AdaptNet for 4 May 2010

1. A Design Model for Sustainable and Resilient Infrastructure

2. Cities in a Post-2012 Climate Policy Framework

3. Notes on COP 15 Copenhagen December 2009

4. Coastal Vulnerability to Sea-level Rise – DIVA Tool

5. Estimating the Cost of Adapting to Extreme Weather Events

6. GREENHOUSE 2011 Conference – Queensland, Australia

A Design Model for Sustainable and Resilient Infrastructure              

This paper highlights the increasing vulnerability of vital infrastructure services such as electricity, transport and water supply from dwindling resources and environmental change. It presents the case for distributed systems as an alternative design model. The paper argues that this model exists in production and consumption systems that have already begun adapting to conditions of increased uncertainty, resource scarcity and a ‘low-carbon’ future. 

Distributed Systems: A Design Model for Sustainable and Resilient Infrastructure, Che Biggs et al., Victorian Eco-Innovation Lab – Partnership amongst the University of Melbourne, Monash University, RMIT University, and Swinburne University, Australia, March 2010 [3.01 MB, PDF]

Cities in a Post-2012 Climate Policy Framework     

The report addresses the position of local governments in the international climate financing architecture for cities, particularly in developing countries. It builds upon a number of interviews conducted with many city decision makers in seven countries, including: Brazil, Egypt, India, Indonesia, Mexico, Philippines, and South Africa. The report looks at the integration of climate risk into the core city level planning and decision making processes. 

Cities in a Post-2012 Climate Policy Framework: Climate Financing for City Development? Views from Local Governments, Experts, and Businesses, ICLEI Global Reports, ICLEI – Local Governments for Sustainability, Bonn, Germany, 2010 [1.56 MB, PDF]

Notes on COP 15 Copenhagen December 2009     

This report summarises the observations and experiences of RMIT’s Adjunct Professor Alan Pears who attended the 2009 Copenhagen Conference. It argues that the Copenhagen Accord is a weak instrument which is essentially voluntary and not easily enforceable. The report expects that much of the fine print will have to be worked out over the next year or so, and would have to be agreed at the Mexico COP late in 2010.  

NOTES on COP 15 Copenhagen December 2009, Alan Pears, Adjunct Professor, RMIT University and Sustainable Solutions, Melbourne, Australia, 2010 [963 KB, PDF]  

Coastal Vulnerability to Sea-level Rise – DIVA Tool     

The paper presents a brief overview of the evolution of methodologies for assessing the vulnerability of coastal zones to sea-level rise. It describes the development of a user-friendly tool – DIVA tool – for assessing coastal vulnerability from sub-national to global levels. The paper discusses lessons learned in developing the DIVA tool and their significance to the trans-disciplinary science and to the coastal vulnerability assessments. 

Integrating Knowledge to Assess Coastal Vulnerability to Sea-level Rise: The Development of the DIVA Tool, Jochen Hinkel and Richard J.T. Klein, Global Environmental Change, vol. 19, pp. 384 – 395, 2009 [subscription required] 

Estimating the Cost of Adapting to Extreme Weather Events

This paper assesses the economics of adaptation to extreme weather events in developing countries. Drawing on an econometric analysis of the data, it addresses two key questions: As climate change increases potential vulnerability to extreme weather events, can expanding female education neutralise this increased vulnerability? If so, how much would it cost?  

The Economics of Adaptation to Extreme Weather Events in Developing Countries, Brian Blankespoor et al., Working Paper 199, Center for Global Development, 2010 [937 KB, PDF]

GREENHOUSE 2011 Conference – Queensland, Australia   

GREENHOUSE 2011 Conference will take place from 4 – 8 April 2011 at Cairns Convention Centre in Queensland, Australia. The conference will present an opportunity for participants to hear about the latest in climate change science from leading researchers in Australia and around the world. Abstracts may be submitted by 19 November 2010. 

GREENHOUSE 2011 Conference, CSIRO, Australian Government Department of Climate Change, and Queensland Government – Australia, Cairns Convention Centre, Queensland, Australia, April 4 – 8, 2011