scholarly journals Projected Impact of Heat on Mortality and Labour Productivity under Climate Change in Switzerland

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zélie Stalhandske ◽  
Valentina Nesa ◽  
Marius Zumwald ◽  
Martina S. Ragettli ◽  
Alina Galimshina ◽  
...  

Abstract. Extreme temperatures have reached unprecedented levels in many regions of the globe due to climate change anda further increase is expected. Besides other consequences, high temperatures increase the mortality risk and severely affectthe labour productivity of workers. We perform a high-resolution spatial analysis to assess the impacts of heat on mortality and labour productivity in Switzerland and project their development under different Representative Concentration Pathway (RCP) scenarios, considering that no socio-economic changes takes place. The model is based on the risk framework of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), which combines the three risk components: Hazard, Exposure, and Vulnerability. We model the two impact categories in the same spatially explicit framework and we integrate uncertainties into the analysis through a Monte Carlo simulation. We model, that first, about 670 people die today per year because of heat in Switzerland. Second, the economic costs caused by losses in labour productivity amount to around CHF 413 million (approx. $ 465 million) per year. Should we remain on an RCP8.5 emissions pathway, these values may double (for mortality) or even triple (for labour productivity) by the end of the century. Under an RCP2.6 scenario impacts are expected to slightly increaseand peak around mid-century, when climate is assumed to stop warming. Even though uncertainties in the model are large, theunderlying trend in impacts is unequivocal. The results of the study are valuable information for political discussions and allowfor a better understanding of the cost of inaction.

Author(s):  
Sujata Mukherjee ◽  
Arunavo Mukerjee

The UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change Report (2007) concluded that the globally averaged net effect of human activities since 1750 has been one of the sources of global warming. The Stern Report (2007) corroborates this statement and states that anthropogenic CO2 influences the climate and stresses that the cost of mitigating against climate change is significantly lower than the cost of climate change. The Tata group companies have been actively seeking out experiences of other global companies to develop an effective action plan against climate change. The present paper seeks to review the role of the Tata group in addressing and abating the climate change. It further looks at the various Tata group companies like Tata Chemicals Limited, Tata Steel Europe, Tata Communications and Tata Motors and their ways to stay the course towards sustainable development


2017 ◽  
pp. 416-431 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sujata Mukherjee ◽  
Arunavo Mukerjee

The UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change Report (2007) concluded that the globally averaged net effect of human activities since 1750 has been one of the sources of global warming. The Stern Report (2007) corroborates this statement and states that anthropogenic CO2 influences the climate and stresses that the cost of mitigating against climate change is significantly lower than the cost of climate change. The Tata group companies have been actively seeking out experiences of other global companies to develop an effective action plan against climate change. The present paper seeks to review the role of the Tata group in addressing and abating the climate change. It further looks at the various Tata group companies like Tata Chemicals Limited, Tata Steel Europe, Tata Communications and Tata Motors and their ways to stay the course towards sustainable development


2021 ◽  
Vol 4 (4) ◽  
pp. 527-554
Author(s):  
Pablo Borges de Amorim ◽  
Pedro Luiz Borges Chaffe

Abstract. Climate change is one of the major challenges of our society; thus educational resources on climate risk and adaptation are needed. In this case study, we present a short-duration face-to-face training for water professionals about the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC)'s climate risk framework. The training uses problem-based learning (PBL) pedagogy, and its suitability and benefits are evaluated with qualitative observation and self-assessment of knowledge of tertiary students and practitioners from five independent groups in Brazil. We find that the application of a mapping exercise using the IPCC's climate risk framework supports learning about climate risk, as well as data interpretation, creativity, teamwork, communication, and critical thinking by the participants. This work merges the IPCC's climate risk framework and PBL for climate risk training. The proposed training enables the teaching of climate risk in stand-alone courses and professional development training in areas where climate is an embedded component.


2019 ◽  
Vol 2 (5) ◽  
pp. 184-191
Author(s):  
Tuan Ngoc Le ◽  
Thinh Nam Ngo ◽  
Phung Ky Nguyen

This work aimed to develope sea level rise (SLR) scenarios in Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC) to 2100, corresponding to the scenarios of RCP2.6, RCP4.5, RCP6.0, and RCP8.5 and the approach mentioned in the AR5 report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) through SIMCLIM software, and the local water level data (updated to 2015). The results showed that the SLR in the coastal area of HCMC increased gradually over the years as well as the increase in greenhouse gas scenarios. In the period of 2025-2030, SLR would increase relatively equally among RCP scenarios. SLR in 2030 would increase about 12cm as compared to sea level in the period of 1986-2005 in all RCP scenarios. By 2050, the average SLR for the scenarios of RCP2.6, RCP4.5, RCP6.0, and RCP8.5 would be 21 cm, 21 cm, 22 cm, and 25 cm, respectively. The corresponding figures for 2100 would bee 43 cm, 52 cm, 54 cm, and 72 cm, respectively. The research results provide an important basis for calculations and assessments of impact and vulnerability due to the climate change to socio-economic development in HCMC.


2020 ◽  
Vol 16 (1) ◽  
pp. 83-89
Author(s):  
Cassilda Saavedra

The use of climate change projections is crucial for mitigation and adaptation, which are the basis for creating resilience. However, access to these scientific products is scarce in Latin America and the existing studies lack of an appropriate resolution to analyze small but highly vulnerable regions, such as river basins for planning purposes.   La Villa river basin, Republic of Panama, is one of the watersheds of highest priority for adaptation to climate change. This study used downscaled projections from four climate models. The models are based on the Representative Concentration Pathways (RCP), presented in the Fifth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change-IPCC. Results of this study suggest increases of the annual average precipitation in the watershed for the years 2050 and 2070. Meanwhile, maximum and minimum temperatures will increase an average of 1-2 ° C and near 4 ° C by the end of the 21st century. With these results, we observed that the use of small-scale climate projections in the RCP scenarios is feasible to determine the effects of climate change on small regions.


2016 ◽  
Vol 07 (01) ◽  
pp. 1640001 ◽  
Author(s):  
GABRIEL CHAN ◽  
CARLO CARRARO ◽  
OTTMAR EDENHOFER ◽  
CHARLES KOLSTAD ◽  
ROBERT STAVINS

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) is broadly viewed as the world’s most legitimate scientific assessment body that periodically assesses the economics of climate change (among many other topics) for policy audiences. However, growing procedural inefficiencies and limitations to substantive coverage have made the IPCC an increasingly unattractive forum for the most qualified climate economists. Drawing on our observations and personal experience working on the most recent IPCC report, published last year, we propose four reforms to the IPCC’s process that we believe will lower the cost for volunteering as an IPCC author: improving interactions between governments and academics, making IPCC operations more efficient, clarifying and strengthening conflict of interest rules, and expanding outreach. We also propose three reforms to the IPCC’s substantive coverage to clarify the IPCC’s role and to make participation as an author more intellectually rewarding: complementing the IPCC with other initiatives, improving the integration of economics with other disciplines, and providing complete data for policymakers to make decisions. Despite the distinct characteristics of the IPCC that create challenges for authors unlike those in any other review body, we continue to believe in the importance of the IPCC for providing the most visible line of public communication between the scholarly community and policymakers.


2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (18) ◽  
pp. 10004
Author(s):  
Valentina Bacciu ◽  
Maria Hatzaki ◽  
Anna Karali ◽  
Adeline Cauchy ◽  
Christos Giannakopoulos ◽  
...  

The Mediterranean islands’ blue economy and, more specifically, the tourism sector, largely regulate Europe’s gross product. Climate change threatens the ecological, societal, and economic sustainability of the islands in many ways, with increasing wildfires making up one of the most critical components of the climate change impacts on tourism. Here, we aim to identify and assess forest fire vulnerability and risk due to climate change for seven Mediterranean islands through the application of the “impact chain” conceptual framework. The backbone of this approach requires the integration of quantitative and qualitative data according to the three main risk components sensu the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), i.e., hazard, exposure, and vulnerability, with a structured participatory approach involving stakeholders and experts. Our results illustrate the islands with high potential for improvement in terms of adapting capacity and, by indicating the contribution of the different risk components, highlight the main environmental and socio-economic elements that affect the islands’ vulnerability and risk under climate change. The approach’s potentials and constraints are discussed, suggesting that the method can be handily used to point out the priorities that must be addressed by mitigation and adaptation policies and measures at the island level.


Water ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 10 (12) ◽  
pp. 1877 ◽  
Author(s):  
Qianqian Zhou ◽  
Karsten Arnbjerg-Nielsen

Identifying what, when, and how much adaptation is needed to account for increased pluvial flood risk is inherently uncertain. This presents a challenge to decision makers when trying to identify robust measures. This paper presents an integrated uncertainty analysis to quantify not only the overall uncertainty of individual adaptation scenarios, but also the net uncertainty between adaptation alternatives for a direct comparison of their efficiency. Further, a sensitivity analysis is used to assess the relative contribution of inherent uncertainties in the assessment. A Danish case study shows that the uncertainties in relation to assessing the present hazards and vulnerabilities (e.g., input runoff volume, threshold for damage, and costing of floods) are important to the overall uncertainty, thus contributing substantially to the overall uncertainty in relation to decisions on action or in-action. Once a decision of action has been taken, the uncertainty of the hazards under the current climate, and also the magnitude of future climate change, are less important than other uncertainties such as discount rate and the cost of implementing the adaptation measures. The proposed methodology is an important tool for achieving an explicit uncertainty description of climate adaptation strategies and provides a guide for further efforts (e.g., field data collection) to improve decision-making in relation to climate change.


2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (16) ◽  
pp. 6458
Author(s):  
Jutta-Lucia Leis ◽  
Stefan Kienberger

This research addresses the need for proactive climate risk management (CRM) by developing and applying a spatial climate risk and vulnerability assessment (CRVA) to flooding under consideration of the socio-economic dimension in Austria. Our research builds on a consolidated risk and vulnerability framework targeting both disaster risk reduction (DRR) and climate change adaptation (CCA) while integrating the consolidated risk approach of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). Furthermore, our research advances current methodologies by applying a spatially explicit and indicator-based approach, which allows the targeted and place-specific identification of intervention options—independent from the spatial bias of administrative units. The flooding CRVA is based on a comprehensive list of 14 primary indicators and 35 socio-economic sub-indicators. Our results indicate that high levels of socio-economic vulnerability related to flooding are concentrated in the northern and eastern regions of Austria. When integrating a climate hazard proxy, statistically significant risk hotspots (>90% confidence) can be identified in central-northern Austria and towards the east. Furthermore, we established a typology of regions following a spatially enabled clustering approach. Finally, our research provides a successful operationalization of the IPCC Fifth Assessment Report (AR5) risk framework in combination with enhanced spatial analysis methods.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pablo Borges de Amorim ◽  
Pedro Luiz Borges Chaffe

Abstract. Climate change is one of the major challenges of our society thus educational resources on climate risk and adaptation are needed. In this case study, we present a short-duration training for tertiary students and practitioners about the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC)’s climate risk framework. The training uses Problem-Based Learning (PBL) pedagogy, and its suitability and benefits are evaluated with observational qualitative analysis and self-assessment of knowledge of the participants of 5 independent groups in Brazil. We find that the application of a mapping exercise using the IPCC’s climate risk framework supports learning about climate risk, as well as data interpretation, creativity, teamwork, communication, and critical thinking by the participants. This work merges the IPCC’s climate risk framework and PBL for climate risk training. The proposed training enables the teaching of climate risk in stand-alone courses and professional development training in areas which climate is an embedded component.


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