- Health and Climate Change Adaptation – Australia
- Poverty and Climate Change in Urban Bangladesh
- Roles of Public and Private Actors – Adaptation
- Sustainability, Climate Adaptation and Google Earth
- Climate Change – Electricity Infrastructure Vulnerability
- Academic Conference – People and the Planet 2013
Health and Climate Change Adaptation – Australia
The paper explores ways in which vulnerable sub-populations adapt their personal behavior to cope with heat. It draws upon scientific, historical and literary sources and on a set of repeat interviews in the suburbs of Western Sydney with eight older participants and two focus group discussions. The paper finds that while a number of methods are employed by older people to stay cool, these may become limited in the future.
Socio-cultural Reflections on Heat in Australia with Implications for Health and Climate Change Adaptation, Open Access Article, Cathy Banwell et al., Glob Health Action, 16 October 2012 [693 KB, PDF]
Poverty and Climate Change in Urban Bangladesh
Drawing upon existing research and new data from a survey of four bustees (‘bustees’ are places where physical, social, economic and political vulnerabilities collide, creating a multi-layered blanket of vulnerability for their residents) in Dhaka, this paper provides a review of urban poverty in Bangladesh to date. It reveals new insights into the strategies that low-income urban households pursue in a context of scarce resources and hostile conditions.
Urban Poverty in Bangladesh: Causes, Consequences, and Coping Strategies, Nicola Banks, BWPI Working Paper 178, Brooks World Poverty Institute (BWPI), The University of Manchester, UK, October 2012 [877 KB, PDF]
Roles of Public and Private Actors – Adaptation
The paper reviews risk governance and insurance literature to draw findings for the governance of climate adaptation. It uses the recently published compendium of disaster risk initiatives in the developing world and a case study of agricultural insurance in India. The paper argues that the role of private sector is increasing in adaptation; however there is little empirical examination carried out to show how this sector might be involved more effectively to ensure adaptation actions address vulnerability.
The Roles of Public and Private Actors in the Governance of Adaptation: The Case of Agricultural Insurance in India, Susannah Fisher and Swenja Surminski, The Centre for Climate Change Economics and Policy (CCCEP), The Munich Re Programme, and The Grantham Research Institute on Climate Change and the Environment, September 2012 [675 KB, PDF]
Sustainability, Climate Adaptation and Google Earth
This project aims to test a participatory mapping methodology using Google Earth to develop shared understandings among participants about sustainability and climate change. It focuses on improving knowledge uptake and enabling dialogue among participants in order to develop adaptation strategies for Rottnest Island, off the Western Australian coast. One of the important project results finds the usefulness of Google Earth for participatory planning for climate adaptation and sustainability.
Sustainability and Climate Adaptation: Using Google Earth to Engage Stakeholders, Laura Stocker et al., Ecological Economics, vol. 80, pp. 15-24, August 2012 [subscription required]
Climate Change – Electricity Infrastructure Vulnerability
The paper identifies climate change adaptation issues in the Australian National Electricity Market (NEM). It analyses climate change impacts on reliability in the NEM under alternative climate change scenarios to 2030, particularly what adaptation strategies the power generation and supply network infrastructure will need. The paper assesses the robustness of the institutional arrangements that supports effective adaptation.
Institutional Adaptability to Redress Electricity Infrastructure Vulnerability Due to Climate Change, John Foster et al., The University of Queensland and University of Technology, Sydney, 2012 [3.92 MB, PDF]
Academic Conference – People and the Planet 2013
The Global Cities Research Institute (RMIT University) and the UN Global Compact Cities Programme invite paper and panel proposals for this academic conference, which will be held from 2-4 July 2013 at RMIT University, Melbourne Australia. The conference themes include: urban sustainability; cultural sustainability; corporate sustainability; community sustainability; climate change adaptation; globalization and culture; human security and disasters; urban decision-making and complex systems; sustainable urban and regional futures; global indigeneity and reconciliation; and global ecologies and culture. Proposals must be submitted by 15 February 2013.
People and the Planet 2013: Transforming the Future, Academic Conference, RMIT University, Melbourne Australia & UN Global Compact Cities Programme, Storey Hall, RMIT University, Melbourne Australia, 2-4 July 2013
For further information, please contact the editor, Saleem Janjua: daptnet@rmit.edu.au
Professor Darryn McEvoy, Program Leader, RMIT University Climate Change Adaptation Programme
Professor Peter Hayes, Co-founder and Executive Director of Nautilus Institute for Security and Sustainability
Dr. Saleem Janjua, Editor AdaptNet
AdaptNet is a free fortnightly report produced by RMIT University Global Cities Research Institute’s Climate Change Adaptation Programme, Melbourne, Australia. It is published in partnership with the Nautilus Institute for Security and Sustainability.