AdaptNet for 19 May 2009

1. Local Government Climate Change Adaptation Toolkit
2. Strategies to Adapt to an Uncertain Climate Change
3. California’s City of San Rafael Releases Climate Action Plan
4. Climate Change and New York City’s Energy Sector
5. How Do Recent Population Trends Matter to Climate Change?
6. 2010 Adaptation Conference – NCCARF and CSIRO

Policy Forum: Preventing Climate Change Is Destined to Fail: What’s Plan B? – Robert M Carver

Local Government Climate Change Adaptation Toolkit             

This toolkit outlines an adaptive management process and provides a set of tools and exercises meant to assist councils. The tools range from simple and self-directed templates to more complex exercises. The toolkit suggests how and when to use each of the included tools as a complement to the adaptive management process.                      

Local Government Climate Change Adaptation Toolkit, Cities for Climate Protection Australia Adaptation Initiative, Cities for Climate Protection Australia and ICLEI Oceania, Melbourne, Australia, March 2009 [1.49 MB, PDF]

Strategies to Adapt to an Uncertain Climate Change  

The paper discusses the role of uncertainty in adaptation strategies. It reviews practical adaptation strategies that can be implemented in anticipation. The paper calls for the development of innovative adaptation strategies able to cope with the uncertainty on future climates, and for more involvement of climate information end-users.                    

Strategies to Adapt to an Uncertain Climate Change, Stephane Hallegatte, Global Environmental Change, vol. 19, pp. 240-247, 2009 [subscription required]

California’s City of San Rafael Releases Climate Action Plan       

The San Rafael climate change action plan contains a list of specific actions that the city intends to pursue including a number of action items for adaptation. It highlights how the various actions will be implemented and monitored, and identifies what additional actions can be taken at different scales of governance.                    

City of San Rafael: Climate Change Action Plan, City of San Rafael, California, USA, April 2009 [2.08 MB, PDF]

Climate Change and New York City’s Energy Sector

The paper reviews existing literature on the impacts of climate change on energy supply and demand, and identifies potential vulnerabilities and climate risks in New York City. The paper characterizes a range of potential management, infrastructure and policy adaptations that may be employed as part of the city and state’s overall adaptation strategy.                         

Climate Change and New York City’s Energy Sector: Evaluation of Vulnerabilities, Impacts and Adaptation Strategies, Stephen A. Hammer and Lily Parshall, Draft Working Paper, Columbia University Center for Energy, Marine Transportation and Public Policy, South America, January 2009 [2.61 MB, PDF]    

How Do Recent Population Trends Matter to Climate Change?            

The paper explores the relationship between population and climate change. It investigates how recent demographic trends matter to worldwide efforts to adapt to climate change. The paper is the first in a three part series that builds the knowledge base on the role of population dynamics in climate change mitigation and adaptation.

How Do Recent Population Trends Matter to Climate Change? Leiwen Jiang and Karen Hardee, Working Paper 1, Population Action International, April 2009 [1.53 MB, PDF]

2010 Adaptation Conference – NCCARF and CSIRO

This conference will take place from 29 June to 1 July 2010 at Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia. It will explore the contribution of adaptation science to planning and policy making, and how robust adaptation decision making can proceed in the face of uncertainty about climate change and its impacts. For more information, please go to the website below. 

2010 International Climate Change Adaptation Conference, Co-hosted by Australia’s National Climate Change Adaptation Research Facility (NCCARF) and the CSIRO Climate Adaptation Flagship, Australia, 29 June to 1 July 2010                                                         

Policy Forum: Preventing Climate Change Is Destined to Fail: What’s Plan B?

Robert (Bob) M. Carter, Professor at James Cook University, Queensland writes, “Australia now needs a Plan B, which is the introduction of adaptive policies to deal with natural climate change, to replace the government’s current expensive, inefficient and ineffectual plans to “prevent human-caused global warming”. The failure of both Mr. Rudd and Mr. Turnbull to respond to this need by confronting ecosalvationist hysteria about imaginary global warming, and dealing sensibly also with the real threat of natural climate change, is now bidding fair to undermine their respective leadership positions.”

Preventing Climate Change Is Destined to Fail: What’s Plan B? Professor Robert (Bob) M. Carter, AdaptNet Policy Forum 09-01-P-Ad, 19 May 2009