pathways, namely RCP 4.5 and RCP 8.5. In the long term (i.e., in 2050 and 2100), we expect increasingly frequent heat waves to occur, leading to a rise in droughts for all regions of Tunisia. We therefore recommend that farmers seek to insure themselves against the risks of drought and flood to their crops, because we feel this may be an attractive device for compensating them for any potential losses of income.

Download Full-text

Awareness of Climate Change Adaptations Among Dutch Housing Associations

Open House International ◽

10.1108/ohi-04-2012-b0007 ◽

2012 ◽

Vol 37 (4) ◽

pp. 61-71

Author(s):

Martin Roders ◽

Ad Straub ◽

Henk Visscher

Keyword(s):

Climate Change ◽

Climate Change Adaptation ◽

Heat Waves ◽

Mitigation Measures ◽

Future Research ◽

Housing Associations ◽

Adaptation Measures ◽

Dutch Housing ◽

The Impact

Climate change: the question is not anymore if it happens, but what the impact is of its effects such as drought, heat waves and increased precipitation on the quality of our lives in cities, offices and houses. A significant share of the Northern European housing stock is owned and maintained by large stock owners, such as housing associations. It is their responsibility to be aware of changes and risks that might challenge the quality of life of their tenants. Moreover, in order to provide housing with a good market value in the future, adaptation to climate change can no longer be overlooked. With the aim to discover the level of awareness of climate change adaptation among Dutch housing associations, a content analysis was undertaken on the policy plans and the annual reports of the 25 largest housing associations. Subsequently they were classified according to their level of awareness. The analysis returned no topics that directly referred to climate change adaptation, which implies that all housing associations are categorised as being ‘unaware’. Therefore, in order to reach higher levels of awareness and to incentivize the implementation of adaptation measures, appropriate governance strategies need to be developed. Future research will define the characteristics of these strategies in relation to the level of awareness of the housing associations. Adoption of the measures could be easier if adaptation measures are combined with maintenance activities, as this has been the case with mitigation measures.

Download Full-text

Social capital, individual responses to heat waves and climate change adaptation: An empirical study of two UK cities

Global Environmental Change ◽

10.1016/j.gloenvcha.2009.09.004 ◽

2010 ◽

Vol 20 (1) ◽

pp. 44-52 ◽

Cited By ~ 225

Author(s):

Johanna Wolf ◽

W. Neil Adger ◽

Irene Lorenzoni ◽

Vanessa Abrahamson ◽

Rosalind Raine

Keyword(s):

Climate Change ◽

Social Capital ◽

Empirical Study ◽

Climate Change Adaptation ◽

Heat Waves

Download Full-text

Legal Aspects of Urban Climate Change Adaptation

McGill GLSA Research Series ◽

10.26443/glsars.v1i1.131 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 1 (1) ◽

pp. 1-29

Author(s):

Riccardo Stupazzini

Keyword(s):

Climate Change ◽

Climate Change Adaptation ◽

Local Governments ◽

Heat Waves ◽

Urban Climate ◽

Ghg Emissions ◽

Geographic Location ◽

Legal Aspects ◽

Three Dimensions ◽

Adaptation Measures

Much of the climate discourse of today is held the reduction of greenhouse gases (GHG) emissions and reducing humanity’s ecological footprint on Earth. However, as climate change is already impacting our planet, adaptation measures to climate change are also required. Rising temperatures, the multiplication of intense precipitation events and related pluvial and river floods, drought events and water scarcity, the increase of frequency of wildfires represent a few of the multiple climate change impacts that governments and citizens have to deal with. For ecological reasons, climate change affects areas very differently based on geographic location and urban centers represent climate ‘hotspots’ as areas with high vulnerability. As a consequence of this, cities and towns play a crucial role in tackling climate change effects. The aim of this essay is to analyze the legal aspects of climate change adaptation set by local governments to prevent and manage damages related to climate-related risks. More in detail, after determining the international, European and national legal framework on adaptation, the purpose of the article is to identify the legal instruments used by local administrations to develop adaptation measures. In particular, the analysis focuses on the legal aspects related to three dimensions of local adaptation: urban greening as a nature-based solution for heat waves risks; the management of water-related risks; the civil protection planning function of municipalities. Considering the impacts of the mainstreaming process on planning tools, special attention is directed towards the integration and coordination issue between the different urban and sectoral planning instruments required by the Italian multi-level governance legal system.

Download Full-text