AdaptNet 28 April 2009

1. Adapting More Cleverly to Climate Change
2. Port Cities: Sea Level Rise and Storm Surge Risk
3. Climate Change and Health: A ‘Made in BC’ Set of Principles
4. Adaptation Challenges – Land and Water Management in Asia
5. A Guidebook for Adaptation to Climate Change
6. International Climate Conference: 4 Degrees and Beyond

Adapting More Cleverly to Climate Change             

The paper finds that climate policy is generally risk-based, which lacks sufficient information. It argues that adaptation strategies cannot be based on risk-based methodologies because of the significant uncertainties involved. The paper suggests that climate adaptation policy must take into account available ‘real options’.                      

Adapting More Cleverly to Climate Change by Using ‘Real Options’ to Address the Uncertainties, Leo Dobes, Crawford School of Economics and Government at the Australian National University, and at the University of Canberra, February 2009 [280 KB, PDF]  

Port Cities: Sea Level Rise and Storm Surge Risk  

This study is about coastal flood risk, sea level rise and storm surge in port cities. It assess the economic impacts of climate change in the city of Copenhagen by using a statistical analysis of past storm surges. The study creates a virtual city to assess flood risks and to design adaptation policies.                   

Assessing Climate Change Impacts, Sea Level Rise and Storm Surge Risk in Port Cities: A Case Study on Copenhagen, Stéphane Hallegatte et al., OECD Environment Working Papers, No. 3, OECD publishing, Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), 2008 [1.38 MB, PDF]

Climate Change and Health: A ‘Made in BC’ Set of Principles       

The paper describes the climate changes likely to occur in British Columbia (BC). It outlines the evidence linking climate change to adverse health outcomes. The paper suggests a set of principles and priorities for a research and policy agenda to improve adaptation to the health impacts of climate change in BC.                   

Climate Change and Health in British Columbia, Aleck Ostry et al., Pacific Institute for Climate Solutions, University of Victoria, BC, Canada, November 2008 [248 KB, PDF]

Adaptation Challenges – Land and Water Management in Asia

The paper identifies key development issues related to land and water management in the Himalayan and South East Asia (SEA) regions, and how these are likely to be affected by climate change. It highlights how adaptation can complement and reinforce innovations in land and water management to reduce rural poverty in the region.                        

Land and Water Resource Management in Asia: Challenges for Climate Adaptation (Paper prepared as background to a workshop held in Hanoi, Vietnam, in January 2009), Stephen Tyler and Liz Fajber, International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD), 2009 [386 KB, PDF]    

A Guidebook for Adaptation to Climate Change            

This guidebook explores the potential for adaptation by suggesting a process closely tied to on-going planning cycles to help decision-makers in incorporating climate responses into their local development initiatives. It emphasizes the importance of being proactive in creating responses that prepare communities for future climatic challenges.                

Canadian Communities’ Guidebook for Adaptation to Climate Change – Including an Approach to Generate Mitigation Co-benefits in the Context of Sustainable Development (first edition), Livia Bizikova, Tina Neale and Ian Burton, Environment Canada and University of British Columbia, Vancouver, 2008 [3.15 MB, PDF]

International Climate Conference: 4 Degrees and Beyond

This conference will take place from 28-30 September 2009 at University of Oxford, UK. It will assess the consequences of a change in global temperature above 4°C for a range of systems and sectors, and explore the options that are open for avoiding climate changes of this magnitude. Abstracts may be submitted before 01 May 2009.

4 Degrees and Beyond: Implications for People, Ecosystems and the Earth System, International Climate Conference, University of Oxford, Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research and the UK Met Office, UK, September 28-30, 2009