Adaptation strategies can offset rising river flood risk in Europe

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Francesco Dottori ◽  
Lorenzo Mentaschi ◽  
Alessandra Bianchi ◽  
Lorenzo Alfieri ◽  
Luc Feyen
Keyword(s):  
Global Warming ◽  
Flood Risk ◽  
Adaptation Strategies ◽  
Climate Mitigation ◽  
River Flooding ◽  
Risk Levels ◽  
Flood Impacts ◽  
Mitigation And Adaptation ◽  
River Flood ◽  
Cost Efficient

<p>River flooding is the costliest natural disaster in Europe. Global warming and continued development in flood prone areas will progressively increase river flood risk. Direct damages from flooding could become six times present losses by the end of the century in case of no climate mitigation and adaptation. Keeping global warming well below 2°C would halve these impacts. Adequate adaptation strategies can further substantially reduce future flood impacts. In particular, implementing building-based damage reduction measures and reducing flood peaks using retention areas can lower impacts in a cost-efficient way in most EU countries, even to flood risk levels that are lower than today. Restoring natural wetlands and floodplains to retain excess water also improves the state of water and ecosystems.</p>

Adaptation is cost-effective to offset rising river flood risk in Europe

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Francesco Dottori ◽  
Lorenzo Mentaschi ◽  
Alessandra Bianchi ◽  
Lorenzo Alfieri ◽  
Luc Feyen
Keyword(s):  
Global Warming ◽  
Flood Risk ◽  
Cost Benefit Analysis ◽  
Cost Benefit ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
Risk Level ◽  
Climate Mitigation ◽  
Risk Modelling ◽  
River Flooding ◽  
Attractive Option

Abstract River flooding in Europe could rise to unprecedented levels due to global warming and continued development in flood-prone areas. Here we appraise the potential of four key adaptation strategies to mitigate flood risk across Europe based on detailed flood risk modelling and cost-benefit analysis. We find that reducing flood peaks using retention areas is economically the most attractive option. In a scenario without climate mitigation, they can lower projected flood losses in Europe by the end of the century from 42 to 7.5 €billion/year and population exposed by 81%, or achieve a risk level comparable to today. This would require an investment of 2.9 €billion/year over 2020-2100, with a return of 4€ for each 1€ invested. The risk-reduction potential of economically-optimised strengthening of dykes is somewhat lower with 71% for a comparable annual investment. These measures avoid floods to happen and their cost-effectiveness increases with the level of global warming. Implementing building-based flood proofing measures and relocating people and assets are less cost-effective but can reduce impacts in localized areas.

Climate Change Law: Encounters with Aesthetics and Art

Climate Law ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 8 (3-4) ◽  
pp. 279-319
Author(s):  
Benjamin J. Richardson
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Global Warming ◽  
Climate Mitigation ◽  
Mitigation And Adaptation ◽  
Law And Policy ◽  
The Social ◽  
Political Struggles ◽  
The Aesthetic ◽  
Aesthetic Values

Climate change has multifaceted aesthetic dimensions of legal significance. Global warming alters the aesthetic properties of nature, and further aesthetic changes are precipitated by climate mitigation and adaptation responses of impacted societies. The social and political struggles to influence climate change law are also influenced by aesthetics, as environmental activists and artists collaborate to influence public opinion, while conversely the business sector through its marketing and other aesthetic communications tries to persuade consumers of its climate-friendly practices to forestall serious action on global warming. This article distils and analyses these patterns in forging a novel account of the role of aesthetics in climate change law and policy, and it makes conclusions on how this field of law should consider aesthetic values through ‘curatorial’ guidance.

scholarly journals The Impacts of Climate Change on Nigerian Ecosystems: A Review

2019 ◽  
Vol 3 (2) ◽  
pp. 267-291
Author(s):  
B. E. Ikumbur ◽  
S. Iornumbe
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Global Warming ◽  
Fossil Fuels ◽  
Adaptation Strategies ◽  
Adaptation Measures ◽  
Climatic Variations ◽  
Mitigation And Adaptation ◽  
Warming Climate ◽  
The World ◽  
Impacts Of Climate Change

Climate change is the single biggest environmental issue facing the world today. It has become a great challenge to our generation and its impact is felt in almost every society in the world. Nigeria is one of the most vulnerable countries in Africa. Nigeria as a developing nation with a population of about 200 million people is likely to be adversely impacted by climate change due to its vulnerability and low coping capabilities. Climate change is evidently linked to human actions, and in particular from the burning of fossil fuels and changes in global patterns of land use. The impacts of human activities, as well as those of natural phenomena on global warming, climate change, and the environment, were presented and discussed. Various manifestations of its impact are evident in Nigeria, which includes temperature rise, increase in draught, and scarcity of food instigated by irregularities in rainfall, over flooding, and so on. This paper examines the concepts of global warming and climate change; its impact on the Nigeria ecosystems. It highlights the climate change-related risks and hazards the nation could face if best practices are not employed to prevent and mitigate its impact. Two sets of measures have been advocated for confronting climate change, these are mitigation and adaptation measures. The review explores possible adaptation strategies that are required to respond to the climatic variations and suggests ways that these adaptation strategies can be implemented.

scholarly journals Analysis Of Strategies For Mitigation And Adaptation To The Impacts Of Climate Change In The Agricultural Sector In Northern Philippines

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Grace Tan
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Global Warming ◽  
Agricultural Sector ◽  
Developed Countries ◽  
Adaptation Strategies ◽  
Mitigation Strategies ◽  
Tropical Regions ◽  
Mitigation And Adaptation ◽  
Mitigation And Adaptation Strategies ◽  
Impacts Of Climate Change

There is widespread evidence that countries in the tropical regions especially the less developed countries will be most affected by the impacts of climate change and global warming. Unfortunately, these countries are highly dependent on agriculture, which is very sensitive to climate change, thereby threatening food security and economic development in the region. Interestingly, agriculture is one of the main contributors to the atmospheric greenhouse gas emissions. Therefore, it is important that actions taken to adapt to climate change do not undermine the effectiveness of mitigation strategies that impact the agricultural sector. The present study investigates the effects of mitigation and adaptation strategies on the impacts of climate change in the agricultural sector in Northern Philippines and identifies where synergies or conflicts between the two approaches may arise. Further analysis of the selected strategies suggests that one or more adaptation strategies may be ideal to achieve the maximum benefits.

scholarly journals The influence of institutional pressures on climate mitigation and adaptation strategies

2020 ◽  
Vol 244 ◽  
pp. 118879 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tiberio Daddi ◽  
Raimund Bleischwitz ◽  
Niccolò Maria Todaro ◽  
Natalia Marzia Gusmerotti ◽  
Maria Rosa De Giacomo
Keyword(s):  
Adaptation Strategies ◽  
Climate Mitigation ◽  
Institutional Pressures ◽  
Mitigation And Adaptation ◽  
Mitigation And Adaptation Strategies

scholarly journals Each 0.5°C of Warming Increases Annual Flood Losses in China by More than US$60 Billion

2020 ◽  
Vol 101 (8) ◽  
pp. E1464-E1474
Author(s):  
Tong Jiang ◽  
Buda Su ◽  
Jinlong Huang ◽  
Jianqing Zhai ◽  
Jun Xia ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Global Warming ◽  
Flood Risk ◽  
General Circulation ◽  
General Circulation Models ◽  
Rate Function ◽  
Climatic Conditions ◽  
Distributed Hydrological Model ◽  
Flood Impacts ◽  
Flood Losses ◽  
The Impact

Abstract In the warming climate, flood risk is likely to increase over much of the globe. We present projections of changes of flood losses in China for a range of global warming scenarios, from 1.5° to 4.0°C above the preindustrial temperature, with a 0.5°C step. Projections of flood losses in China are based on river runoff simulations by a distributed hydrological model driven by multiple downscaled general circulation models, the national GDP projected at shared socioeconomic pathways, and the “intensity–loss rate” function. When interpreting changes caused by the combined effect of economic and climatic conditions, flood losses in China are projected to soar in the future, particularly in lowland regions subject to rapid economic growth. Under global warming of 1.5° and 4.0°C, in an average year, flood losses are projected to be, respectively, 4 and 17 times that at present. Pursuing the international climate policy target of limiting global warming is projected to reduce exposure to floods in China. In this way, flood losses in China can be reduced by tens of billions of U.S. dollars (on average, US$67 billion and up to 0.04% of GDP) for each 0.5°C that warming is reduced. Our study improves understanding of the impact of climatic and nonclimatic changes on flood risk. Our scientific contribution is the first study to quantify flood impacts across China under different development pathways (shared socioeconomic pathways) for a broad range of global warming levels.

scholarly journals Multi-Model Projections of River Flood Risk in Europe under Global Warming

Climate ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
pp. 6 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lorenzo Alfieri ◽  
Francesco Dottori ◽  
Richard Betts ◽  
Peter Salamon ◽  
Luc Feyen
Keyword(s):  
Global Warming ◽  
Flood Risk ◽  
River Flood

scholarly journals Patterns and comparisons of human-induced changes on river flood impacts in cities

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stephanie Clark ◽  
Ashish Sharma ◽  
Scott A. Sisson
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Socioeconomic Development ◽  
Decision Makers ◽  
Self Organizing Map ◽  
Social Variables ◽  
River Flooding ◽  
Flood Impacts ◽  
River Flood ◽  
Induced Changes ◽  
Urban Conditions

Abstract. This study investigates patterns of current conditions and anticipated future changes in city-level flood impacts driven by urbanisation and climate change. Global patterns relating urban river flood impacts to socioeconomic development and changing hydrologic conditions are established, and world cities are matched to these patterns. Comparisons are provided between 98 individual cities. We use a novel adaption of the self-organizing map method to establish and present patterns in the nonlinearly-related environmental and social variables. Spatiotemporal output maps of prevalent patterns compare baseline and changing trends of city-specific exposures of population and property to river flooding, revealing relationships between the cities based on their relative map placements. Cities experiencing high (or low) baseline flood impacts on population and/or property that are expected to improve (or worsen), as a result of anticipated climate change and development, are identified and compared. This paper condenses and conveys large amounts of information through visual communication to accelerate the understanding of relationships between local urban conditions and global processes, and to potentially motivate knowledge transfer between decision makers facing similar circumstances.

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