1. Sea-level Rise and Adaptation Options – Gold Coast
2. Rio+20: The Emerging Challenge of an Ageing World
3. Mapping Climate Change Vulnerabilities to Infectious Diseases
4. Adaptation and Vulnerability Assessment – Water Resources
5. Promoting Pro-environmental Action in Climate Change Deniers
6. UNU Conference on Earth System Governance – Japan
Sea-level Rise and Adaptation Options – Gold Coast
Gold Coast, Australia is a coastal resort city whose urban environment has evolved through a series of human interventions on the natural shoreline. Climate change consequently holds particular challenges for this city. This paper considers adaptation options for Gold Coast under various future sea-level rise (SLR) scenarios at the high end of current predictions for the next century (+1 m, +2 m and +5 m) with the proviso that the beach and waterways must be preserved to enable the city to continue to exist as a resort.
Extreme Sea-level Rise and Adaptation Options for Coastal Resort Cities: A Qualitative Assessment from the Gold Coast, Australia, J.A.G. Cooper, C. Lemckert , Ocean & Coastal Management, vol. 64, pp. 1-14, August 2012 [subscription required]
Rio+20: The Emerging Challenge of an Ageing World
The paper addresses demographic change and the global ageing population debate as part of the challenges to sustainable development. It considers: (i) older people’s vulnerability to shocks and stresses; and (ii) the knowledge and contribution of older people to disaster risk reduction and climate change adaptation, using examples from Bangladesh, Bolivia and India. The paper provides policy recommendations for the Rio+20 that support healthy and resilient ageing populations.
Rio+20: The Emerging Challenge of an Ageing World, Clare Harris and Bethan Emmett, Discussion Paper, HelpAge International, May 2012 [1.54 MB, PDF]
Mapping Climate Change Vulnerability to Infectious Diseases
The paper examines the preparedness of European countries for the impact of climate change on infectious diseases. It surveys government officials (designated as competent bodies for scientific advice concerning infectious diseases) to examine the degree to which they are concerned about potential effects of climate change on infectious diseases, as well as their perceptions of institutional capacities in their respective countries.
Mapping Climate Change Vulnerabilities to Infectious Diseases in Europe, Jan C. Semenza et al., Environmental Health Perspectives, vol. 120, no. 3, March 2012 [22.3 MB, PDF]
Adaptation and Vulnerability Assessment – Water Resources
This study proposes a generalized framework for a scientifically based vulnerability assessment to support participatory decision making processes in the field of water resources management (WRM), with a specific interest for climate change adaptation. It presents a feasibility study in the context of the Lower Brahmaputra River Basin (LBRB) to identify the current main constraints (e.g., lack of institutional coordination) and opportunities (e.g., adaptation).
Climate Change Adaptation and Vulnerability Assessment of Water Resources Systems in Developing Countries, Animesh K. Gain, Carlo Giupponi and Fabrice G. Renaud, Water 2012, vol. 4, pp. 345-366, doi:10.3390/w4020345, 2012 [524 KB, PDF]
Promoting Pro-environmental Action in Climate Change Deniers
The paper examines how pro-environmental behaviours can be promoted among those who are anthropogenic climate change deniers. In order to motivate deniers’ pro-environmental actions, the paper argues that communication should focus on how mitigation efforts can promote a better society, rather than focusing on the reality of climate change and averting its risks.
Promoting Pro-environmental Action in Climate Change Deniers, Paul G. Bain et al., Letters, Nature Climate Change, 17 June 2012 [199 KB, PDF]
UNU Conference on Earth System Governance – Japan
This conference will take place at the United Nations University (UNU), Tokyo, Japan from 28-31 January 2013. It will focus on the following five thematic areas: architecture of earth system governance in the 21st century; climate governance architecture; the nexus between architecture and the other “As”; political dynamics on emerging agencies and architecture; and nuclear safety and post-disaster governance.
UNU Conference on Earth System Governance, UN University Institute of Advanced Studies (UNU-IAS), the International Environmental Governance Architecture Research Group and the Tokyo Institute of Technology, 28-31 January 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.