AdaptNet for 3 February 2009

1. Managing Sea Level Rise and Climate Change
2. Adaptation of California’s Electricity Sector to Climate Change
3. Global Climate Change Policy: Burden Sharing Post-2012
4. Climate Change – Economic Impacts of Tropical Cyclones
5. Viet Nam: Climate Change, Adaptation and Poor People
6. Expression of Interest – Director – Adaptation Research Centre

Managing Sea Level Rise and Climate Change

The paper provides an overview of some of the problems facing public works engineers and local governments to manage the potential impacts of climate change in the coastal environment. It offers guidance for best practice investigation and planning based on robust and practical methodologies.                

Managing Sea Level Rise and Climate Change, Bruce Harper, Managing Director, Systems Engineering Australia Pty Ltd., Brisbane, Australia, 2009 [892 KB, PDF]

Adaptation of California’s Electricity Sector to Climate Change 

The report focuses on the adaptation challenges of California’s electricity sector – an important component of the energy arena. It finds that the electricity sector of California is already considering the impacts of climate change, but steps are needed to invest in research, development, and demonstration to improve system resiliency.          

Adaptation of California’s Electricity Sector to Climate Change, Edward Vine, Public Policy Institute of California (PPIC), San Francisco, California, USA, November 2008 [385 KB, PDF]  

Global Climate Change Policy: Burden Sharing Post-2012       

This issue of Policy Quarterly contains ten different articles. Most of these articles have their origins in presentations or background papers prepared for a symposium held in Wellington in late July 2008.  This issue focuses exclusively on the global challenge of climate change and, in particular, the problem of international ‘burden sharing’ and ‘effort sharing’. Authors include; David Parker, Ross Garnault,  Bruno Jullen, Zhao Yanbo, Beat Nobs, Lucas Kengmana, Bruce Burston, Murray Ward, Jonathan Boston and Lavanya Rajamani.

Global Climate Change Policy: Burden Sharing Post-2012, Special Issue, Policy Quarterly, Volume 4, Number 4, Jonathan Boston, Robert Gregory (ed), The Institute of Policy Studies, School of Government at Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand, November 2008 [1.77 MB, PDF]        

Climate Change – Economic Impacts of Tropical Cyclones    

The paper simulates the direct economic impact of tropical cyclones enhanced by climate change with the integrated assessment model FUND 3.4. The results show that in the base case, the direct economic damage of tropical cyclones ascribed to the effect of climate change amounts to $19 billion globally in the year 2100, while the ratio to world GDP is 0.006%.

Damage Costs of Climate Change through Intensification of Tropical Cyclone Activities: An Application of FUND, Daiju Narita, Richard S. J. Tol and David Anthoff, Working Paper No. 259, The Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI), Dublin, October 2008 [303 KB, PDF]   

Viet Nam: Climate Change, Adaptation and Poor People

The report offers a glimpse into the devastating human impact of the climate changes that are already taking place in Viet Nam. It shows that poorer women and men are affected disproportionately by extreme weather events, and are likely to be more vulnerable to those which are coming.

Viet Nam: Climate Change, Adaptation and Poor People, Oxfam International, Ha Noi, Viet Nam, October 2008 [3.99 MB, PDF]

Expression of Interest – Director – Adaptation Research Centre

The Victorian Government (Melbourne, Australia) is seeking Expressions of Interest from suitable candidates, associated or aligned with a Victorian-based university, to take up a fixed-term position of Director for the climate change adaptation research centre for a period of up to five years. Closing date for applications is Sunday 08 February 2009.     

Expression of Interest – Director – Adaptation Research Centre, Contact: John Houlihan, Department of Sustainability and Environment, Victoria, Australia, E-mail: hr.recruitment@dse.vic.gov.au, February 2008