AdaptNet for 15 June 2010

1. Australia’s Greenhouse Gas Emissions – Impacts & Adaptation
2. Vulnerability of Bangladesh to Cyclones in a Changing Climate
3. America’s Climate Choices – Three New Reports
4. Climate-Resilient Industrial Development Paths
5. Economics of Climate Adaptation in Developing Countries
6. International Conference on Climate Change and Global Warming  

Australia’s Greenhouse Gas Emissions – Impacts & Adaptation              

The paper begins with a discussion of the science of climate change, followed by a statistical examination of Australia’s contribution to global greenhouse gas emissions. The last section presents statistics related to the climate change impacts on Australia’s society, economy and environment, and some broad adaptation measures being undertaken. 

Australia‘s Environment: Issues and Trends 2010 (Special Issue: Climate Change), Brian Pink, Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS), Commonwealth of Australia, 2010 [2.50 MB, PDF] 

Vulnerability of Bangladesh to Cyclones in a Changing Climate     

The paper integrates information on climate change, hydrodynamic models, and geographic overlays to assess the vulnerability of coastal areas in Bangladesh to larger storm surges and sea-level rise by 2050. It identifies diked areas, coastal populations, settlements, infrastructure, and economic activity at risk of inundation, and estimates the cost of damage versus the cost of various adaptation measures. 

Vulnerability of Bangladesh to Cyclones in a Changing Climate: Potential Damages and Adaptation Cost, Susmita Dasgupta et al., Policy Research Working Paper 5280, Environment and Energy Team, Development Research Group. The World Bank, April 2010 [4.13 MB, PDF] 

America’s Climate Choices – Three New Reports      

The U.S. National Research Council has issued three reports emphasizing why the U.S. should act now to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and develop a national strategy to adapt to the inevitable impacts of climate change. These reports urge the scientific community to expand upon its understanding of why climate change is happening and focus on when and where the most severe impacts will occur, and what we can do to respond. 

America’s Climate Choices (Advancing the Science of Climate Change, Limiting the Magnitude of Climate Change, and Adapting to the Effects of Climate Change), U.S. National Research Council, USA, 2010 

Climate-Resilient Industrial Development Paths     

This paper explores the broad contours of climate resilient industrial development paths. It defines development as an increase in local capacities for production and innovation, and argues that the overarching goal of development is the generation of sustainable livelihoods. The paper suggests that to be climate resilient, industrial policies should have some specific design features. 

Climate-Resilient Industrial Development Paths: Design Principles and Alternative Models, Lyuba Zarsky, Working Paper No. 10-01, Global Development and Environment Institute, Tufts University, USA, February 2010 [503 KB, PDF] 

Economics of Climate Adaptation in Developing Countries  

The paper examines the use of an economic cost-benefit analysis to quantify approaches to climate adaptation in developing countries. It provides an overview of the associated literature and discusses conceptual issues. The paper argues that the costs and benefits of climate adaptation cannot be analyzed using economic aspects only; climate science, behavioral science, and legal and moral aspects have also crucial implications for the outcome of the analysis. 

Economic Valuation of Climate Change Adaptation in Developing Countries, Jesper Stage, Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences, vol. 1185, issue: Ecological Economics Reviews, pp. 150-163, 2010 [subscription required]

International Conference on Climate Change and Global Warming   

This conference will take place from 27-29 October, 2010 in Kyoto, Japan. It aims to bring together academic scientists, engineers, industry researchers and scholar students to exchange and share their experiences and research results about various aspects of climate change and global warming. Papers may be submitted by June 30, 2010.

International Conference on Climate Change and Global Warming, World Academy of Science, Engineering and Technology (WASET), Kyoto, Japan, 27-29 October, 2010