AdaptNet for 8 September 2009

1. Climate Change Management Plan – South East Queensland

2. Towards Climate Neutral Cities: A Regional Perspective

3. Global Climate Change Impacts in the United States

4. Adaptation Costs: A Critique of the UNFCCC Estimates

5. Closing the Gaps – Ethics of Climate Change

6. Advancing Sustainability in a Time of Crisis – Conference

AdaptNet Special Report, Progress on Community-based Adaptation – Jessica Ayers, Saleem Huq and Tim Forsyth

Climate Change Management Plan – South East Queensland             

This South East Queensland (Australia) climate change management plan contains proposed plans – ‘draft actions’ – to reduce emissions and help the region become more resilient to the impacts of climate change. It is now available for public comment. Submissions on the draft plan may be forwarded by 11 September 2009.  

Draft South East Queensland Climate Change Management Plan, Department of Infrastructure and Planning, City East Queensland, Queensland Government, Australia, July 2009 [989 KB, PDF]  

 Towards Climate Neutral Cities: A Regional Perspective

The paper outlines how certain actions (smart growth, increased green spaces, energy efficiency in buildings, and others) taken at the city level can enhance overall urban sustainability. It argues that enhancing energy efficiency and reducing GHG emissions in cities are key steps to achieving the Kyoto Protocol and any post-Kyoto commitments.  

Towards Climate Neutral Cities: A Regional Perspective, Consideration of the Outcomes of the Seminar on ‘Climate Neutral Cities’, Economic Commission for Europe, United Nations Economic and Social Council, July 2009 [85.2 KB, PDF]  

Global Climate Change Impacts in the United States        

The report summarizes what is known about the observed and projected consequences of climate change on the United States. It focuses on climate change impacts in different regions of the United States and on various aspects of the economy such as water, energy, transport, agriculture, ecosystems, health, and society.  

Global Climate Change Impacts in the United States, Thomas R. Karl, Jerry M. Melillo, and Thomas C. Peterson (editors), U.S. Global Change Research Program, Cambridge University Press, New York, USA, 2009 [13.0 MB, PDF]  

Adaptation Costs: A Critique of the UNFCCC Estimates    

The study considers the relative strengths and weaknesses of the UNFCCC (UN Framework Convention on Climate Change) estimates of adaptation costs. It determines what steps can be taken to improve the understanding of the issue. The study stresses the need for transparent refinement of cost estimates for responding to climate change.  

Assessing the Costs of Adaptation to Climate Change: A Review of the UNFCCC and other Recent Estimates, Martin Parry et al., International Institute for Environment and Development (UK) and the Grantham Institute for Climate Change, Imperial College London (UK), August 2009 [1.95 MB, PDF]  

Closing the Gaps – Ethics of Climate Change

The paper focuses on the human dimension of climate change. It examines the ethics of climate change, mitigation, and adaptation, including the trust gap between developed and developing countries. The paper argues that the only solution to climate change is a rapid move towards a low-carbon global economy, so that adaptation actions remain possible to implement.  

Closing the Gaps: Disaster Risk Reduction and Adaptation to Climate Change in Developing Countries, Linda Starke (editor), Commission on Climate Change and Development, Stockholm, Sweden, 2009 [3.44 MB, PDF]  

Advancing Sustainability in a Time of Crisis – Conference

This conference will take place from 22-25 August 2010 in Germany. It will focus on different themes, including: climate change – causes, impacts, mitigation, and adaptation; energy – renewable energy, energy flows, peak oil, green stimulus policies, energy and entropy, alternative energy and energy distribution technology. Abstracts may be submitted by 31 October 2009.  

ISEE Conference 2010: Advancing Sustainability in a Time of Crisis, International Society for Ecological Economics (ISEE), Oldenburg and Bremen, Germany, August 25-26, 2010  

AdaptNet Special Report, Progress on Community-based Adaptation – Jessica Ayers, Saleem Huq and Tim Forsyth 

Jessica Ayers and Tim Forsyth, working with the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE) at the University of London, and Saleem Huq, Senior Fellow at International Institute of Environment and Development (IIED), UK write, “While still a relatively new approach to climate change adaptation, the CBA agenda has grown in size and significance over the past few years. There have been three international conferences on CBA since 2005, and projects are now in operation in vulnerable communities in both developing and also some developed countries. Yet, questions remain over: What is community-based adaptation to climate change (versus more general climatic variability?) How do we do it? Who or what adapts? How does CBA fit with larger scale adaptation policies and programs? This article looks at the progress that has been made on CBA over the past few years, and considers the challenges that remain for those engaged in CBA.”

Progress on Community-based Adaptation – Jessica Ayers, Saleem Huq, and Tim Forsyth, London School of Economics and Political Science at the University of London, and International Institute of Environment and Development (IIED), UK, AdaptNet Special Report 09-06-S-Ad, 8 September 2009