AdaptNet for 24 November 2009

1. Pathway to Climate-Adaptive Buildings – Australia 
2. Social Aspects of Climate Change in Urban Areas
3. Adaptation in the Mekong Delta – Concepts and Policies
4. Climate Change, Flooding and Food Security
5. Accommodating Migration to Promote Adaptation
6. International Forum on Tornado Disaster Risk Reduction  

Pathway to Climate-Adaptive Buildings – Australia             

The paper looks at some passive design principles frequently found in heritage buildings from the pre-air-conditioning era, which are based on heat avoidance and the harnessing of natural energies. It concludes with a series of recommendations for a holistic pathway to zero-carbon, climate-adaptive buildings.  

Developing a Holistic Pathway to Climate-Adaptive Buildings, Steffen Lehmann (the University of Newcastle, Australia), Journal of Green Building, vol. 4, issue 3, College Publishing, 2009 [subscription required]  

Social Aspects of Climate Change in Urban Areas

The paper considers the implications of climate change for social welfare and development in urban areas in low- and middle-income nations, with a focus on understanding the impacts of climate change on the most vulnerable populations. It identifies existing coping strategies that rely on social networks and interactions, and looks at how these can be developed and strengthened into more proactive mechanisms for adaptation.  

Social Aspects of Climate Change in Urban Areas in Low- and Middle-income Nations, Sheridan Bartlett et al., Fifth Urban Research Symposium, France, 2009 [601 KB, PDF]  

Adaptation in the Mekong Delta – Concepts and Policies         

The paper analyses the usefulness of existing theoretical frameworks in the field of resilience, using the example of institutions in the Mekong Delta. The paper argues that the concept of ‘adaptive renewal cycles’ provides useful information. However, the report adds that the concept needs to be supplemented and made more specific in order to offer transferable guidance for precautionary adaptation. 

Crises Prevention and Climate Change Adaptation in the Coupled Social-Ecological Systems of the Mekong Delta, Vietnam: The Need for Rethinking Concepts and Policies, Matthias Garschagen, Institute for Environment and Human Security, United Nations University, Bonn, Germany, 2009 [1.26 MB, PDF]  

Climate Change, Flooding and Food Security    

The paper examines interrelated issues of food security in the face of climate change in South Asia, with special reference to floods in Bangladesh. It argues that current procedures for the transfer of climate adaptation funds are limited, which marginalize various vulnerable groups and could aggravate social crises in South Asia. 

Climate Change, Flooding and Food Security in South Asia, Ian Douglas, Food Security, vol. 1, number 2, pp. 127–136, Springer Netherland, 2009 [subscription required]  

Accommodating Migration to Promote Adaptation

The report reviews the literature on: climate change and migration; resettlement; migration and development; and environmental migration and violent conflict. It examines the lessons emerging from research on migration and development. The report argues that there is considerable potential to harness migration to promote adaptation to climate change in communities.  

Accommodating Migration to Promote Adaptation to Climate Change, Jon Barnett and Michael Webber (University of Melbourne, Australia), Commission on Climate Change and Development, 2009 [545 KB, PDF]  

International Forum on Tornado Disaster Risk Reduction  

This forum will take place in Dhaka, Bangladesh on 13-14 December 2009. It aims to: understand severe local storm disaster risks in Bangladesh; raise awareness of the risks at local, national, and international levels; and develop a strategy to reduce the risks through active interactions among international, national and local experts, practitioners and decision makers.  

International Forum on Tornado Disaster Risk Reduction for Bangladesh – To Cope with Neglected Severe Disasters, Tokyo Polytechnic University Global COE Program, Asian Disaster Reduction Center, Government of Bangladesh, Bangladesh Disaster Preparedness Center, and International Association of Wind Engineering, Dhaka, Bangladesh, 13-14 December 2009