1. Framework – Planning for Cooler Cities
2. Flood Risks and Urban Responses in China
3. India – Urban Risks and Vulnerabilities
4. Extreme Heat & Increasing Fire Activity – Western Australia
5. Conflict-Sensitive Approach to Climate Change
6. Canberra Conference on Earth System Governance
Framework – Planning for Cooler Cities
The paper focuses on the integration of UGI (Urban Green Infrastructure) into the public realm to mitigate high urban temperatures and provides a five step framework to prioritise urban public open space for microclimate cooling. It quantifies the cooling benefits of four types of UGI: green open spaces (primarily public parks), shade trees, green roofs, and vertical greening systems (green walls and facades), and demonstrates how the framework can be applied using a case study from Melbourne, Australia.
Planning for Cooler Cities: A Framework to Prioritise Green Infrastructure to Mitigate High Temperatures in Urban Landscapes, Briony A. Norton et al., Landscape and Urban Planning, vol. 134, pp. 127–138, 2015 [3.12 MB, PDF]
Flood Risks and Urban Responses in China
This paper contributes to the field of climate-related flood risk in coastal urban areas by identifying the climate change trends and associated flood probability in the Pearl River Delta (PRD) in China. It identifies both the climate impacts which are most likely to trigger a flood occurrence and the vulnerability of this metropolitan area which highlights the weak links in flood responses. The paper discusses the key insights observed in analyzing the climate-impact-risk link for PRD.
Climate-related Flood Risks and Urban Responses in the Pearl River Delta, China, Liang Yang, Jürgen Scheffran, Huapeng Qin and Qinglong You, Research Group Climate Change and Security, University of Hamburg, 2015 [0.98 MB, PDF]
India – Urban Risks and Vulnerabilities
Weak institutional frameworks and gross social inequalities in India make the urban centers of the country particularly susceptible to the adverse impacts of disasters. Climate change has added another level of complexity to the mire of existing vulnerabilities. In this context, this issue attempts to explore the underlying facts, observable trends and the projected impacts of these urban risks and their implications on urban resilience in India.
Challenges of Urban Resilience in India, Southasiadisasters.net, All India Disaster Mitigation Institute (AIDMI), Issue no. 128, pp.12, March 2015 [845 KB, PDF]
Extreme Heat & Increasing Fire Activity – Western Australia
The report describes the background context of extreme heat and bushfires in Western Australia (WA) and how climate change is intensifying these events. It explores the impacts of fire and extreme heat on people, property, the environment and ecosystems before considering the future implications of a changing climate for fire managers, planners and emergency services.
The Heat is On: Climate Change, Extreme Heat and Bushfires in WA, Will Steffen, Lesley Hughes and Alix Pearce, Climate Council of Australia Limited, 2015 [12.24 MB, PDF]
Conflict-Sensitive Approach to Climate Change
This paper examines some considerations that should be given importance in the design and implementation of mitigation and adaptation strategies in order to reduce urban violence while addressing climate change in Asia-Pacific cities. Specifically it finds considerations for conflict sensitivity, including a) horizontal & vertical coordination between various government departments, b) collaboration with non-state actors, and c) inclusivity of the needs of the poor.
A Conflict-Sensitive Approach to Climate Change Mitigation and Adaptation in the Urbanizing Asia- Pacific, Ting Zhang, Working Paper 7, The Hague Institute for Global Justice, The Netherlands, March 2015 [862 KB, PDF]
Canberra Conference on Earth System Governance
The 6th Annual Earth System Governance Conference (co-hosted by the Australian National University and the University of Canberra) will take place from 14-16 December 2015 in Canberra, Australia. The conference themes include: environmental justice in the anthropocene; science and governance in a diverse world; resilient economies in the anthropocene, and; earth system governance in the Asia-Pacific region.
2015 Canberra Conference on Earth System Governance: Democracy and Resilience in the Anthropocene, Australian National University and the University of Canberra, Australian Research Council, Australian Government, Canberra, Australia, December 14-16, 2015
For further information, please contact the editor, Dr. Saleem Janjua: muhammadsaleem.janjua@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.