AdaptNet for 28 October 2008

1. Adaptation Research Plan for Human Health – Australia
2. Roots of Resilience – Growing the Wealth of the Poor
3. Science Brief: The Causes of Global Climate Change
4. The Economics of Ecosystems and Biodiversity
5. Indigenous Peoples, Climate Adaptation and International Fora
6. Conference: EnviroEnergy 2009 – India

1. Adaptation Research Plan for Human Health – Australia      

This draft plan presents the research agenda through which Australia could acquire understanding of the health risks from climate change, and how to reduce those risks via planned adaptive interventions. The plan identifies critical gaps in the information needed by decision makers, industry and the community, and sets research priorities based on these gaps.         

National Adaptation Research Plan (Human Health): Consultation Draft, AJ McMichael et al., National Climate Change Adaptation Research Facility (NCCARF), Griffith University, Australia, October 2008 [652 KB, PDF] 

2. Roots of Resilience – Growing the Wealth of the Poor  

The report argues that increased resilience must be part of the response to the risks of climate change. It finds that properly designed enterprises can create economic, social, and environmental resilience that reduce the impacts of climate change, and help provide needed social stability.            

World Resources 2008: Roots of Resilience – Growing the Wealth of the Poor, Report Published by the World Resources Institute (WRI) in collaboration with United Nations Development Programme, United Nations Environment Programme, and World Bank, Washington DC, USA, 2008 [19.8 MB, PDF] 

3. Science Brief: The Causes of Global Climate Change       

This brief describes recent scientific progress in identifying the causes of climate change. It finds that scientific understanding of the causes of climate change has progressed dramatically in the past few years. The brief concludes that there is strong evidence that greenhouse gases released to the atmosphere by human activities are the main cause of contemporary global warming.        

The Causes of Global Climate Change (updated version), Science Brief 1, Pew Center on Global Climate Change, Arlington, USA, August 2008 [2.16 MB, PDF] 

4. The Economics of Ecosystems and Biodiversity  

The report finds that lack of valuation is an underlying cause for the observed degradation of ecosystems and the loss of biodiversity. It addresses this challenge and makes an economic case for conservation of ecosystems and biodiversity. The report helps frame valuation exercises for Earth’s ecosystems, including in its scope all material values across the most significant biomes.          

The Economics of Ecosystems and Biodiversity: An Interim Report, Pavan Sukhdev (study leader), European Communities, Germany, 2008 [4.76 MB, PDF]

5. Indigenous Peoples, Climate Adaptation and International Fora     

This paper focuses on the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and its Kyoto Protocol. It provides a summary of each of the agreements mentioned. The paper looks at climate change, adaptation and indigenous peoples in the context of these agreements, analyses formal rules for observer status and provides strategic considerations.        

Ways for Indigenous Peoples’ Groups to Advance Adaptation Concerns and Solutions through International Fora, Prepared for the Inuit Circumpolar Council (Alaska), Foundation for International Environmental Law (FIELD), London, UK, August 2008 [323 KB, PDF]

6. Conference: EnviroEnergy 2009 – India     

This conference will take place in Chandigarh, India on 19-21 March 2009. It will address the challenges in the areas of energy and environment (for example; climate change, global warming, trans-boundary impacts of energy use, biodiversity conservation, deforestation) to achieve sustainable development. Paper proposals may be submitted by 31 October 2008.    

EnviroEnergy 2009: International Conference on Energy and Environment, National Institute of Technology, Kurukshetra, India, 19-21 March 2009                                               

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