AdaptNet for 02 June 2009

1. Climate Change Risks to Human Health in Australia

2. Asia’s Urban Infrastructure – Challenges and Opportunities

3. The U.S. State of New Hampshire Releases Climate Action Plan

4. Water Linkages in NAPAs – An Analysis

5. Children as DRR Advocates – El Salvador and Philippines

6. World Climate Conference (WCC-3) – 2009

Climate Change Risks to Human Health in Australia

The paper discusses the adverse health impacts of climate change on human health, with particular reference to Australia. It addresses the possible overlaps and interactions with Indonesia. The paper argues that while many climate change impacts will be of a local kind, many other impacts will be of a trans-boundary kind.

Climate Change in Australia: Risks to Human Wellbeing and Health, Anthony J McMichael, Nautilus Institute, RMIT University, Melbourne, Australia, March 2009 [232 KB, PDF]

Asia’s Urban Infrastructure – Challenges and Opportunities   

The East-West Center organised a seminar to examine the current trends, implications, and long-term strategic visions for managing Asia’s urban growth. This report summarises the dialogue. It highlights insights and issues identified by the participants to facilitate a common understanding of the challenges surrounding the rapid growth of cities in Asia.

The Urban Transformation in Asia: Policy Implications of Decentralization – A Seminar Report from the East-West Center, Allen L. Clark, Meril Dobrin Fujiki, and Mariko Davidson (editors), East-West Center, Hawai’i, USA, 2009 [2.49 MB, PDF]

The U.S. State of New Hampshire Releases Climate Action Plan

The New Hampshire Climate Action Plan focuses on achieving reductions in greenhouse gas emissions through mitigation, while also suggesting some adaptation strategies. The plan stresses the need for establishing a high degree of coordination and integration across all sectors of society for a successful implementation of the plan.

The New Hampshire Climate Action Plan: A Plan for New Hampshire’s Energy, Environmental and Economic Development Future, Prepared by the New Hampshire Climate Change Policy Task Force, New Hampshire, USA, March 2009 [6.71 MB, PDF]

Water Linkages in NAPAs – An Analysis

The report looks at water adaptation aspects in ongoing processes of formulating and implementing National Adaptation Programmes of Action (NAPAs). It argues that generally, National Adaptation Programmes of Action have a project-based bias and they are not very often integrating long-term development strategies to address water-related adaptation impacts.

Water Adaptation in NAPAs: Freshwater in Climate Adaptation Planning and Climate Adaptation in Freshwater Planning, Gunilla Björklund (lead author), UNDP Water Governance Facility (WGF), UNDP, January 2009 [986 KB, PDF]     

Children as DRR Advocates – El Salvador and Philippines

This paper explores children’s voices in disaster risk reduction (DRR) policy spaces. It assesses the level of capacity children have for preventing disasters. By conducting field research in El Salvador and Philippines, the paper highlights the contribution of children to minimising risks in disaster-prone developing countries.

Children as Agents of Change for Disaster Risk Reduction: Lessons from El Salvador and the Philippines, Tom Mitchell, Thomas Tanner and Katharine Haynes, Working Paper No. 1, Children in a Changing Climate, April 2009 [2.56 MB, PDF]

World Climate Conference (WCC-3) – 2009

This climate conference (WCC-3) will take place in Geneva from 31 August – 4 September 2009. It will focus on scientific advances in climate prediction and information to societal problems, enabling adaptation to climate variability and change in various sectors. Abstracts may be submitted by 15 June 2009.  

World Climate Conference (WCC-3), World Meteorological Organization (WMO), Geneva, Switzerland, 31 August – 4 September 2009