scholarly journals Analysis of the Current and Potential Future Climate Hazards and their Impacts on Livelihoods and Adaptation Strategies in Arid and Semiarid Lands

2019 ◽  
Vol 7 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Boniface N. Wambua
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Local Communities ◽  
National Government ◽  
Intervention Strategies ◽  
Adaptation Strategies ◽  
Arid Lands ◽  
Future Climate ◽  
Adaptation To Climate Change ◽  
Natural Pasture ◽  
Climate Hazards

The study was carried out in four selected counties within the Arid and Semi-Arid Lands (ASALS) of Kenya namely Garrisa, West Pokot, Kilifi and Tana River which were under Kenya-Adaptation to Climate Change in Arid Lands (KACCAL) program. The study focused on the current and potential future climate hazards and their impacts on livelihoods and adaptation strategies within the framework of Kenya – adaptation to climate change in arid lands. The ASALS covers 80% of Kenya’s land mass and support about 70 percent of the national livestock population and 90% of wildlife resources. Despite the great potential for development in the ASALS, the areas have continued experiencing great climate hazards leading to severe impacts on household livelihoods. The study methodology involved identification and assessing the major climatic hazards experienced for many years and implementation of adaptation strategies by the local communities. This involved a review of operating/ existing assessment of Climate Risks in Agriculture and Rural Development, Field visits, data collection and stakeholder consultation through a series of intensive questionnaire interviews with farmers, project Planners and managers and county officials in the four counties.The results showed that the four counties under study have been affected by droughts, floods, gusty winds and landslides hazards associated with climate change which have affected the livelihoods of the communities living in the ASALS. The impacts have been felt in food insecurity, scarcity of water resources, loss of livestock resources, persisted crop failure, increased malnutrition cases leading to infant morbidity and mortality among others. The intervention strategies to manage the climate change impacts  applied by stakeholders among other well-wishers are; distribution of food relief, provision of shelter, provision of tents, building gabions, moving families at high risk to saver grounds, construction of water dams and pans. At household level, intervention strategies used are diversification of livelihoods, growing of fodder crops to supplement the natural pasture, charcoal burning, growing of drought resistant crops among others. Subsequently, the study recommends that more awareness should be created among local communities so that they diversify their livelihoods to cope with changing climate. The stakeholder working in ASALs, County governments and National government should invest more on intervention strategies to management climate change impactsCommunities living in ASALs and other stakeholders should be trained on how to use tools and methodologies developed in order to monitor impacts of climate change in their respective counties and implement the appropriate intervention strategies to ensure households recover from impacts associated to of climate change. In other words, capacity building at community, county and national government should be a top priority.

Adaptation to Climate Change in Small Island Developing States: A Systematic Literature Review of Academic Research

2019 ◽  
Vol 28 (2) ◽  
pp. 196-218 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carola Klöck ◽  
Patrick D. Nunn
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Academic Research ◽  
Climate Change Impacts ◽  
Adaptation Strategies ◽  
Small Island ◽  
Small Island Developing States ◽  
Adaptation To Climate Change ◽  
Island States ◽  
Vulnerability To Climate Change ◽  
The Pacific

Small Island Developing States (SIDS) share a common vulnerability to climate change. Adaptation to climate change and variability is urgently needed yet, while some is already occurring in SIDS, research on the nature and efficacy of adaptation across SIDS is fragmentary. In this article, we systematically review academic literature to identify where adaptation in SIDS is documented; what type of adaptation strategies are taken, and in response to which climate change impacts; and the extent to which this adaptation has been judged as successful. Our analysis indicates that much adaptation research is concentrated on the Pacific, on independent island states, and on core areas within SIDS. Research documents a wide array of adaptation strategies across SIDS, notably structural or physical and behavioral changes. Yet, evaluation of concrete adaptation interventions is lacking; it thus remains unclear to what extent documented adaptation effectively and sustainably reduces SIDS’ vulnerability and increases their resilience.

scholarly journals Insights on Urban and Periurban Adaptation Strategies Based on Stakeholders’ Perceptions on Hard and Soft Responses to Climate Change

2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (3) ◽  
pp. 647 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pablo Martinez-Juarez ◽  
Aline Chiabai ◽  
Cristina Suárez ◽  
Sonia Quiroga
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Common Ground ◽  
Basque Country ◽  
Local Level ◽  
Adaptation Strategies ◽  
Local Context ◽  
Costs And Benefits ◽  
Adaptation To Climate Change ◽  
Adaptation Measures ◽  
Impacts Of Climate Change

Adapting to expected impacts of climate change is a task shared by multiple institutions and individuals, but much of this work falls over local and regional authorities, which has made them experts over the issue. At the same time, adaptation to climate change has been a research interest in different academic fields; while private companies provide research and development efforts on the issue. Views from perspectives may contain common ground and discrepancies, but benefits from the discussion may differ among these three sectors. This study shows the application of collaborative approaches to analyze impacts and adaptation measures at a local level. A stakeholder workshop was held in the city of Bilbao to discuss impacts of climate change and adaptation in the local context of the Basque Country. The contributions were proposed on three axes: impacts from climate change, good practices proposed or already in action, and costs and benefits derived from those strategies. Participants were asked to rank a series of measures and practices extracted from their previous inputs. These measures were analyzed after applying bootstrapping techniques, according to the perceived costs and benefits assigned to each of the grouped measures and practices. Participants estimated that groups containing green adaptation measures and those that had potentially positive impacts over climate change mitigation were the most efficient measures, as reduced costs combined with high benefits could lead to win–win adaptation strategies, while grey infrastructures were seen as providing high benefits at high costs.

scholarly journals “We Will Always Ask Ourselves the Question of How to Feed the Family”: Subsistence Farmers’ Perceptions on Adaptation to Climate Change in Burkina Faso

2020 ◽  
Vol 17 (19) ◽  
pp. 7200 ◽  
Author(s):  
Raissa Sorgho ◽  
Isabel Mank ◽  
Moubassira Kagoné ◽  
Aurélia Souares ◽  
Ina Danquah ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Burkina Faso ◽  
National Development ◽  
Agricultural Extension ◽  
Adaptation Strategies ◽  
Adaptation To Climate Change ◽  
Extension Services ◽  
Subsistence Farmers ◽  
Development Goals ◽  
Adaptation Policies

In West Africa, climate change aggravates subsistence farmers’ vulnerability to weather variability to sustain their agricultural and nutritional requirements. For successful adaptation policies, in-depth understanding of farmers’ perceptions about climate change, agriculture, and adaptation strategies is essential. This qualitative study in rural Burkina Faso characterized farmers’ perceptions and knowledge through in-depth interviews. The study enumerated the barriers, possibilities, strategies/practices, and support sources of farmers. There was awareness but limited understanding of climate change amongst farmers. Those unable to adapt, faced increased health difficulties, specifically regarding nutrition and mental health. Farmers could implement some dietary and agricultural adaptation strategies (reduce meal size, frequency and variety, preemptive purchase of cereals, multi-cropping, crop rotation, modified seeds) but were unable to implement others (soil rehabilitation, water management). Barriers to implementation comprised financial and time constraints, material and labor shortages, and inaccessible information. Farmers did not understand, trust or utilize meteorological services, but appreciated and relied on agricultural extension services. They reported that social and governmental support was sporadic and inconsistent. This study uncovers the following targets for climate change adaptation policies in rural Burkina Faso: promoting meteorological services, expanding agricultural extension services, increasing access to financial resources, and framing sustainable adaptation within national development goals.

scholarly journals Energy and indoor thermal comfort performance of a Swedish residential building under future climate change conditions

2020 ◽  
Vol 172 ◽  
pp. 02001
Author(s):  
Ambrose Dodoo
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Thermal Comfort ◽  
Residential Building ◽  
Adaptation Strategies ◽  
Future Climate ◽  
Future Climate Change ◽  
Climate Projections ◽  
Mean Annual Temperature ◽  
Indoor Thermal Comfort ◽  
Recent Climate

The latest climate change projections for Sweden suggest mean annual temperature increase of up to 5.5 °C by 2100, compared to 1961-1990 levels. In this study we investigate the potential impacts of climate change on the energy demand for space conditioning, overheating risk and indoor thermal comfort of a modern multi-storey residential building in Sweden. We explore climate change adaptation strategies to improve the building’s performance under the climate change conditions, including increased ventilation, solar shading, improved windows and mechanical cooling. The building is analysed under future climate projections for the 2050-2059 time frame, with representative concentration pathway (RCP) 2.6, 4.5 and 8.5 scenarios. The building’s performances under these future climates are compared to those under the historical climate of 1961-1990 and recent climate of 1981-2010. The results suggest that climate change will significantly influence energy performance and indoor comfort conditions of buildings in the Swedish context. Overheating hours and Predicted Percentage of Dissatisfied (PPD) increased significantly under the future climate scenarios. Furthermore space heating demand is reduced and cooling demand is increased for the studied building. However, effective adaptation strategies significantly improved the buildings’ energy and indoor climate performances under both current and future climate conditions.

scholarly journals Agro-pastoralists’ determinants of adaptation to climate change

2018 ◽  
Vol 10 (3) ◽  
pp. 488-500 ◽  
Author(s):  
Keneilwe Ruth Kgosikoma ◽  
Phatsimo Cotildah Lekota ◽  
Olaotswe Ernest Kgosikoma
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Agricultural Sector ◽  
Smallholder Farmers ◽  
Adaptation Strategies ◽  
Annual Rainfall ◽  
Mean Annual Temperature ◽  
Adaptation To Climate Change ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Household Level ◽  
Agricultural Diversification

Purpose The purpose of this study is to analyze smallholder farmers’ perceptions on climate change and its stressors, their adaptation strategies and factors that influence their adaptation to climate change. Design/methodology/approach The study was conducted in Kweneng district, located in the south eastern part of Botswana. Multi-stage sampling was used to obtain a representative sample from three sub-districts in the district. A structured questionnaire was used to collect data by using face-to-face interviews. Findings Majority of farmers perceived an increase in mean annual temperature and the number of hot days and a decrease in mean annual rainfall and the number of rainfall days over the past 10 years as indicators of climate change. The prominent adaptation strategies included changes in planting dates for crops and supplementary feeding for livestock. The logistic regression results show that gender, age, household size, poverty, shortage of land, mixed farming and knowledge about climate change significantly influence adaptation. Practical implications The findings indicate that climate change policy should target agricultural diversification at the household level and dissemination of information on climate change and adaptation strategies. Originality/value Policy recommendations can be suggested: government climate change interventions should target agricultural diversification at the household level, and this study provides insights on what influences adaptation strategies and what should be targeted to build resilience in the agricultural sector.

scholarly journals Living with climate change: avoiding conflict through adaptation in Malawi

2015 ◽  
Vol 6 (2) ◽  
pp. 2417-2445
Author(s):  
H. Jørstad ◽  
C. Webersik
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Human Security ◽  
Global South ◽  
Local Communities ◽  
Adaptation Strategies ◽  
Resource Base ◽  
Policy Makers ◽  
Temperature And Precipitation ◽  
Impacts Of Climate Change

Abstract. In recent years, research on climate change and human security has received much attention among policy makers and academia alike. Communities in the Global South that rely on an intact resource base will especially be affected by predicted changes in temperature and precipitation. The objective of this article is to better understand under what conditions local communities can adapt to anticipated impacts of climate change and avoid conflict over the loss of resources. The empirical part of the paper answers the question to what extent local communities in the Chilwa Basin in Malawi have experienced climate change and how they are affected by it. Further, it assesses one of Malawi's adaptation projects designed to build resilience to a warmer and more variable climate, and points to some of its limitations. This research shows that not all adaptation strategies are suited to cope with a warmer and more variable climate.

scholarly journals Modelling the Ruin of Forests under Climate Hazards

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pascal Yiou ◽  
Nicolas Viovy
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Insurance Industry ◽  
Probability Distributions ◽  
Physiological Parameters ◽  
Adaptation To Climate Change ◽  
Average Growth ◽  
Monte Carlo Experiments ◽  
Climate Hazards ◽  
Hazard Parameters ◽  
Climate Events

Abstract. Estimating the risk of collapse of forests due to extreme climate events is one of the challenges of adaptation to climate change. We adapt a concept from ruin theory, which is widespread in econometrics or the insurance industry, to design a growth/ruin model for trees, under climate hazards that can jeopardize their growth. This model is an elaboration of a classical Cramer-Lundberg ruin model that is used in the insurance industry. The model accounts for the interactions between physiological parameters of trees and the occurrence of climate hazards. The physiological parameters describe interannual growth rates and how trees react to hazards. The hazard parameters describe the probability distributions of occurrence and intensity of climate events. We focus on a drought/heatwave hazard. The goal of the paper is to determine the dependence of ruin and average growth probability distributions as a function of physiological and hazard parameters. From extensive Monte Carlo experiments, we show the existence of a threshold on the frequency of hazards beyond which forest ruin becomes certain in a centennial horizon. We also detect a small effect of strategies to cope with hazards. This paper is a proof-of-concept to quantify collapse (of forests) under climate change.

scholarly journals Adaptation to climate change of the French wine industry: a systemic approach – Main outcomes of the project LACCAVE

2018 ◽  
Vol 50 ◽  
pp. 01020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nathalie Ollat ◽  
Hervé Quénol ◽  
Gérard Barbeau ◽  
Cornelis van Leeuwen ◽  
Philippe Darriet ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Cultural Practices ◽  
Adaptation Strategies ◽  
Wine Industry ◽  
Climate Trends ◽  
Adaptation To Climate Change ◽  
Decision Tools ◽  
Multidisciplinary Program ◽  
Multi Agent ◽  
Developmental Conditions

Taking into account the major economical role and specificities of the French wine industry, adaptation to climate change is a very challenging issue. In 2011, 23 research teams launched a systemic and multidisciplinary program to analyze the impacts from the vine to the region, to define adaptation strategies combining technical, spatial and organizational options and to evaluate the perception by the actors and consumers of climate change issues. Thermal variability was studied at local scale to develop high resolution atmospheric models which better simulate future climate trends. Impacts on growth/developmental conditions and vine responses were estimated from the calculation of eco-climatic indices and a combination of functional models. Genetic and physiological bases of grapevine adaptation to high temperature and drought were analyzed. Improving oenological and cultural practices as well as plant material innovation have been investigated as major technical adaptations. How these options could be implemented at the plot level was examined to elaborate decision tools. Multi-agent modelling was developed for this purpose. Surveys were performed to evaluate the perception of the main actors regarding climate change and their level of acceptability towards technical changes. Consumer acceptability of new types of wines was also investigated with an experimental economy approach. Finally a foresight exercise was conducted to design four potential adaptation strategies: conservative, innovative, nomad and liberal. Outcomes of this exercise are now used as a tool for wine industry members to develop their own strategic plan for adaptation.

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