Climate Change Adaptation

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Philipp Schmidt-Thomé
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Climate Change Adaptation ◽  
Extreme Events ◽  
Local Level ◽  
Climate Change Impacts ◽  
Decision Makers ◽  
Adaptation Measures ◽  
Long Time ◽  
Scientific Results

Climate change adaptation is the ability of a society or a natural system to adjust to the (changing) conditions that support life in a certain climate region, including weather extremes in that region. The current discussion on climate change adaptation began in the 1990s, with the publication of the Assessment Reports of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). Since the beginning of the 21st century, most countries, and many regions and municipalities have started to develop and implement climate change adaptation strategies and plans. But since the implementation of adaptation measures must be planned and conducted at the local level, a major challenge is to actually implement adaptation to climate change in practice. One challenge is that scientific results are mainly published on international or national levels, and political guidelines are written at transnational (e.g., European Union), national, or regional levels—these scientific results must be downscaled, interpreted, and adapted to local municipal or community levels. Needless to say, the challenges for implementation are also rooted in a large number of uncertainties, from long time spans to matters of scale, as well as in economic, political, and social interests. From a human perspective, climate change impacts occur rather slowly, while local decision makers are engaged with daily business over much shorter time spans.Among the obstacles to implementing adaptation measures to climate change are three major groups of uncertainties: (a) the uncertainties surrounding the development of our future climate, which include the exact climate sensitivity of anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions, the reliability of emission scenarios and underlying storylines, and inherent uncertainties in climate models; (b) uncertainties about anthropogenically induced climate change impacts (e.g., long-term sea level changes, changing weather patterns, and extreme events); and (c) uncertainties about the future development of socioeconomic and political structures as well as legislative frameworks.Besides slow changes, such as changing sea levels and vegetation zones, extreme events (natural hazards) are a factor of major importance. Many societies and their socioeconomic systems are not properly adapted to their current climate zones (e.g., intensive agriculture in dry zones) or to extreme events (e.g., housing built in flood-prone areas). Adaptation measures can be successful only by gaining common societal agreement on their necessity and overall benefit. Ideally, climate change adaptation measures are combined with disaster risk reduction measures to enhance resilience on short, medium, and long time scales.The role of uncertainties and time horizons is addressed by developing climate change adaptation measures on community level and in close cooperation with local actors and stakeholders, focusing on strengthening resilience by addressing current and emerging vulnerability patterns. Successful adaptation measures are usually achieved by developing “no-regret” measures, in other words—measures that have at least one function of immediate social and/or economic benefit as well as long-term, future benefits. To identify socially acceptable and financially viable adaptation measures successfully, it is useful to employ participatory tools that give all involved parties and decision makers the possibility to engage in the process of identifying adaptation measures that best fit collective needs.

Adaptation to Climate Change

2015 ◽  
Author(s):  
Philipp Schmidt-Thomé
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Extreme Events ◽  
Local Level ◽  
National Level ◽  
Climate Change Impacts ◽  
Political Stability ◽  
Adaptation To Climate Change ◽  
Adaptation Measures ◽  
Flood Prone Areas

This is an advance summary of a forthcoming article in the Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Natural Hazard Science. Please check back later for the full article. Adaptation to climate change is the ability of a society or a natural system to adjust to the conditions that support life in a certain climate region, including weather extremes in that region. The current discussion on adaptation to climate began in the 1990s with the publication of the Assessment Reports of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). Scientific results are mainly published internationally or at a national level, and political guidelines are written at transnational (e.g., European Union), national, or regional levels. But since the implementation of adaptation measures must be planned and conducted at the local level, a major challenge is to actually implement adaptation to climate change in practice. Needless to say, the challenges for implementation are rooted in a large number of uncertainties from long time spans to matters of scale, as well as with economic, political, and social interests. From a human perspective, climate change impacts occur rather slowly while local decision makers are engaged with daily business over much shorter time spans. Among the obstacles to implementing adaptation measures to climate change are three major groups of uncertainties: (1) the uncertainties surrounding the development of our future climate, which include the exact climate sensitivity of anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions, the reliability of emission scenarios and underlying storylines, and inherent uncertainties in climate models; (2) uncertainties about anthropogenically induced climate change impacts (e.g., long-term sea level changes, weather patterns, and extreme events); and (3) uncertainties about the future development of socioeconomic structures, economic development and stability, and overall political stability. Important challenges that add to these uncertainties involve current legislation (e.g., granting building permissions in potentially flood-prone areas and related economic interests). Besides slow changes that influence areas such as vegetation zones, extreme events are a factor of major importance. In addition, many societies and their socioeconomic systems are not properly adapted to their current climate zones (e.g., intensive agriculture in dry zones) or to extreme events (e.g., housing built in flood-prone areas). Adaptation measures can be successful only by gaining common societal agreement on their necessity and overall benefit. Ways to identify and implement societal and economically acceptable adaptation measures also optimally include “no-regret” measures—measures that have at least one function of immediate social benefit as well as long-term, future benefit. To identify socially acceptable and financially viable adaptation measures successfully it is useful to employ structured communication measures that give all involved parties and actors a voice and a possibility to engage in the process of identifying adaptation measures that best fit collective needs.

scholarly journals Towards Applying Climate Change Adaptation

2017 ◽  
pp. 49 ◽  
Author(s):  
Philipp Schmidt-Thomé
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Land Use ◽  
Sea Level ◽  
Climate Change Adaptation ◽  
Extreme Events ◽  
Climate Change Impacts ◽  
Decision Makers ◽  
Economic Point ◽  
Scientific Analysis ◽  
Feasible Solutions

Climate change adaptation has been growing in importance since the beginning of the 21st century. Historically adaptation, not to climate change but to extreme events, was deeply rooted in many societies and their land-use structures. With industrialization, and especially the increase in globalization since the 1990’s the importance of appropriate adaptation has slowly decreased, leading to increased exposure and risks of human settlements in areas potentially affected by climate change impacts (e.g. sea level rise) and / or extreme events (natural hazards). In order to implement climate change adaptation sustainably feasible solutions should be identified, i.e. viable and acceptable from socio-economic point of views. The identification of such feasible solutions goes beyond pure scientific analysis but incorporates stakeholders, decision-makers and local knowledge.

Analysis of Ideal Directions of Climate Change Adaptation and Problems in Implementing Them for Local Japanese Governments

2015 ◽  
Vol 10 (3) ◽  
pp. 420-428 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nobuo Shirai ◽  
◽  
Mitsuru Tanaka
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Climate Change Adaptation ◽  
Local Governments ◽  
Climate Change Impacts ◽  
Adaptive Governance ◽  
Subject Formation ◽  
Adaptation Measures ◽  
Research Level ◽  
The Future

Additional adaptation measures such as “basic improvement of sensitivity” and “adaptive governance against mid and long term impacts” are set as ideal directions for local governments. The study of the situations for implementing additional adaptation measures by local governments were determined by using checklists. It is clarified as a result that additional adaptation measures have not been considered enough. The following problems in implementing measures from the “Japan local Forum for Climate Change Adaptation Society” were found: (1) Prediction and evaluation of climate change impacts, (2) Concretization and evaluation of adaptation measures, (3) Communication and subject formation and (4) Implementation of the measures and preparation of conditions. In the future, it is necessary to concretize additional adaptation measures at the research level, to share these additional adaptation measures with concerned parties and to promote the exchange of opinions.

Is Climate Change Reversible? CDRMIP simulations of the Earth system response to a massive CO2 increase and decrease (emissions followed by negative emissions).

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
David Keller ◽  
Andrew Lenton ◽  
Vivian Scott ◽  
Naomi Vaughan ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Local Level ◽  
Climate Change Impacts ◽  
System Response ◽  
Time Lags ◽  
Earth System ◽  
The Earth ◽  
Long Time ◽  
Industrial Level

<p>To stabilize long-term climate change at well-below 2°C (ideally below 1.5°C) above pre-industrial levels, large and sustained CO<sub>2</sub> emission reductions are needed.  Despite pledges from numerous governments, the world is not on track to achieve the required reductions within the timeframes outlined in the Paris Agreement, and it appears increasingly likely that an overshoot of the 1.5 or 2 °C temperature target will occur.  If this happens, it may be possible to use carbon dioxide removal methods to return atmospheric CO<sub>2</sub> concentrations to lower levels or even to reduce the magnitude of the overshoot, with the hope that lower CO<sub>2</sub> will rapidly lead to lower temperatures and reverse or limit other climate change impacts.  Here we present a multi-model analysis of how the Earth system and climate respond during the CMIP6 CDRMIP cdr-reversibility experiment, an idealized overshoot scenario, where CO<sub>2</sub> increases from a pre-industrial level by 1% yr<sup>-1</sup> until it is 4 times the initial value, then decrease again at 1% yr<sup>-1</sup> until the pre-industrial level is again reached, at which point CO<sub>2</sub> is held constant.  For many modelled quantities climate change appears to eventually be reversible, at least when viewed at the global mean level.  However, at a local level the results suggest some changes may be irreversible, although spatial patterns of change differ considerably between models.  For many variables the response time-scales to the CO<sub>2</sub> increase are very different than to the decrease in CO<sub>2</sub> with a many properties exhibiting long time lags before responding to decreasing CO<sub>2</sub>, and much longer again to return to their unperturbed values (if this occurs).</p>

scholarly journals Modeling and Analysis of Barriers to Climate Change Adaptation in Tehran

Climate ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 8 (10) ◽  
pp. 104
Author(s):  
Behnam Ghasemzadeh ◽  
Ayyoob Sharifi
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Climate Change Adaptation ◽  
Structural Equation ◽  
Group Discussion ◽  
Climate Change Impacts ◽  
Equation Modeling ◽  
Interpretive Structural Modeling ◽  
Adaptation Measures ◽  
Modeling And Analysis ◽  
Management Plans

Since the impacts of climate change will last for many years, adaptation to this phenomenon should be prioritized in urban management plans. Although Tehran, the capital of Iran, has been subject to a variety of climate change impacts in recent years, appropriate adaptation measures to address them are yet to be taken. This study primarily aims to categorize the barriers to climate change adaptation in Tehran and analyze the way they interact with each other. The study was done in three steps: first, the focus group discussion (FGD) method was used to identify the barriers; next, the survey and the structural equation modeling (SEM) were used to validate the barriers, identify their importance, and examine their possible inter-relationships; and finally, the interpretive structural modeling (ISM) was applied to categorize and visualize the relationships between the barriers. Results show that barriers related to the ‘structure and culture of research’, ‘laws and regulations’, and ‘planning’ belong to the cluster of independent barriers and are of greater significance. The ‘social’ barrier and barriers related to ‘resources and resource management’ are identified as dependent barriers and are of lesser importance. Barriers related to ‘governance’, ‘awareness’, ‘education and knowledge’, ‘communication and interaction’, and ‘economy’ are identified at the intermediate cluster. The findings of this study can provide planners and decision makers with invaluable insights as to how to develop strategies for climate change adaptation in Tehran. Despite the scope of the study being confined to Tehran, its implications go far beyond this metropolis.

scholarly journals Crossover comparison of climate-change adaptation measures taken in the Gdansk (Baltic-sea) and Rotterdam (Nord-sea) deltas.

2021 ◽  
Vol 1 ◽  
pp. 9
Author(s):  
Fred Sanders ◽  
Hugo Sanders ◽  
Karen Jonkers
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
The Netherlands ◽  
Baltic Sea ◽  
Sea Level ◽  
Climate Change Impacts ◽  
Adaptation Measures ◽  
Change Trend ◽  
Vistula Delta ◽  
Crossover Comparison

Gdansk in Poland and the Netherlands share a long-term relationship that started with the establishment of Dutch Mennonites in the Vistula delta in the 16th Century. Climate-change figures show that both the Polish Gdansk and DutchRotterdam deltas will suffer flooding due to sea level rise, with accumulating severe rainfall accompanied by high river levels; reasons that led to a comparison of the adaptation measures taken. On the basis of the crossover comparison studied, it can be concluded that Poland and the Netherlands have a virtually identical approach when it comes to climate-change impacts on their current situation. With regard to the long-term climate-change trend, the Netherlands in exploring for the future more ‘anticipatory’ measures with the development of new scenarios for the protection of land and cities. In the Netherlands the use of Hackathon approach is thereby used more often to explore such scenarios. The interaction between the experts and stakeholders of different expertise in this methodology show to lead to creative and new perspectives. This approach may also be recommended for the situation in Gdansk.

scholarly journals The adequacy of institutional frameworks and practice for climate change adaptation decision making

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Judith Helen Lawrence
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Decision Making ◽  
Climate Change Adaptation ◽  
Decision Makers ◽  
Institutional Framework ◽  
Climate Change Uncertainty ◽  
Change Characteristics ◽  
Decision Making Framework ◽  
Adaptation Decision

<p>The ability of decision makers to respond to climate change impacts such as sea-level rise and increased flood frequency is challenged by uncertainty about scale, timing, dynamic changes that could lead to regime shifts, and by societal changes. Climate change adaptation decision making needs to be robust and flexible across a range of possible futures, to provide sufficient certainty for investment decisions in the present, without creating undue risks and liabilities for the near and long-term futures. A country’s governance and regulatory institutions set parameters for such decisions. The decision-making challenge is, therefore, a function of the uncertainty and dynamic characteristics of climate change, a country’s institutional framework, and the ways in which actual decision-making practice delivers on the intention of the framework.  My research asks if the current decision-making framework, at national and sub-national scales, and practices under it are adequate to enable decision makers to make climate change adaptation decisions that sufficiently address the constraints posed by climate change uncertainty and dynamic change. The focus is on New Zealand’s multi-scale governance and institutional framework with its high level of devolution to the local level, the level assumed as the most appropriate for climate change adaptation decisions. Empirical information was collected from a sample of agencies and actors, at multiple governance scales reflecting the range of geographical characteristics, governance types, organisational functions and actor disciplines. Data were collected using a mix of workshops, interviews and document analyses. The adequacy of the institutional framework and practice was examined using 12 criteria derived from the risk-based concepts of precaution, risk management, adaptive management and transformational change, with respect to; a) understanding and representing uncertainty and dynamic climate change; b) governance and regulations; and c) organisations and actors.  The research found that the current decision-making framework has many elements that could, in principle, address uncertainty and dynamic climate change. It enables long-term considerations and emphasises precaution and risk-based decision making. However, adaptive and transformational objectives are largely absent, coordination across multiple levels of government is constrained and timeframes are inconsistent across statutes. Practice shows that climate risk has been entrenched by misrepresentation of climate change characteristics. The resulting ambiguity is compounded at different governance scales, by gaps in the use of national and regional instruments and consequent differences in judicial decisions. Practitioners rely heavily upon static, time-bound treatments of risk, which reinforce unrealistic community expectations of ongoing protections, even as the climate continues to change, and makes it difficult to introduce transformational measures. Some efforts to reflect changing risk were observed but are, at best, transitional measures. Some experimentation was found in local government practice and boundary organisations were used as change-agents. Any potential improvements to both the institutional framework and to practices that could enable flexible and robust adaptation to climate change, would require supporting policies and adaptive governance to leverage them and to sustain decision making through time.  This thesis contributes to understanding how uncertainty and dynamic climate change characteristics matter for adaptation decision making by examining both a country-level institutional framework and practice under it. The adequacy analysis offers a new way of identifying institutional barriers, enablers and entry points for change in the context of decision making under conditions of uncertainty and dynamic climate change.</p>

BUILDING URBAN CLIMATE CHANGE ADAPTATION STRATEGIES: THE CASE OF RUSSIAN ARCTIC CITIES

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nikolai Bobylev ◽  
Sebastien Gadal ◽  
Valery Konyshev ◽  
Maria Lagutina ◽  
Alexander Sergunin
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Climate Change Adaptation ◽  
Local Level ◽  
Urban Climate ◽  
Adaptation Strategy ◽  
Adaptation Strategies ◽  
The Arctic ◽  
Russian Arctic ◽  
Adaptation Measures ◽  
Climate Change Adaptation Strategies

AbstractRussian Arctic is a highly urbanized region, with most towns built in the Soviet era to facilitate extraction industries as well as provide and maintain military facilities. Global environmental and developmental changes, as well as national political decisions open up Russia’s Arctic to massive investment, industrial and socioeconomic development. How do Russian Arctic cities, towns, and municipalities reflect on new opportunities in terms of designing their climate change adaptation strategies at a local level? Starting with theoretical discourse on urban climate change adaptation strategy, this research examines state-of-the-art, challenges and trends in planning for adaptation measures in Russia’s Arctic industrial centers. Special attention is given to a comparative analysis of the cities’ climate change adaptation strategies. The role of civil society institutions and business community in the adaptation strategy planning process is explored. Moreover, conflict sensitive approaches to ensure participatory processes for designing and implementing adaptation measures are discussed. The field component of research is based on cities of Apatity, Arkhangelsk, Murmansk, Norilsk, Salekhard, Severodvinsk and towns of Monchegorsk, Nickel and Vorkuta. The study concludes that in spite of significant challenges identified, the total “balance sheet” of the Arctic cities’ efforts to enhance their adaptive capacities is quite positive: Russian northern urban settlements do their best in addressing existing challenges via planning for sustainability approach. However, there is more to do and municipalities should learn from one another’s experiences, as the different approaches can be helpful in developing adequate climate change adaptation strategies at the local level.

scholarly journals The Role of Transdisciplinary Research for Agricultural Climate Change Adaptation Strategies

Agronomy ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 8 (11) ◽  
pp. 237 ◽  
Author(s):  
Markus Schermer ◽  
Rike Stotten ◽  
Ulrich Strasser ◽  
Gertraud Meißl ◽  
Thomas Marke ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Land Use ◽  
Climate Change Adaptation ◽  
Local Level ◽  
Land Use Changes ◽  
Transdisciplinary Research ◽  
Economic Sectors ◽  
Mountain Areas ◽  
Local Stakeholders

While science widely acknowledges the necessity of climate change adaptation (CCA), concrete strategies for CCA by major land-use actor groups at a local level are largely missing. Immediate economic challenges often prevent the establishment of long-term collective strategies. However, collective decisions on a communal level regarding land use are crucial for CCA strategies, given the interdependencies of farming with forestry, tourism, and other economic sectors, especially in mountain areas. This paper presents inter- and trans-disciplinary learning processes, which have evolved into a project modelling the hydrological effects of combined future climate and land-use changes based on the combined scenarios of climate and socio-economic change in an Alpine valley (Brixental in Tyrol/Austria). Locally adapted scenarios illustrate future land-use changes as a result of both climate change and different socio-economic developments. The hydrological results show how an increase in the forested area reduces streamflow (as a measure of water availability) in the long term. For local stakeholders, the process demonstrated clearly the interdependence of different economic sectors and the necessity for collective action at a regional level to influence socio-economic development. Moreover, it made them aware that local decisions on future land use may influence the effects of climate change. Consistent storylines helped stakeholders to visualize a desired future and to see their scope of influence. The transdisciplinary research process allowed local stakeholders to translate the hydrological modelling results into a concrete local CCA strategy.

scholarly journals Assessing Accommodation Suppliers’ Perceptions of Climate Change Adaptation Actions on Koh Phi Phi Island, Thailand

2021 ◽  
Vol 19 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-14
Author(s):  
Janto S. Hess ◽  
◽  
Rachel Dodds ◽  
Ilan Kelman ◽  
◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Climate Change Adaptation ◽  
Staff Training ◽  
Insurance Coverage ◽  
Climate Change Impacts ◽  
Adaptation Measures ◽  
Development Patterns ◽  
Decision Making Processes ◽  
Tourism Destinations ◽  
Depth Interviews

Koh Phi Phi Don is among the most visited island tourism destinations in Thailand. Due to the island’s topography and development patterns, most accommodation suppliers on the island are likely to be exposed to a range of climate change impacts, particularly sea-level rise, which can pose a severe risk to the local tourism operations. This study aimed to explore perceptions of climate change adaptation actions in response to impacts typically associated with climate change. This study, furthermore, investigated possible obstacles, barriers, and incentives influencing decision-making processes of accommodation owner-managers (the private sector) to adapt to climate change. The investigation builds on 81 surveys and 12 in-depth interviews. The findings provide evidence that most of the sampled businesses already implemented (consciously or not) climate change adaptation measures, such as insurance coverage, water treatment appliances, and staff training on emergency responses. Through a concentration of power on the island, their action is hindered, which creates a barrier to a sustainable and climate risk-informed development pathway.

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