Dissertations / Theses: 'Ecosystem adaptation to climate change'

1

Oh, Yu Kyung. "Climate change adaptation in London through resilient ecosystem services management." Thesis, King's College London (University of London), 2018. https://kclpure.kcl.ac.uk/portal/en/theses/climate-change-adaptation-in-london-through-resilient-ecosystem-services-management(c1b8b3aa-04d5-4151-83da-9971ed59f95f).html.

Full text

Abstract:

As urban populations continue to grow around the world, cities and their residents become increasingly vulnerable to climate change risks. Detrimental impacts on natural ecosystems have been observed in the built environment, as well as poorer quality of life. As urban areas are characterised by complex adaptive systems, the concept of ecosystem services represents an important tool for the management of urban socio-environmental quality and can be applied to climate change adaptation and mitigation strategies. This thesis investigates London’s potential resilience to climate changes through ecosystem services management. In particular, the socioecological capacity of the All London Green Grid for contributing to climate change resilience via patterns of green spaces, and carbon storage and sequestration through urban street trees, will be the central focus in the research. This capacity was assessed firstly by conducting an evaluation of the landscape metrics of Greater London’s green spaces to determine the extent and quality of green infrastructure, and how this varies according to relevant socioeconomic variables. This was achieved using GIS and the spatial analysis programme FRAGSTATS. This broad-scale evaluation was then supported by greater in-depth field measurements, focusing specifically on street trees, within selected eleven Business Improvement Districts (BIDs), which are an important vehicle for the local management of the ALGG and thereby climate resilience. This local-scale assessment also incorporated greater evaluation of ecosystem service provision by vegetation, and in particular street trees and their capacity for carbon storage and sequestration. Finally, governance of green spaces within BIDs and broader understanding of resilience and climate change was assessed with qualitative research methods, including semi-structured interviews of different agents and agencies involved in the ALGG network. This included investigation of decision-makers’ perspectives on vulnerabilities and the prospects for further developing London green spaces, to determine the feasibility of different management options.

APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles

2

Iacob, Oana. "Natural flood management : an ecosystem based adaptation response for climate change." Thesis, University of Dundee, 2015. https://discovery.dundee.ac.uk/en/studentTheses/d0a9eb21-dbcb-40a0-ab5f-b36ca2e94041.

Full text

Abstract:

Climate change is one of the most pressing issues facing civil society. Scientific evidence indicates the likelihood of greater variability and more frequent extremes of temperature and precipitation which will result in increased flood risk and corresponding social, economic and environmental impacts. Complementing more traditional structurally-based engineering interventions, an important additionaladaptation strategy is through natural flood management (NFM). NFM seeks to utilise natural processes (i.e. by promoting higher infiltration through land management practices) to attenuate flood peaks. Such measures have wider significance in the context of Ecosystem based Adaptation (EbA), to deliver highly beneficial solutions as they provide important benefits in relation to runoff rates but also in terms of wider environmental aspects (e.g. water quality, biodiversity). The present study used a holistic approach to evaluate the effectiveness of NFM options in reducing the flood risk for the current and future climate with a consideration also for the wider delivery of ecosystem services. Tarland Burn catchment (NE Scotland) was used as a platform to explore individual adaptation options through woodland expansion (distinguishing between coniferous and deciduous) and drainage schemes, together with land use scenarios that explore emergent socio-economic contexts. The distributed hydrological model WaSiM-ETH was utilised for the analysis linking land management options with climate projections obtained from UK Climate Projections (UKCP09). Modelling results showed that the magnitude of extreme weather events is expected to increase up to the end of the century with important implications for climate adaptation strategies. Woodland expansion could help attenuate the high flows, with the benefit for flood protection significantly higher for coniferous woodland compared to deciduous woodland and up to 1.5 more if woodland is located in lowland areas. However, modelling results suggested that there are potential negative impacts of afforestation on low flows (and hence water quality) which could exacerbate existing vulnerabilities. This may become an even greater issue in the future as summers are predicted to be drier and warmer. Improving the efficiency of the drainage network was seen to reduce the high flows, though the results are marginal for the winter when most floods occur. Modelling results suggested that climate change will eventually exceed the capacity of beneficial land use change by itself (through NFM measures) to avoid significant changes on catchment hydrology. This has important implications as other complementary engineered solutions may therefore be required to counteract the adverse impacts of climate change on flood risk. Moreover, the EbA assessments results indicated that NFM options may not always be ‘win-win’ solutions as commonly advertised (McShane et al., 2011). Instead trade-offs between the delivery of different services may be required and decisions should be aimed at maximizing benefits whilst minimizing the disbenefits. This novel approach highlighted that land use change should be carefully managed and the choices about land use and flood risk should always have at their core an enhancement of landscape resilience, particularly at the catchment scale.

APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles

3

Mellmann, Niels. "Ecosystem-based adaptation – In Theory and Practice : A case study of projects supported by the International Climate Initiative." Thesis, Uppsala universitet, Institutionen för geovetenskaper, 2015. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:uu:diva-260729.

Full text

Abstract:

Ecosystem-based adaptation as a concept of adapting to the adverse effects of climate change has become a popular approach that enjoys a good reputation. However, the evidence base for it is rather thin. This thesis sets out to explore the challenges and limitations linked to projects that engage in the concept, in order to estimate the potential threat that may lie in the ignorance of them. Timescales of projects related to the concept shall be the second major focus of this thesis as it has not been sufficiently examined yet by the literature. Empirical material has been gathered and analyzed in the form of interviews with people who have been and are currently working in projects related to ecosystem-based adaptation. The results allow recommendations for the implementation of future projects, as lessons learned were identified.

APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles

4

Blanco, González Víctor. "Modelling adaptation strategies for Swedish forestry under climate and global change." Thesis, University of Edinburgh, 2017. http://hdl.handle.net/1842/25380.

Full text

Abstract:

Adaptation is necessary to cope with, or take advantage of, the effects of climate change on socio-ecological systems. This is especially important in the forestry sector, which is sensitive to the ecological and economic impacts of climate change, and where the adaptive decisions of owners play out over long periods of time. These decisions are subject to experienced and expected impacts, and depend upon the temporal interactions of a range of individual and institutional actors. Knowledge of, and responses to, climate change are therefore very important if forestry is to cope with, or take advantage of, the effects of climate change over longer timescales. It is important to understand the role of human behaviour and decision-making processes in the study of complex socio-ecological systems and modelling is a method that can support experiments to advance this understanding. This study is based on the development of CRAFTY-Sweden; an agent-based model that allows the exploration of Swedish land-use dynamics and adaptation to climate change through scenario analysis. In CRAFTY-Sweden, forest and farmland owners make land use and management decisions according to their objectives, management preferences and capabilities. As a result of their management and location characteristics they are able to provide ecosystem services. To explore future change, quantitative scenarios were used that considered both socio-economic development pathways and climatic change. Simulations were run under the different scenarios for the period 2010-2100, for the whole of Sweden. Furthermore, because institutions (i.e. organisations) also influence socio-ecological systems through their actions and interactions between them and with land owners and the environment, a conceptual model of institutional actions applied to socio-ecological systems was developed. The application of this conceptual model was explored through a model of institutions that can act, interact and adapt to environmental change in attempting to affect ecosystem service provision within a simple forestry governance system. I found that forestry in the future will likely be unable to meet societal demands for forest services solely on the basis of autonomous adaptation. A northward expansion of agriculture and especially of forestry proved positive for both sectors to adapt to changing conditions, under several scenarios, given the substantial land availability and the improved environmental conditions for plant growth. Legacy effects of past land-use change can have a great impact on future land-use change and adaptation processes, especially in forestry. Also, greater competition for land may lead to shorter forest rotation times. Socio-economic change and land owner behavioural differences may have a larger impact on owner competitiveness, land-use change and ecosystem service provision than climate-driven changes in land productivity. Different owner objectives and behaviour resulted in different levels of ecosystem service provision. Also, particular forest types were differently suitable for adaptation depending on the sets of objectives under which they were managed. Owners implementing particular management strategies can be differently competitive under different future scenarios, and the suitability of such strategies for adaptation is not a static, inherent characteristic of a system. Instead, it evolves in response to changing contexts that include both the external global change drivers and the internal dynamics of agent interactions. Additionally, institutional conceptual models as presented here can support better understanding of the key institutional decision-making dynamics and their consequences, endogenously, flexibly across different socio-ecological systems. Finally, study limitations, future research and the policy relevance of findings are discussed.

APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles

5

Boltemo, Edholm Jenny. "How can Ecosystem Services be implemented in local Climate Adaptation? : A case study of Arjeplog." Thesis, Mittuniversitetet, Institutionen för ekoteknik- och hållbart byggande, 2019. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:miun:diva-36856.

Full text

Abstract:

Ecosystem services are essential for human climate adaptation. As climate change is a direct driver of change for ecosystem service provisioning, it is of importance to care for our ecosystems to be able to cope with future challenges. Local governance has a central role in climate adaptation due to its responsibility in physical planning. To be able to plan for changes driven by climate change, a flexible, adaptive strategy is necessary. Ecosystem-based Adaptation, EbA, can provide this flexibility to an overall adaptation strategy. In this case study, the potential of EbA to help Nature-based Tourism, NbT, to adapt to a changing climate was spatially mapped to be a useful part of the basis for local physical planning. The mapping includes areas of biodiversity, water infrastructure and features that provide resilience to climate change. The results show that there are areas with potential for EbA that can address adverse effects of climate change for the NbT. These spatial mapped areas provide an instant overview of the key areas to consider when planning for climate adaptation. These mapped areas are also combined with a qualitative assessment of the potential for EbA. By providing decision-makers with information on where and how ecosystem services can assist local climate adaptation, decisions that support both the future of humanity and ecosystems are enabled. However, to reach enforcement of EbA, the knowledge has to be included in binding documents such as detail plans.

APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles

6

Hall, Elin. "Sustainable forests: A strategy for climate change adaptation and mitigation? : A case study from Babati District, Tanzania." Thesis, Södertörn University College, School of Life Sciences, 2009. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:sh:diva-2719.

Full text

Abstract:

This Bachelor‟s thesis aims at explaining the relationship between forests and climate change, a subject that has been given a lot of attention in environmental discussions in recent years, particularly because forests are a source of carbon dioxide emissions and in the same time have the potential to mitigate climate change through carbon sequestration. However, with the importance of mitigation as a background, the focus of this study is on adaptation. The purpose is to identify mutual benefits from the diverse forest ecosystems, and examine the possible benefits from forests to the rural poor population in Tanzania, in a future scenario of increased vulnerability to climate change. The methodology for the study can be divided into two parts, one qualitative literature study and one field study in Babati District northern Tanzania, limited to interviews and excursions. This thesis gives details about the scientific projections and local perceptions of climate change and the effects of climate change. The results of the thesis highlights the importance of sustainably managed forests and agroforestry systems, which have been successful in Babati through local participation; economic incentives such as carbon credit and other payments for ecosystem services, which is a possible future extension of forestry activities; and increased integration between sectors, which make sure that adaptation within different sectors can be done simultaneously.

APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles

7

Comte, Adrien. "Coral reefs ecosystem services under global environmental change : interdisciplinary approaches to guide science and action." Thesis, Brest, 2018. http://www.theses.fr/2018BRES0002/document.

Full text

Abstract:

Les changements environnementaux globaux (CEG) menacent les écosystèmes marins et les populations humaines qui en dépendent. Une recherche scientifique croissante tente d’évaluer les impacts des changements environnementaux sur les écosystèmes et les services écosystémiques, notamment pour guider les politiques publiques. Focalisée sur les systèmes socio-écologiques (SSE) des récifs coralliens, cette thèse analyse les approches proposées dans la littérature et conçoit de nouvelles méthodologies, évaluations et indicateurs pour guider la science et l’action publique. Nous montrons qu’une stratégie de recherche régionale doit prendre en compte la complexité et produire de meilleures projections des impacts des CEG sur les récifs coralliens et les services associés. Nous cartographions des indicateurs à l’échelle globale pour évaluer où la dépendance des sociétés aux récifs coralliens sera affectée par les menaces globales dues à un niveau de CO2 élevé. Nous analysons comment la science répond aux impacts des CEG sur les récifs coralliens et nous identifions des pistes pour la recherche. Enfin, nous opérationnalisons une facette de la vulnérabilité, la capacité d’adaptation écologique, pour servir d’outil pour évaluer l’effectivité des actions locales dans un contexte de CEG. Ce manuscrit contribue à des avancées théoriques et méthodologiques sur l’évaluation des impacts, de la vulnérabilité et de l’adaptation aux CEG. Il développe des approches interdisciplinaires pour l’étude des SSE et des services écosystémiques, ciblant les récifs coralliens comme étude de cas. Enfin, il analyse l’émergence d’un champ scientifique sur les solutions aux GEC pour les récifs coralliens
Global environmental change (GEC) in the ocean threatens marine ecosystems and the people who depend on them. A growing scientific effort is attempting to evaluate the impacts of environmental changes on ecosystems and ecosystem services and guide policy-making to respond to this global issue. Focusing on social-ecological systems of coral reefs, this thesis critically reviews the approaches put forward in the literature to understand gaps and to design new methodologies, assessments, and indicators to guide science and policy. Our findings show that a regionally targeted strategy of research should address complexity and provide more realistic projections about the impacts of GEC on coral reefs ecosystems and ecosystem services. We map global-scale indicators to understand where human dependence on coral reef ecosystems will be affected by globally-driven threats expected in a high-CO2 world. We then analyze how science is responding to the challenge posed by GEC on coral reefs and to identify gaps in research.Finally, we attempt to operationalize an overlooked component of vulnerability assessments, ecological adaptive capacity, to serve as a tool to help assess where local actions can be effective in the context of climate change. This manuscript contributes to theoretical and methodological advances to evaluate impacts, vulnerability and adaptation to GEC. It develops interdisciplinary approaches for the study of social-ecological systems and ecosystem services, targeting coral reefs as a case study. Finally, it synthesizes critically the emergence of a scientific field on solutions to GEC for coral reef social-ecological systems

APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles

8

Jeremias, Guilherme de Abreu. "The evolutionary role of epigenetic mechanisms : the adaptation of freshwater organisms to climate change." Master's thesis, Universidade de Aveiro, 2018. http://hdl.handle.net/10773/22025.

Full text

Abstract:

Mestrado em Biologia Molecular e Celular
Freshwater is a precious resource for humankind. Nevertheless, freshwater systems face not only significant anthropogenic pressure but also numerous transformations induced by climate change. Nowadays, climate change is recognized as a serious threat to freshwater ecosystems and, on a global scale, freshwater biodiversity is in rapid decline. In the last few years, epigenetics has been gaining importance in several scientific fields, such as human health and developmental biology. In fact, epigenetic mechanisms can influence phenotype determination and epigenetically acquired phenotypes are known to be inherited across several generations. Therefore, epigenetics is a promising but unexplored topic in a significant number of scientific fields. Taking into account that the global aim of this work was to explore the resilience of freshwater species to cope with the environmental transformations induced by climate change, its main specific objectives were: i) to review the impacts of climate change on freshwater ecosystems, and explore the link between epigenetic mechanisms and the adaptation of different species to the associated phenomena; ii) to assess the relevance of epigenetic mechanisms in the adaptation of Daphnia magna to an increase in water salinity. An extensive review was made leading to the conclusion that climate change is transforming the composition, biodiversity and functioning of numerous freshwater ecosystems. Additionally, this study highlighted that, in the context of climate change, the rise in water temperature and/or salinity are the major threats to freshwater biodiversity, while epigenetic mechanisms can have a decisive role in constraining both short- and long-term adaptation of different taxonomic groups to the environmental transformations induced by climate change. As the second objective was tackled, the exposure of one generation of Daphnia magna to increased salinity showed that there is a molecular adaptation to the hyperosmotic environment at the epigenetic level. For some genes, this epigenetic adaptation was transferred across three successive generations, none of which exposed to the stressor challenging the parental generation. Generally, this work supports the idea that epigenetic mechanisms are a promising topic in the fields of aquatic toxicology and evolutionary biology, as well as in research undertaken in their intersection.
A água doce é um dos recursos mais preciosos para a humanidade. No entanto, para além de serem alvo de significativas pressões antropogénicas, os sistemas dulçaquícolas enfrentam diversas transformações impostas pelas alterações climáticas. Em particular, as alterações climáticas são, hoje em dia, reconhecidas como uma ameaça séria para os ecossistemas dulçaquícolas, sendo que, à escala global, a biodiversidade de água doce está em rápido declínio. Nos últimos anos, a epigenética tem ganho importância em diversos campos científicos, como a saúde humana e a biologia do desenvolvimento. De facto, os mecanismos epigenéticos regulam o aparecimento de novos fenótipos, estando comprovado que os fenótipos determinados epigeneticamente podem ser transmitidos ao longo de sucessivas gerações. Assim, a epigenética é um tema promissor mas largamente inexplorado num grande número de áreas científicas. Procurando avaliar a resiliência das espécies dulçaquícolas para lidar com as transformações ambientais impostas pelas alterações climáticas, este trabalho teve como principais objetivos: i) rever os impactos das alterações climáticas nos ecossistemas dulçaquícolas, explorando a relação entre os mecanismos epigenéticos e a adaptação de diversos grupos de organismos a este fenómeno; ii) avaliar a potencial importância dos mecanismos epigenéticos na adaptação de Daphnia magna a um aumento na salinidade das águas. Uma extensa revisão da literatura foi efetuada, tendo sido concluído que as alterações climáticas estão a alterar a composição, biodiversidade e funcionamento dos ecossistemas dulçaquícolas. Adicionalmente, este trabalho evidenciou que, no contexto das alterações climáticas, o aumento da temperatura e/ou salinidade da água são as principais ameaças para a biodiversidade dulçaquícola, sendo que os mecanismos epigenéticos podem contribuir decisivamente para a adaptação de diferentes grupos taxonómicos, tanto a curto como a longo prazo, às flutuações e transformações ambientais provocadas pelas alterações climáticas. Na abordagem do segundo objetivo desta dissertação, a exposição de uma geração de Daphnia magna a um aumento de salinidade na água induziu uma adaptação molecular, ao nível epigenético, ao ambiente hipertónico. Para alguns genes, esta adaptação epigenética foi transferida ao longo de três sucessivas gerações, nenhuma das quais expostas ao agente de stress a que esteve exposta a geração parental. Globalmente, este trabalho suporta a ideia de que os mecanismos epigenéticos são um tema promissor nas áreas da ecotoxicologia aquática e biologia evolutiva, bem como na interface entre estas duas áreas de investigação.

APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles

9

Padfield, Daniel. "Scaling the effects of warming on metabolism from organisms to ecosystems." Thesis, University of Exeter, 2017. http://hdl.handle.net/10871/30443.

Full text

Abstract:

Understanding the impact of warming on organisms, communities and ecosystems is a central problem in ecology. Although species responses to warming are well documented, our ability to scale up to predict community and ecosystem properties is limited. Improving understanding of the mechanisms that link patterns and processes over multiple levels of organisation and across spatial and temporal scales promises to enhance our ability to predict whether the biosphere will exacerbate, or mitigate, climate warming. In this thesis, I combine ideas from metabolic theory with a variety of experimental approaches to further our understanding of how warming will impact photosynthesis and respiration across scales. Firstly, I show how phytoplankton can rapidly evolve increased thermal tolerance by downregulating rates of respiration more than photosynthesis. This increased carbon-use efficiency meant that evolved populations allocated more fixed carbon to growth. I then explore how constraints on individual physiology and community size structure influence phytoplankton community metabolism. Using metabolic theory, I link community primary production and respiration to the size- and temperature- dependence of individual physiology and the distribution of abundance and body size. Finally, I show that selection on photosynthetic traits within and across taxa dampens the effects of temperature on ecosystem-level gross primary production in a set of geothermal streams. Across the thermal-gradient, autotrophs from cold streams had higher photosynthetic rates than autotrophs from warm streams. At the ecosystem-level, the temperature-dependence of gross primary productivity was similar to that of organism-level photosynthesis. However, this was due to covariance between biomass and stream temperature; after accounting for the effects of biomass, gross primary productivity was independent of temperature. Collectively, this work emphasises the importance of ecological, evolutionary and physiological mechanisms that shape how metabolism responds to warming over multiple levels of organisation. Incorporating both the direct and indirect effects of warming on metabolism into predictions of the biosphere to climate futures should be considered a priority.

APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles

10

Baier, Camilla. "Integration of ecosystem-based adaptation measures in urban planning : Insights from Copenhagen and Malmö." Thesis, KTH, Hållbar utveckling, miljövetenskap och teknik, 2020. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:kth:diva-284343.

Full text

Abstract:

A key challenge for sustainable urban development is to deal with the effects of climate change. To approach this issue, ecosystem-based adaptation (EbA), i.e. the use of ecosystem services for climate adaptation, has been promoted by both scholars and practitioners. In this context, the thesis addresses two research questions: how EbA is included in strategic climate adaptation planning and how EbA is implemented in practice. To tackle these topics, the study uses a multiple case study design, where the process from strategic planning to its implementation is investigated in two Northern European cities: Copenhagen and Malmö. To collect in-depth data, qualitative methods were used: a document analysis and semi-structured interviews with planning officials were conducted. The findings of the study show that there is a high degree of awareness of the different EbA measures, their potential role to address climate change effects and their co-benefits in climate adaptation plans. However, the practical implementation of the plans was executed only at a project-based scale to address some climate change impacts rather than holistically and on a regional level. The main EbA measure that was used was the expansion and transformation of public green space. The thesis concludes that a more comprehensive approach concerning the use of EbA is needed and further mainstreaming is highly required.
En viktig utmaning för hållbar stadsutveckling är att adressera effekterna av de stundande klimatförändringar. För att ta sig an denna fråga har användningen av ekosystembaserad anpassning (EbA), dvs. användningen av ekosystemtjänster för klimatanpassning, främjats av både forskare och utövare. I detta sammanhang behandlar studien två forskningsfrågor: hur EbA ingår i strategisk klimatanpassningsplanering och hur EbA implementeras i praktiken. Studien innehåller en fallstudie- design, där processen från strategisk planering till dess genomförande undersöks i två nordeuropeiska städer: Köpenhamn och Malmö. För att samla in data användes två kvalitativa metoder: en dokumentanalys och semistrukturerade intervjuer med tjänstepersoner på kommuner. Resultaten från studien visar att det finns en hög grad av medvetenhet om de olika EbA åtgärderna, deras potentiella roll för att hantera klimatförändringseffekter och deras synergier i klimatanpassningsplaner. Det praktiska genomförandet av planerna utfördes endast i en projektbaserad skala för att ta med vissa klimatförändringseffekter snarare än på ett holistiskt vis och på en större regional nivå. Den viktigaste EbA åtgärden som användes var utbyggnaden eller omvandlingen av de offentliga grönytorna. Sammanfattningsvis har studien visat på att det finns behov av ett mer heltäckande tillvägagångssätt och ytterligare integrering beträffande användandet av EbA krävs.

APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles

11

Gomez, Maria. "Modeling Coastal Vulnerability for Insight into Mangrove and Coral Reef Conservation Efforts in Cuba." BYU ScholarsArchive, 2018. https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/etd/7562.

Full text

Abstract:

Cuba’s expansive coral reefs and mangrove habitats provide a variety of ecosystem services to coastal communities including nursery grounds for fisheries, shoreline stability, and storm and flood protection. While Cuba’s coastal habitats are some of the most preserved in the Caribbean, they are under increasing threat of degradation from the impacts of climate change, increased tourism, and coastal development. With the goal of sustainable development, Cubans need to assess the storm and flood protection benefits these coastal habitats provide, and integrate this information into future expansion and management plans within the National Protected Areas System (SNAP). Using the open source software, Integrated Valuation on Ecosystem Services and Tradeoffs (InVEST), a national-scale coastal vulnerability model was developed to provide quantitative estimates of coastal exposure and the protective role of coastal habitats during storm events. This model integrates storm information with bathymetry and coastline geomorphology, coupled with coastal habitat data to estimate the influence of these habitats in reducing vulnerability to storms and flooding. By combining these results with human population data, the model identifies where coastal communities are most vulnerable to wave energy and storm surge, and where coral reefs and mangroves provide the most protection by reducing impacts to these communities. We classify these regions as areas of conservation priority. We observed that fifty percent of the areas identified as areas of conservation priority lack any form of environmental protection. We recommend including these key habitats within the National System of Protected Areas. This will permit decision makers to more effectively concentrate restoration and conservation efforts in areas where people and natural resources will experience greater benefit from valuable ecological services.

APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles

12

Reyer, Christopher. "The cascade of uncertainty in modeling forest ecosystem responses to environmental change and the challenge of sustainable resource management." Doctoral thesis, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Mathematisch-Naturwissenschaftliche Fakultät II, 2013. http://dx.doi.org/10.18452/16749.

Full text

Abstract:

Projektionen der Effekte von Umweltveränderungen auf sozio-ökologische Systeme sind ein fester Bestandteil der Nachhaltigkeitsforschung. Solche Projektionen beruhen auf Modellen und Modellketten. In jedem Modellierungsschritt werden modelspezifische Unsicherheiten bezüglich Parameterwerten, Eingabedaten und Modelstruktur akkumuliert und führen zu einer Kaskade der Unsicherheiten. Ziel dieser Dissertation ist es, die Kaskade der Unsicherheiten der Wirkungen von Umweltveränderungen am Beispiel der Waldökosystemmodellierung zu behandeln. Dies führt zu zwei übergreifenden Forschungsfragen: 1. Wie beeinflussen unterschiedliche Typen von Unsicherheiten die Projektionen der Wirkungen sich verändernder Umweltbedingungen auf Waldökosysteme? 2. Gibt es einen übergeordneten Rahmen für nachhaltiges Ressourcenmanagement in sozio-ökologischen Systemen, in den Unsicherheiten eingebettet werden können? Diese Dissertation zeigt, dass die Produktivität von Wäldern unter Bedingungen des Klimawandels in kühleren und feuchteren Regionen zunehmen und in wärmeren und trockeneren abnehmen kann. Diese Ergebnisse sind qualitativ konsistent über eine Vielzahl von Modellstrukturen, Klimaszenarien und Modelparameter, die jedoch quantitativ zu nennenswerten Unsicherheiten in Projektionen führen. Diese Arbeit zeigt, dass es Methoden gibt, um bestimmte Unsicherheiten einzuschätzen, aber auch, dass viele Klimawirkungsstudien die Wirkung von Veränderungen im Mittelwert von Klimavariablen betrachten und nicht die von Extremwerten. Außerdem zeigt diese Arbeit, dass adaptive, sektorenübergreifende Strategien für ein nachhaltiges Ressourcenmanagement existieren, die mit Unsicherheiten von Klimawirkungen umgehen können und nachhaltige, regionale Entwicklungen fördern. Die Kaskade der Unsicherheiten ist eine zentrale Herausforderung für nachhaltiges Ressourcenmanagement. Eine systematischere Behandlung von Unsicherheiten ermöglicht robuste Projektionen der Wirkungen sich verändernder Umweltbedingungen.
Projecting the effects of environmental change on social-ecological systems is a crucial component of sustainability science. Such projections rely on models and modeling chains. At each modeling step, model-specific uncertainties about parameter values, input data or structure accumulate and lead to a cascade of uncertainty. The aim of this thesis is to explore the cascade of uncertainties in responses to environmental change in a structured way at the example of forest ecosystem modeling. This leads to two overarching research questions: 1. How do different types of uncertainties affect projections of the effects of environmental change on forest ecosystems? 2. What is the general framework of sustainable natural resource management in coupled social-ecological systems in which uncertainties need to be integrated? This thesis shows that forest productivity under climate change may increase in cool and wet regions and decrease in already warm and dry regions. These findings are robust despite large differences in model structure, climate change scenarios and model parameters that induce considerable uncertainty into future projections. It also stresses that there are methods available to assess uncertainties but also that many climate change impact studies have focused on testing the response of plants to changes in mean climate rather than climatic extremes. Finally, this thesis shows that adaptive, cross-sectoral natural resource management strategies exist that accommodate uncertain impacts of environmental and societal change and foster sustainable regional development. I conclude that the cascade of uncertainty challenges sustainable natural resource management and that a more systematic treatment of uncertainties is strongly needed to generate robust projections of the impacts of environmental change. The findings of this thesis provide a general framework in which both modelers and decision-makers can integrate model results and assess their robustness.

APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles

13

William, Apollinaire. "Smallholder Farmers, Environmental Change and Adaptation in a Human-Dominated Landscape in the Northern Highlands of Rwanda." Antioch University / OhioLINK, 2018. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=antioch1527182117011253.

Full text

APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles

14

Thorn, Jessica Paula Rose. "Ecosystem services, biodiversity and human wellbeing along climatic gradients in smallholder agro-ecosystems in the Terai Plains of Nepal and northern Ghana." Thesis, University of Oxford, 2016. https://ora.ox.ac.uk/objects/uuid:3319dafc-5b0c-436a-b653-a623fc3e8de4.

Full text

Abstract:

Increasingly unpredictable, extreme and erratic rainfall with higher temperatures threatens to undermine the adaptive capacity of food systems and ecological resilience of smallholder landscapes. Despite growing concern, land managers still lack quantitative techniques to collect empirical data about the potential impact of climatic variability and change. This thesis aims to assess how ecosystem services and function and how this links with biodiversity and human wellbeing in smallholder agro-ecosystems in a changing climate. To this end, rather than relying on scenarios or probabilistic modelling, space was used as a proxy for time to compare states in disparate climatic conditions. Furthermore, an integrated methodological framework to assess ecosystem services at the field and landscape level was developed and operationalised, the results of which can be modelled with measures of wellbeing. Various multidisciplinary analytical tools were utilised, including ecological and socio-economic surveys, biological assessments, participatory open enquiry, and documenting ethnobotanical knowledge. The study was located within monsoon rice farms in the Terai Plains of Nepal, and dry season vegetable farms in Northern Ghana. Sites were selected that are climatically and culturally diverse to enable comparative analysis, with application to broad areas of adaptive planning. The linkages that bring about biophysical and human changes are complex and operate through social, political, economic and demographic drivers, making attribution extremely challenging. Nevertheless, it was demonstrated that within hotter and drier conditions in Ghana long-tongued pollinators and granivores, important for decomposition processes and pollination services, are more abundant in farms. Results further indicated that in cooler and drier conditions in Nepal, the taxonomic diversity of indigenous and close relative plant species growing in and around farms, important for the provisioning of ecosystem services, decreases. All other things equal, in both Nepal and Ghana findings indicate that overall human wellbeing may be adversely effected in hotter conditions, with a potentially significantly lower yields, fewer months of the year in which food is available, higher exposure to natural hazards and crop loss, unemployment, and psychological anxiety. Yet, surveys indicate smallholders continue to maintain a fair diversity of species in and around farms, which may allow them to secure basic necessities from provisioning ecosystem services. Moreover, farmers may employ adaptive strategies such as pooling labour and food sharing more frequently, and may have greater access to communication, technology, and infrastructure. Novel methodological and empirical contributions of this research offer predictive insights that could inform innovations in climate-smart agricultural practice and planning.

APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles

15

Bubendorfer, Alwin. "Adoption of effective improved cookstoves in sub-Sahara Africa: case study in the Arua District." Thesis, KTH, Energi och klimatstudier, ECS, 2012. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:kth:diva-104461.

Full text

Abstract:

In rural areas of least developed countries, the preparation of meals remains the predominant energy consuming activity. Cooking is mostly performed with firewood – using the ancient “technology” of the 3-stone fire. This practice results in numerous challenges that hinder the transformation envisioned by the Millennium Development Goals and it therefore contributes towards slowing the development of rural areas. Activities focussing on amending this status-quo can be termed insufficient in scope- and sustainability. The main deficiencies of most projects are that the prime focus of the mainstream of these endeavours has been on demand side management, mainly performed by disseminating cookstoves, and that there has been little innovation in respect to raising stove adoption rates. As the strict efficiency focus obviously only captures one side of the problem – merely focussing on treating symptoms rather than providing an effective solution, this thesis stresses the need for a paradigm shift towards more holistic interventions. This work very much focuses on the topic of stove adoption. This is a complex topic - very much linked to attaining behavioural change. Deliberations concluded that the identification of enabling factors for adoption, which can be termed a prerequisite for developing sustainable methods for stove projects, requires a mix of instruments. To suffice the required data demand the initial literature review was complemented by a thorough assessment of the kitchen environment and the cooking behaviour of stove owners. The fieldwork concentrated on 210 beneficiaries of an efficient cookstove project. The applied methods included interviews, observations and pictorial documentation. As a remedy to the challenges and current shortcomings identified during field work and literature review, the author herein develops a novel and more holistic implementation strategy for stove projects – the so- called 3-Step approach. This is based on the simultaneous implementation of availing cookstoves, building capacity in respect to kitchen management, as well as performing small-scale household level tree planting. The research, which further encompassed the piloting of the 3-Step approach, led to the overall conclusion that the proposed increase in project scope holds a multitude of opportunities for improving the livelihoods of the rural target groups. The main impact of this innovative strategy lies in a decrease of average transaction costs as well as in a considerable increase in project sustainability. As will be extensively elaborated, the former is achieved by a more effective utilisation of the extensive infrastructure of trained artisans. The latter refers to the expected income increase on household level, as well as to improvements in environmental- and human health. In combination these enable rural communities to better adapt to climate change.

APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles

16

Altinalmazis, kondylis Andreas. "Tree diversity effects on root production, decomposition and nutrient cycling under global change." Thesis, Bordeaux, 2021. http://www.theses.fr/2021BORD0067.

Full text

Abstract:

L'hypothèse de l'assurance prévoit que les forêts composées de mélanges d'espèces d'arbres pourraient mieux résister aux conditions environnementales stressantes que les forêts composées d'une seule espèce d'arbre. La majorité des travaux antérieurs ont testé cette hypothèse en se focalisant sur la productivité et les variables de réponse associées sans prendre en compte les processus souterrains. L’objectif principal de ma thèse était d’étudier l’effet de la diversité des espèces d’arbres sur les processus souterrains impliqués dans la décomposition des racines à travers des gradients climatiques. J'ai émis l'hypothèse que le mélange d'espèces ayant des systèmes racinaires contrastés entraînerait une faible compétition souterraine, et se traduirait par la production de plus biomasse de racines fines. En outre, j'ai émis l'hypothèse que les racines ayant des caractéristiques chimiques et morphologiques contrastées dans les peuplements mixtes se décomposent plus rapidement. Dans des conditions de stress hydrique, j'ai émis l'hypothèse d'une décomposition plus lente mais d’une atténuation des mélanges d'arbres sur la décomposition en raison de l'amélioration des conditions micro-environnementales. Pour tester ces hypothèses, j'ai examiné la variation des caractéristiques fonctionnelles des racines et leurs conséquences sur les flux de C, N et P à l'échelle de l'écosystème à travers l’étude de : 1) la ségrégation verticale des racines et la biomasse des racines fines, 2) la dynamique des racines fines et les flux de nutriments associés et 3) la décomposition des racines fines et des feuilles mortes. Dans ce cadre, trois deux expériences de terrain ont été réalisé, l'une avec une expérience de plantation d'arbres de 10 ans avec du bouleau et du pin près de Bordeaux (expérience ORPHEE), la seconde le long d'un gradient latitudinal de forêts de hêtres matures dans les Alpes françaises (expérience BIOPROFOR).Les résultats obtenus montrent que les racines de bouleaux et de pins présentaient une distribution verticale similaire et une biomasse souterraine similaire de racines dans les mélanges d'arbres par rapport aux monocultures, contrairement à ma première hypothèse. Cependant, l'attribution plus importante du pin mais pas du bouleau à la croissance des racines dans les horizons du sol supérieur dans des conditions moins limitatives en eau suggère des conditions localement favorables qui peuvent conduire à une compétition asymétrique à la profondeur du sol. De plus, la production et la décomposition des racines fines étaient similaires dans les mélanges et dans les monocultures, en contradiction avec ma deuxième hypothèse. Il est intéressant de noter que les racines de bouleau, mais pas les racines de pin, ont libéré du P pendant leur décomposition, ce qui suggère un rôle important du bouleau dans le cycle du P et pour la nutrition en P des arbres sur ces sols sableux limités en P. Conformément à ma troisième hypothèse, j'ai observé une décomposition plus lente de la litière de feuilles et des racines fines en réponse à une sécheresse estivale prolongée, tout au long du gradient latitudinal dans les Alpes. Cependant, cette décomposition plus lente sous la sécheresse n'a pas été atténuée dans les peuplements forestiers à essences mixtes par rapport aux peuplements à essences uniques. Il est intéressant de noter qu’il y a une libération nette d'azote dans les racines fines en décomposition mais pas dans la litière de feuilles en décomposition, ce qui suggère un rôle distinct des racines fines dans le cycle de l'azote. En conclusion, j'ai constaté que le mélange des espèces d'arbres n'atténue pas les effets négatifs du changement climatique. Cette thèse démontre que la promotion de mélanges peut toujours être bénéfique pour au moins une des espèces d'arbres mélangées, par l'ajout d'espèces, car une espèce d'arbre peut en faciliter la nutrition minérale d’une autre par des flux souterrains de N et de P
The insurance hypothesis predicts that forests with tree species mixtures may resist better to stressful environmental conditions than forests composed of only one tree species. Most of the currently available literature tested this hypothesis for aboveground productivity and its related response variables, but less is known about belowground processes. In my PhD thesis, I studied the drivers of belowground productivity and decomposition across climatic gradients and how they are affected by tree mixtures. I hypothesized that mixing of tree species with contrasting rooting patterns and fine root morphologies, would result in a release of competitive pressure belowground, and translate into higher fine root standing biomass and increased fine root productivity. Moreover, I hypothesized that roots with contrasting chemical and morphological characteristics in mixed stands would decompose faster, which may be particularly important under nutrient-limited conditions. Under water-limiting conditions, such as during extreme summer drought, I hypothesized overall slower decomposition but an attenuating effect of tree mixtures on decomposition due to improved micro-environmental conditions, in particular for leaves, since roots decompose in a more buffered soil environment. To test these hypotheses I examined the variation in tree root functional traits (across- and within-species), and its consequences for fluxes of C, N and P at the ecosystem scale. I addressed three main objectives and associated research questions to quantify the interactive effect of tree mixtures and climate on: 1) vertical root segregation and fine root standing biomass, 2) fine root dynamics and their associated nutrient fluxes and 3) fine root- and leaf litter decomposition. I could benefit from two different field experiments for my work, one with a 10-year-old tree-plantation experiment with birch and pine close to Bordeaux (ORPHEE experiment), the second along a latitudinal gradient of mature beech forests in the French Alps (BIOPROFOR experiment).I observed that roots from the birch and pine tree-plantation showed similar vertical distribution and similar belowground root standing biomass in tree mixtures compared to monocultures, contrary to my first hypothesis. However, the greater allocation of pine but not of birch to root growth within the top soil horizons under less water-limiting conditions suggests locally favourable conditions that may lead to soil depth-specific asymmetric competition. In the same experiment, fine root production and decomposition were similar in mixtures and in monocultures, in contradiction with my second hypothesis. Moreover, I did not observe any interactive effects of tree mixtures with stand density or water availability. Interestingly though, birch roots, but not pine roots released P during root decomposition, which suggests an important role of birch in the P-cycle and for P nutrition of trees on these P-limited sandy soils. In line with my third hypothesis, I observed a slower decomposition of leaf litter and fine roots in response to reinforced and prolonged summer drought, irrespective of the position along the latitudinal gradient in the Alps. However, this slower decomposition under drought was not attenuated in forest stands with mixed tree species compared to single species stands. Compared to leaf litter, fine roots decomposed slower and released less C. Interestingly, I found a net N release in decomposing fine roots but not in decomposing leaf litter, which suggests a distinct role of fine roots in the N cycle. In conclusion, I found that mixing tree species did not attenuate negative effects of climate change. However, this thesis demonstrates that promoting mixtures can still be beneficial for at least one of the admixed tree species, through species addition (i.e., complementing one tree species with another tree species), as one tree species may facilitate another via belowground fluxes of N and P

APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles

17

Fouqueray, Timothée. "Adaptations aux incertitudes climatiques de long terme : trajectoires socio-écologiques de la gestion forestière française." Thesis, Université Paris-Saclay (ComUE), 2019. http://www.theses.fr/2019SACLA029.

Full text

Abstract:

Les trajectoires socio-écologiques des forêts sont considérablement dépendantes des pratiques sylvicoles retenues par leurs gestionnaires. Or, ces choix de gestion sont susceptibles d’évoluer afin de prendre en compte les impacts des dérèglements du climat sur les milieux forestiers. L’objectif des travaux qui suivent est donc de comprendre les évolutions de la gestion forestière induites par les adaptations aux dérèglements climatiques (ACC). Ils se concentrent sur la France métropolitaine, dont les forêts sont l’un des écosystèmes les plus importants – elles en couvrent trois quarts de la surface. Trois thématiques de recherche ont permis de décliner cette problématique : (1) la diversification des ACC (quels biens et services écosystémiques forestiers (BSE) cible-t-elle ?) ; (2) l’importance accordée par les forestiers aux approches techniques, en comparaison des réflexions portant sur l’organisation socio-économique de la gestion forestière ; et enfin (3) l’intégration des dynamiques écologiques dans la conception et la mise en œuvre d’adaptations aux changements climatiques.Chapitre 1 : Recensement, par des enquêtes de terrain, des ACC en forêts privées et publiques. Les adaptations répertoriées concernaient seulement quelques-uns des nombreux BSE forestiers, au premier rang desquels la production de bois, le stockage de carbone et la préservation des habitats naturels. Ces adaptations étaient avant tout mises en place pour répondre à des aléas climatiques déjà vécus par les forestiers. Surtout, ces adaptations relevaient d’évolutions des techniques sylvicoles, où les humains interviennent sur le socio-écosystème forestier, en modifiant les composantes naturelles.Chapitre 2 : J’ai étudié le financement public des projets de recherche portant simultanément sur les changements climatiques et sur la foresterie. J’ai montré qu’une des causes du manque de considération des aspects socio-économiques de l’ACC provient de la prééminence de recherches techniques, très peu tournées vers les services écosystémiques socio-culturels, de régulation ou de soutien.Chapitre 3 : Retour au terrain, pour une étude de cas sur le paiement pour stockage de carbone. J’ai mis en relief comment la diversification des revenus engendrée par ce type d’innovation est un moyen indirect pour les forestiers de s’adapter aux changements climatiques, en diminuant leur dépendance à une production ligneuse fortement menacée par les dérèglements climatiques. Les atouts, mais aussi certaines limites techniques et conséquences socio-économiques de cette approche ont été soulignés.Chapitre 4 : Synthèse des apprentissages des chapitres précédents, grâce à la création d’une simulation participative de gestion forestière. Dans Foster Forest, divers acteurs de la gestion forestière sont plongés dans un scénario de fort changement climatique. Pour mener à bien leur propre mission, ils disposent d’une panoplie de pratiques sylvicoles inspirée de pratiques usuelles, mais qui ne suffisent pas à faire face aux perturbations climatiques. Pour compenser, les participants ont toute liberté de proposer des changements des règles du jeu afin de faire évoluer l’organisation socio-économique de leurs activités forestières. La dizaine d’applications de cette simulation participative, dans différentes régions françaises, a permis de confirmer les résultats des chapitres précédents. Les parties jouées ont aussi apporté un éclairage sur l’importance des structures d’animation territoriale dans l’élaboration de projets d’adaptations, à des échelles complémentaires des seules visions « à la parcelle »
Adapting forest management to climate change (CC) is a key issue, as forests are crucial for mitigation policies and the provision of many ecosystem services (ES). Understanding the magnitude of the progress made in this respect can help shape further adaptation developments and avoid the putative maladaptive side effects of forest management evolutions. Here, I aim to bridge the knowledge gap of adaptation implementation in French forests.Chapter 1: Based on semi-structured interviews with foresters, my findings highlight unprecedented aspects of adaptations: (i) a focus on productive ES at the expense of other essential services such as water supply or natural habitats; (ii) adaptations rely on technical changes in forest management and do not deal with climate impacts through organizational or economic tools; and (iii) envisaging ecological processes through adaptations is instrumental and limited to small spatial and temporal scales. My results also extend the existing body of knowledge to the framework of forest management: (i) CC is not the main driver of forestry changes; (ii) extreme events are windows of opportunity to stimulate adaptive changes; and (iii) proactive adaptation to unexperienced hazards is very weak.Chapter 2: Assessment of the diversity of research projects in the forest sciences focusing on CC. I categorized projects according to discipline and main focus, using data from the online description of French public calls for proposals and from selected projects. Since 1997, mitigation research has gradually given way to adaptation. Despite pledges for the inclusion of social sciences, research rarely draws on the social sciences and focuses on ES of economic interest. Biomass production is paramount, being addressed either directly or through projects on tree species of industrial interest. Hence, instead of a diverse search for adaptation strategies, climate research is geared toward a few ES. Without denying the need for timber and biofuel production, I encourage public funders to complement current calls for proposals with more diverse approaches beneficial for both biomass production and other ES.Chapter 3: I study how multiple mechanisms for the mitigation of CC have been developed, drawing on a combination of reducing and offsetting greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. While mechanisms are mandatory for certain economic sectors, some business that are not required to mitigate their GHG emissions would nevertheless like to do so. I examine two study cases in France to analyze how public and private foresters seized this opportunity to obtain complementary funding from such companies for forestry operations. I focus on offset contracts issued by associations linking public sector forestry agencies, forest landowners, and offset funders. Carbon mitigation was a reason shared by all contractors to commit to the agreement, although it concealed multifarious motivations. Hence, I argue that voluntary offset contracts act like a Trojan horse by enabling foresters to dialogue with entities that would otherwise not be interested in supporting forest management. Regional embedding was crucial to overcoming the mitigation challenges.Chapter 4: To gain insight on how can socio-economic adaptive tools complement technical evolutions of forestry, I designed Foster Forest, a participatory simulation of forest management. It combines a role-playing game, an agent-based model, and a scenario of CC with high uncertainties. Drawing from multiple applications in French regions, I show that climate change is not a short-term matter of concern for private and public foresters. I analyze the emergence of socio-economic changes (mainly payment for carbon storage) in the provision of ES, and participants’ negotiations to spontaneously change the simulation rules. I also highlight how collective adaptive action was steered by stakeholders with a public interest role

APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles

18

Hashoum, Hazem. "Impact du changement climatique sur les interactions biotiques en forêt méditerranéenne : approches chimique, écophysiologique et fonctionnelle." Thesis, Aix-Marseille, 2017. http://www.theses.fr/2017AIXM0480/document.

Full text

Abstract:

L’objectif de cette thèse est d’étudier les interactions allélopathiques dans la forêt de chêne pubescente en région méditerranéenne et d’envisager comment ces interactions peuvent être affectées par le changement climatique. Nous avons montré que l'arbre dominant Q. pubescens et ses espèces compagnes A. monspessulanum et C. coggygria ont des potentialités allélopathiques différentes en fonction du stade phénologique des feuilles ce qui pourrait affecter la germination et la croissance des plantes herbacées de sous-étage. Ces différences d'effet allélopathique peuvent résulter non seulement de différences dans la quantité des composés allélopathiques produits, mais aussi de différences qualitatives observées en fonction du stade phénologique. Cela suggère que l’effet allélopathique puisse varier dans le temps de manière à correspondre au stade de développement des plantes herbacées cibles. Sur l’une des plantes cibles utilisées dans les bioessais, les effets allélopathiques ont d’autre part été accentués en changeant les conditions environnementales (hydriques et/ou thermiques) ce qui suggère des modifications éventuelles des potentiels allélopathiques des plantes à attendre avec le changement climatique. Nos résultats en pépinière ont montré le potentiel allélopathique de cotinus et pinus sur la croissance des plantules de chêne, quelques soient les conditions d’arrosage (stressé ou non stressé. En affectant notamment la biomasse du système racinaire dont la croissance est un élément clé des espèces méditerranéennes pour résister à la sécheresse estivale prolongée, ces interactions pourraient jouer un rôle important dans les processus de régénération du chêne pubescent
The aim of this thesis is to study allelopathic interactions in the downy oak forest in the mediterranean region and to consider how these interactions can be affected by climate change. We have shown that the dominant tree Q. pubescens and its companion species A. monspessulanum and C. coggygria have different allelopathic potentialities, evaluated in vitro on herbaceous target plants, depending on the phenological stage of the leaves, which could in natura affect the germination and growth of understory herbaceous plants. These differences in allelopathic effect may result not only from differences in the quantity of allelopathic compounds produced, but also from qualitative differences observed as a function of the phenological stage. This suggests that the allelopathic effect may vary over time to match the stage of development of the target herbaceous plants. On one of the target plants used in the bioassays, the allelopathic effects were further accentuated by changing the water and / or thermal conditions which suggests possible modifications of the allelopathic potential of the plants to be expected with climate change.Our results in the plant nursery showed the allelopathic potential of cotinus and pinus on the growth of oak seedlings, whatever the watering conditions (stressed or unstressed). By affecting in particular the biomass of the root system, the growth of which is a key element of the mediterranean species to resist the prolonged summer drought, these interactions could play an important role in the regeneration processes of downy oak

APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles

19

Meeteren, Maartje Johanna Maria van. "Heathland ecosystem functioning under climate change." [S.l. : Amsterdam : s.n.] ; Universiteit van Amsterdam [Host], 2005. http://dare.uva.nl/document/78861.

Full text

APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles

20

Mashila, Thabang. "Spatial planning for climate change adaptation : developing a climate change local area adaptation plan for Khayelitsha." Master's thesis, University of Cape Town, 2014. http://hdl.handle.net/11427/13332.

Full text

Abstract:

Includes bibliographical references.
Climate change is now widely seen as a major challenge of this time and the future of cities. However, the most vulnerable will be the urban poor particularly those located on the urban fringes in high risk areas with limited access to basic services and economic opportunities. In South Africa, although progress has been made to reduce socio-economic and environmental challenges created by apartheid legislations, inequalities still exist where the privileged live in safer and well located and serviced parts of the city while he poor are still located in settlements created by apartheid in urban fringes. Spatial Planning presents an opportunity to increase resilience to climate change in vulnerable areas of cities. Through integrating planning and climate adaptation actions, future spatial decisions will add to resilience to climate change and enhance wellbeing of people. The dissertation includes a case study that was conducted to learn about the status quo of the study area to effectively recommend relevant interventions that seek to create resilience to climate change in the area. A local area adaptation plan was then formulated including the framework for implementing proposed interventions in a 20 year timeframe.

APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles

21

Hoang, Lan Ngoc. "Adaptation planning under climate change uncertainty." Thesis, University of Leeds, 2013. http://etheses.whiterose.ac.uk/5567/.

Full text

Abstract:

This project explores the uncertainty factors in drought planning for a water resource zone in Sussex. Nine planning options from the 2009 Sussex Water Resource Management Plan were assessed using four climate products: the 2009 UK Climate Projections Change Factors, the Spatial Coherent Projections, the 11 runs of the HadRM3 regional climate model and their subsequent downscaling by the Future Flows Project. The varying drought statistics from these four climate products reflect post-processing uncertainty - the uncertainty stemming from the process of converting original climate model outputs into products of different formats, variables and temporal/spatial scales. Overall, the study has integrated a cascade analysis of climate uncertainty, climate post-processing uncertainty, hydrological uncertainty, water resource model uncertainty and demand uncertainty on water resource planning. The study combines Robust Optimisation, Decision-Scaling and Robust Decision Making into Robust Decision Analysis, a decision making framework for dynamic adaptation pathways in response to different levels of uncertainty and risk averseness. Post-processing uncertainty is the dominate uncertainty until 2030s; 2050s is then dominated by demand and socio-economic uncertainty. The most severe droughts within the Spatial Coherent Projections and the 2009 UK Climate Projection products are variations of the 1975-1976 and the 1988-1989 droughts, two of the worst historic droughts currently used as the design events for drought planning in Sussex. The system appears to be robust to variations of these past droughts. Yet, under different sequences of droughts from the HadRM3 and Future Flows products, the system demonstrated frequent supply failures in the 2050s, unless water demand is maintained at the 2007 level or lower. While operational costs in the 2030s are generally within the region of 4 to 5 million GBP per year, those in the 2050s Market Forces jumped to the region of 5 to 15 million GBP per year and with supply deficit from 0 to 1100 Ml/year. When demand grows by 35% from the 2007 baseline level, universal metering becomes a key option. Despite climate post-processing uncertainty, the main hotspots of water deficits remains similar across the climate products and are driven by network bottlenecks and the continually high dependence of the system on water sources a round the Hardham area. The study also indicates that inter-regional transfers might not be as reliable as assumed.

APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles

22

A'Bear, Andrew Donald. "Climate change, fungus-invertebrate interactions and ecosystem processes." Thesis, Cardiff University, 2014. http://orca.cf.ac.uk/58513/.

Full text

Abstract:

Saprotrophic fungi are the main agents of primary decomposition and nutrient cycling in woodland ecosystems. Powerful enzymatic capabilities enable then to break down the most recalcitrant components of wood and leaf litter, such as lignin and cellulose. Nutrients are retained by dynamic networks of mycelium, which are vulnerable to grazing by soil invertebrates. The studies reported in this thesis employed laboratory microcosm, mesocosm and field manipulations to further mechanistic understanding of climate change effects on basidiomycete fungal-dominated woodland decomposer community dynamics and ecosystem processes. Increased mycelial growth at elevated temperature can be prevented by collembola grazing in soil microcosms. The strength of this top-down effect varied with fungal palatability, which had a bottom-up effect on collembola populations and their responses to warming. A mesocosm multispecies collembola population was more strongly regulated by the bottom-up effect of inoculation with cord-forming fungi than climate change (warming, in combination with soil wetting or drying). Collembola can graze fungal cords, but thickness and chemical defences make them less palatable than soil microfungi, which are outcompeted by basidiomycete mycelia. In the absence of fungal biomass limitation by collembola, abiotic conditions regulated microbial community functioning. Warming stimulated fungal-mediated wood decomposition, particularly in drier soils. Moisture was the most important determinant of enzyme activity and displayed an interaction with temperature analogous to that for wood decay. Macro-invertebrates, such as woodlice, are better able to exploit nutritious, but thick and defensive, fungal cords. The consequences of macro-invertebrate grazing for fungal-dominated microbial community function were tested in a field manipulation of woodlouse (Oniscus asellus, Isopoda) population densities, predicted to increase due to climate warming. This provides the first evidence for bottom-up effects of fungal palatability on woodlouse populations. Body lipid analysis revealed fungi as a major component of the generalist woodlouse diet. Despite low population densities at the site, altered O. asellus abundance influenced aspects of microbial community functioning. The importance of biotic effects on decomposition may be more heterogeneous than abiotic influences, depending on microbial community dominance and the abundance of key macro-invertebrate taxa.

APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles

23

Hemingway, Jessica. "U.S. Local Government Adaptation to Climate Change:." Doctoral thesis, Saechsische Landesbibliothek- Staats- und Universitaetsbibliothek Dresden, 2018. http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bsz:14-qucosa-232723.

Full text

Abstract:

The desire for local governments to adapt to climate change seems logically relevant as weather extremes inhibit the ability of local governments to protect public health and safety and to ensure delivery of public services. By conducting planned adaptation to climate change local governments enable themselves to minimize risk and increase adaptive capacity to deal with climate change impacts. In the midst of a federal government, minus the Obama administration, that has tended to downplay the importance of climate change, action by local level governments - cities in particular - in the U.S. have been at the forefront of action on climate change. Little attention has been given to local government adaptation in rural areas by both researchers and policy makers alike. Rural areas are at risk to changes in climate because they tend to be reliant on climate sensitive industries, comprised of vulnerable populations, such as the elderly and very young and to possess few resources to conduct land-use and other planning. This dissertation expands upon previous research by examining the decision to conduct planned adaptation by both urban and rural local government adaptation to climate change (RQ1) and by identifying the influences on the decision of local governments in both urban and rural areas to conduct planned adaptation to climate change (RQ2). New York State was selected as an appropriate case study to answer research questions because of the drastic contrast between urban and rural areas of the state. On the one hand, it has been one of the most progressive states in terms of climate change policy including its largest local government New York City; on the other hand, it is comprised of many rural local governments suffering from population and economic decline. An online survey was distributed to all New York State local governments in November/December 2011 and supplemented by informant discussions conducted before and after the survey. While a considerable amount of time has passed since the survey was conducted, it took place during what appears to be a particular timeframe in political history where the U.S. president supported action on climate change. Results of this study show strong differences in resource availability and the likelihood of urban vs. rural elected officials to conduct planned adaptation. One hundred and forty-two responses were received from large and small cities, towns, villages and counties. A traditional deductive research design was deployed to answer research questions. To examine the influences on the decision of local elected officials to conduct planned adaptation hypotheses were developed based on previous empirical studies and Mohr’s 1969 hypothesis that “Innovation is related to the motivation to innovate, inversely related to the strength of obstacles to innovation, and directly related to the availability of resources for overcoming such obstacles” (Mohr, 1969, p. 111). Two dependent variables were measured (1) planned adaptation or conscious decisions to adapt to climate change and an alternate dependent variable (2) formal and informal discussion of climate change within the local government. Independent variables measured related to local elected official motivation to conduct planned adaptation in the form of climate weather related concerns in New York State (i.e. extreme weather, water quality, and ecological changes), resource availability within the local government (i.e. budget, staff, climate change expertise) and the existence of obstacles toward planned adaptation external to local governments (i.e. public support, federal and state informational and financial support). The results of the survey showed that a small minority of local governments in New York State had decided to conduct planned adaptation to climate change. Over half of the sample was identified as conducting some form of spontaneous or reactive adaptation which consisted mostly of actions to minimize flood risk (i.e. update storm-water infrastructure, manage flood plains, promote open space). However, no local government surveyed had been identified as having successfully implemented an adaptation plan. Informal discussions were found to be occurring among half of the sample surveyed with a small number of local governments discussing climate change formally. According to informant discussions, the low level of planned adaptation among New York State local governments can be explained by a number of factors including a non-requirement to conduct planned adaptation, varying policy, resource and incentive conditions throughout the state, a lack of urgency to adapt to climate change and, finally, the absence of a support system to conduct planned adaptation. Results of hypothesis testing indicate that local governments are more likely to conduct planned adaptation to climate change where: A) climate change concerns are water related, B) budget, staff and climate change expertise are available and C) public support to address climate change impacts as well as state and federal informational support are available. Financial support from state and federal governments did not appear to influence the decision to conduct planned adaptation. Rural local governments were found less likely than urban local governments to be discussing climate change and to be conducting planned adaptation which is likely to be related to organizational size and the availability of resources to conduct planned adaptation measures. This dissertation contributes to understanding how local governments are adapting to climate change in New York State, what influences the decision of elected officials to conduct planned adaptation to climate change and how experiences may differ from municipality type — especially related to urban vs. rural local governments.

APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles

24

Slagle, John T. "Climate change in Myanmar: impacts and adaptation." Thesis, Monterey, California: Naval Postgraduate School, 2014. http://hdl.handle.net/10945/44672.

Full text

Abstract:

Approved for public release; distribution is unlimited
Myanmar is a Least Developed Nation, according to the UN, and therefore is highly vulnerable to the negative effects of a changing climate. To assess the relationship between Myanmar and climate change, this thesis analyzes projected impacts on the nation and its people, the current state of adaptation, and how Myanmar’s government has prepared. Projected impacts are viewed through the lens of the most recent IPCC reports and climate models, and discussed in relation to vulnerable areas in Burmese society and governance. This thesis concludes that Myanmar’s environment, people and society are at a significant risk; higher temperatures, altered precipitation rates, and higher sea levels will lead to reduced agriculture output, the spread of disease, and loss of habitable land. Though recent governmental action has laid the framework for suitable adaptation measures, slow progress in past decades has left Myanmar highly vulnerable to the negative impacts of climate change. Myanmar’s next election is scheduled for 2015, and the emerging leaders have the opportunity to make significant progress in climate change adaptation. Cooperation between Myanmar’s new leaders and the international community could accelerate the nation’s adaptation efforts and result in significant progress on climate change preparedness projects.

APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles

25

Dessai, Suraje Xembu Rauto. "Robust adaptation decisions amid climate change uncertainties." Thesis, University of East Anglia, 2005. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.426254.

Full text

APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles

26

Dapilah, Frederick. "Climate change adaptation in the Global South." Doctoral thesis, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, 2020. http://dx.doi.org/10.18452/21309.

Full text

Abstract:

Die Folgen des Klimawandels, sowie damit einhergehende Verluste und Schäden nehmen weltweit zu. Der damit verbundene globale Anstieg von Treibhausgasemissionen, zunehmende Verstädterung sowie ausufernder Konsum machen die Suche nach Anpassungsstrategien zur Vermeidung schädlicher Auswirkungen gegenwärtig wie zukünftig zu einer erheblichen Herausforderung. Diese erfordert ein tiefgehendes Verständnis der Komplexität vom Klimawandelfolgen für landwirtschaftsbasierte Existenzgrundlagen. Ziel dieser Arbeit ist es zu einem solchen Verständnis beizutragen. Die vorliegende Forschungsarbeit fragt daher danach, wie etwaige Umstellungsprozesse die Anpassungsfähigkeit sowie Resilienz der Bewohner_innen von Bagri, einem kleinen Dorf im Norden Ghanas, erweitern. Die Ergebnisse dieser Dissertationsschrift basieren auf empirischen Erhebungen, die zwischen Februar und Juli 2017 in Lawra District in Nordghana unter Heranziehung qualitativer Fallstudieninstrumente durchgeführt wurden. Zum Einsatz kamen semi-strukturierte Interviews, Fokusgruppendiskussionen, Umfragen sowie ethnographische teilnehmende Beobachtungen. Die so gewonnenen Daten wurden kodiert und mit SPSS (Version 20) kreuztabellarisch sowie anhand verschiedener Variablen ausgewertet. Außerdem wurden Häufigkeiten interpretiert und die Ergebnisse schließlich in Tabellen, Graphen und Prozentsätzen verarbeitet. Des Weiteren wurden inhaltlichen Analysen der qualitativen Daten vorgenommen, die es erlaubten, Muster und Themen aus den Interviews und Diskussionen weiter zu verfolgen. Die Resultate zeigen, dass die Bewohner_innen in der untersuchten Gemeinde über die letzten drei Jahrzehnte eine Reihe klimatischer Veränderungen mit negativen Folgen für die Landwirtschaft erfahren haben. Um sich beispielsweise an die klimawandelbedingte kürzere Dauer der Regenzeit sowie niedrige Niederschlagsmengen anzupassen, greifen Kleinbauern auf schrittweise Anpassungsstrategien wie verbessertes Saatgut und weitere unterstützende Maßnahmen zurück. Paradoxerweise, untergraben Klimawandelextreme derlei Strategien auf mehreren Ebenen und reduzieren Erträge um ein Vielfaches ihres Potenzials, was wiederum finanzieller Verschuldung Vorschub leistet. Die Ergebnisse dieser Studie zeigen daher, dass die Überwindung nicht-klimatischer Barrieren landwirtschaftlicher Anpassungsstrategien eine notwendige wenn auch nicht ausreichende Bedingung für eine erfolgreiche Umstellung darstellt. Immer neu aufkommende Schwierigkeiten machen Anpassung zu einem langfristigen Prozess. Eine zweite Erkenntnis dieser Arbeit ist, dass die sich wandelnden klimatischen Verhältnisse zu einer Diversifizierung der Lebensgrundlagen weg von landwirtschaftlicher Produktion hin zu Aktivitäten jenseits der Höfe in Bagri geführt haben. Die Ergebnisse zeigen, dass der Prozess der Diversifizierung abhängig ist von der Einbindung der Haushalte in Gruppenaktivitäten sowie in formelle und informelle Netzwerke. Zusammenfassend gilt, dass Haushalte, die engmaschig in soziale Netze eingebettet sind eine höhere Resilienz gegenüber wahrgenommenen klimatischen Veränderungen aufweisen. Dies liegt darin begründet, dass sie zumeist über einen besseren Zugang zu kritischen – materiellen wie immateriellen – Ressourcen verfügen, welche Diversifizierung maßgeblich ermöglichen. Zudem deuten die Befunde an, wie Gruppenaktivitäten und soziale Netzwerke Marginalisierung und widersprüchlichen Ressourcenumgang befeuern können, die zugleich die Gefahr bergen, soziale und ökologische Resilienz im Dorf zu verringern. Darüber hinaus zeigt diese Arbeit die Mechanismen kollaborativer Anpassungssteuerung auf, indem sie den Fragen nachgeht, warum und wie diese Steuerungsformen Anpassungsfähigkeit befördern. Die Ergebnisse verweisen auf die Beziehungsdynamiken zwischen den relevanten Akteuren sowie Nutzen und Misserfolge und die Herausforderungen nachhaltiger kollaborativer Anpassungsstrategien in Nordghana. Ergänzend, stellt diese Studie heraus, wie machtvolle Akteure Agenden setzen, Problematisierungen generieren sowie Regeln und Anreize schaffen, die im Widerspruch zu den normativen Grundsätzen der kollaborativen Anpassungstheorie stehen können. Ausgehend von der Fallstudie in Nordghana stellt diese Arbeit auch Überlegungen dazu an, wie kollaborative Anpassungssteuerung erfolgreichen Umgang mit klimawandelbedingten Veränderungen weltweit befördern kann. Zusammenfassend, leistet diese Arbeit einen Beitrag zur Schließung theoretischer wie empirischer Wissenslücken im wachsenden Bereich der Forschung zur Anpassung an den Klimawandel. Sie illustriert darüber hinaus den unschätzbaren Wert qualitativer Fallstudien und zeigt auf, wie diese einen Beitrag leisten können zu oftmals abstrakten und schwer fassbaren Themen in der wissenschaftlichen Diskussion und damit ein Fundament für informierte politische Entscheidungen sowohl auf lokaler als auch globaler Ebene legen.
Climate change impacts, related losses and damages are increasing globally. When these consequences are coupled with increasing global greenhouse gas emission, urban expansion and unsustainable consumption, the pursuit of adaptation to avoid adverse outcomes is a present necessity and a significant future challenge. The overarching aim of this doctoral dissertation is to gain a better understanding of the complexity of climate change impacts on agricultural livelihoods and how adaptation processes enhance adaptive capacity and resilience in Bagri, a small village in northern Ghana. The results presented in this doctoral thesis are based on empirical data obtained between February and July, 2017 in the Lawra District of northern Ghana using qualitative case study research methods: semi-structured interviews, focus group discussions, survey and ethnographic participant observation. Data from the survey were coded and inputted into Statistical Package for Social Scientists (SPSS) version 20 and cross tabulation and analysis of different variables and interpretation of frequencies were done and processed into tables, graphs and percentages. Content analyses of qualitative data were done which allowed patterns and themes in interviews and discussions to be derived and interpreted. The findings show that, people in the studied community have experienced a range of climatic changes with negative impacts on agriculture in the last three decades. In order to adapt to the short duration of the rainy season and low rainfall amounts associated with climate change, smallholder farmers use incremental adaptation strategies such as improved crop varieties and other support strategies. Paradoxically, however, climate change extremes (CCEs) undermined these strategies in several instances, causing crop yields to fall short of their actual potential leading to financial indebtedness. The results therefore, showcase that surmounting non-climatic barriers to the uptake of agricultural adaptation strategies is a necessary but not sufficient condition to achieving successful outcomes, as new barriers in the adaptation process beyond uptake are constantly emerging with CCEs being one example. Secondly, the findings show that climatic changes have necessitated livelihood diversification away from crop production and into off-farm and non-farm activities in Bagri. The results highlight how the process of diversification is dependent on household participation in various group activities and formal and informal social networks. Generally, households in dense social networks were found to be more resilient to perceived climate changes because they had access to the critical resources (material and non-material) essential for diversification. Importantly, the findings shed light on how group activities and social networks can create marginalization and conflicting resource use with the potential of undermining social and ecological resilience in the village. Moreover, this dissertation explores the mechanics of collaborative adaptation governance (CAG) addressing questions of why and how this mode of governance facilitates adaptive capacity. The findings illuminate stakeholder relational dynamics, benefits and failures, and the sustainability challenge of collaborative adaptation governance (CAG) in northern Ghana. More importantly, this study unveils how powerful actors set the agenda, frame problems, and implement rules and incentives contrary to the normative tenets of collaborative governance theory. Ultimately, the results highlights the failures, successes and sustainability challenges of CAG in northern Ghana, while also providing insight into the extent to which CAG approaches can facilitate adaptation to climate change globally. In conclusion, this doctoral dissertation responds to both theoretical and emperical knowledge gaps in the burgeoning climate change adaptation research, and illustrates how invaluable, qualitative case studies can contribute to illuminate some of the elusive themes in the literature and provide evidence for policy making at both local and global levels.

APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles

27

Kalungu, Jokastah Wanzuu. "Gender and climate change adaptation in Kenya." Thesis, Manchester Metropolitan University, 2014. http://e-space.mmu.ac.uk/612167/.

Full text

Abstract:

Climate change and variability is a major threat to sustainable development across the globe. Paradoxically, smallholder farmers to a great extend contribute to the spread and also hold the key to effective management of climate change and variability. Despite their centrality in climate change and variability, not much is known about smallholder farmers and climate change adaptation. As a contribution towards addressing this need, the present study analysed the role played by gender in climate change adaptation among smallholder farmers in semi-arid and sub-humid agro-ecological zones in Kenya. The study was conducted in two agro-ecological zones (analogue sites) – one in the semi-arid region, and the other in the sub-humid region, each comprising a pair of cooler and warmer sites. Data for the study were collected at different intervals between June 2011 and June 2013, using multiple approaches including household interviews, focus group discussions (FGDs) and personal observations. Quantitative data were analysed using descriptive and inferential statistics. The results showed a high level of awareness on climate change and variability among smallholder farmers. The results also reveal that both male and female farmers perceive climate change and variability as a serious threat to their crop and livestock production. There were also demonstrable impacts of climate change and variability on smallholder agricultural practices, a number of which differed across the analogue sites. The adjustments in the agricultural practices were significantly different (p≤0.001) between the regions (analogue sites) for methods of land preparation, planting practices, crop management, weed control and pest and disease control. In the semi-arid region, farmers in the warmer areas significantly differed (p≤ 0.001) with those in cooler areas in the timing of land preparation, increased use of manure and fertiliser, crop management and increased use of pesticides. In the sub-humid region smallholder farmers in warmer sites significantly (p ≤ 0.001) differed with their counterparts in cooler sites in use of manure and fertiliser use and crop management. There were comparatively low levels of adoption of appropriate technologies among women than men. Generally, female farmers preferred low cost measures when dealing with the impacts of climate change and variability such as planting tree crops, use of manure and mixed farming as well as use of soil and water conservation measures. Pest and disease control measures, use of improved crop varieties and crop diversification were the common adaptation measures used by the male farmers. Adaptation measures are likely to be insufficient in some cases, particularly for the smallholder farmers in semi-arid region given the high food insecurity. Smallholder farmers are central to climate change and variability management. The farmers in warmer sites offer an important knowledge base that can be of invaluable help to those in the cooler sites in both agro-ecological zones. This therefore means that the success of effective adaptation to climate change variability lies in building on the existing knowledge base and incorporating gender considerations in a participatory research process. The study provides data that can be considered for action agenda by the county governments.

APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles

28

Shi, Linda Ph D. Massachusetts Institute of Technology. "A new climate for regionalism : metropolitan experiments in climate change adaptation." Thesis, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2017. http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/111370.

Full text

Abstract:

Thesis: Ph. D., Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Department of Urban Studies and Planning, 2017.
Cataloged from PDF version of thesis.
Includes bibliographical references (pages 161-175).
Climate change threatens the function and even existence of coastal cities, requiring them to adapt by preparing for near-term risks and reorienting long-term development. Most policy and academic interest in the governance of climate adaptation has focused on global, national, and local scales. Their efforts increasingly revealed the need to plan for adaptation at the scale of metropolitan regions. This dissertation is the first academic comparative analysis of U.S. regional adaptation initiatives. Drawing on multi-method qualitative research of five coastal regions, I ask: are collaboratives to coordinate adaptation at the regional scale a new form of regionalism? What roles do state policies on climate change and regional governance play? I argue that adaptation collaboratives are an ecological variant of new regionalism that recenters the role of public agencies in advancing adaptation efforts. Adaptation champions have helped overcome limited local adaptation, even where states are antagonistic to climate action, by sharing knowledge, providing technical assistance, and fostering political support. However, most have yet to tackle the limitations of local adaptation. Instead, they have deployed narratives of climate change as predictable and manageable, and of regional adaptation as localized and ecological in ways that mask the need for more transformative developmental and governance paradigms. Only places with regional agencies or county governments that have land use authority, fiscal leverage, or state mandated targets have advanced region-wide zoning and long-term developmental changes. This indicates that state policies towards regional planning institutions are more influential in shaping regional adaptation than those focused on adaptation. Scholarship has shifted away from debates around forms of regional government, but these findings highlight the need to strengthen regional government in order to overcome difficulties in coordinating, implementing, and enforcing multi-sector and multi-jurisdictional responses to climate change. I conclude by calling for a renewed ecological regionalism that articulates a vision of regions functioning as an ecological whole, rather than as the sum of individual parts. I offer recommendations for how collaboratives and other advocates could build awareness and open dialogue about regional interdependence, conflicts, responsibility, and accountability. These processes become pathways to envisioning local preferences for regional governance, build buy-in and coalitions, and advocate for state enabling legislation.
by Linda Shi.
Ph. D.

APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles

29

Kalantari, Zahra. "Adaptation of road drainage structures to climate change." Licentiate thesis, KTH, Miljöbedömning och -förvaltning, 2011. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:kth:diva-90888.

Full text

Abstract:

Climate change is expected to lead to more frequent extreme precipitation events, floods and changes in frost/thawing cycles. The frequency of road closures and other incidents such as flooding, landslides and roads being washed away will probably increase. Stronger demands will be placed on the function of road drainage systems. The overall aim of this thesis was to produce scientifically well-founded suggestions on adaptation of road drainage systems to climate change involving more frequent floods. The work began by examining current practice for road drainage systems in Sweden and gathering experience from professionals working with various problems concerning surface and subsurface drainage systems. Various hydrological models were then used to calculate the runoff from a catchment adjacent to a road and estimate changes in peak discharge and total runoff resulting from simulated land use measures. According to these survey and hydrological modelling studies, adaptation of road drainage systems to climate change can be grouped into two categories: i) institutional adaptation; and ii) technical adaptation. The main approaches in institutional adaptation are to: i) raise the awareness of expected climate change and its impact on drainage systems in transport administration and relevant stakeholders; ii) include adaptation measures in the existing funding programme of the transport administration; and iii) develop an evaluation tool and action plans concerning existing road drainage systems. Technical adaptation will involve ensuring that road constructions are adapted to more frequent extreme precipitation events and responsive to changes in activities and land use in areas adjacent to roads. Changes in climate variables will have effects on watershed hydrological responses and consequently influence the amount of runoff reaching roads. There is a great need for tools such as hydrological models to assess impacts on discharge dynamics, including peak flows. Improved communication between road managers and local actors in the forestry and agriculture sectors can be a means to reduce the impacts of, e.g., clear-cutting or badly managed farmland ditches.
QC 20111214

APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles

30

Andre, Kreie. "The adaptation of supply chains to climate change." Thesis, Heriot-Watt University, 2013. http://hdl.handle.net/10399/2700.

Full text

Abstract:

Today, more and more organisations recognise that climate change is happening and have already begun to suffer from the impacts of this change. However, the predominant response to this challenge has been one of mitigation, not necessarily to protect companies and supply chains from the impacts of climate change, but rather to reduce the impact of business and logistics on the environment. In order to prepare organisations and their supply networks for the projected impacts, the concept of adaptation to climate change has recently attracted increasing attention amongst scientists and practitioners. As most research has been conducted in the public sector, this thesis aims to determine how supply networks in the private sector can adapt to climate change and its related risk factors. The field research is designed as a single large case study and investigates a global coffee supply network. As the coffee industry is very sensitive to climate change it has already taken actions to make the supply network more resilient and can therefore offer valuable insights into the concept of adaptation to climate change. Multiple interviews were conducted and the information received was analysed using two developed a priori models concluded from literature. This research contributes to the literature in supply chain risk management by adding supply chain climate risk (SCCR) as a new sub category of external supply chain risk and extends the literature in ‘learning’ by proposing a process model of network learning as a solution to enable supply networks to adapt to climate change. This thesis also offers a number of mechanisms to provide decision makers with practical recommendations that should be implemented throughout the coffee supply network. Therefore, for the first time, this research addresses the contemporary problem of climate change by taking a supply network perspective and proposing a network learning process that enables an adaptation to the identified and location-specific climate risk. Besides its contribution to theory, this thesis is also highly relevant for practitioners as it offers clear managerial guidance of how the researched coffee supply network can become more resilient to climate change.

APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles

31

Fenton, Adrian Francis. "Microfinance and climate change adaptation : insights from Bangladesh." Thesis, University of Leeds, 2017. http://etheses.whiterose.ac.uk/17707/.

Full text

Abstract:

Climate change is one of the biggest environmental problems facing humanity, particularly for developing countries which are highly vulnerable to environmental and climate hazards. If citizens of these countries are to adapt there must be sufficient incentives, knowledge, resources, skills, and an absence of market failures and barriers that discourage adaptation. Growing interest exists in how microfinance can facilitate adaptation. However, much of the existing literature remains conjectural, positively biased, and insufficiently uses adaptation concepts. Additional studies of microfinance-adaptation linkages adopting an adaptation lens are needed to address knowledge gaps. The aim of this thesis has been to contribute to microfinance-adaptation literature by examining conceptual arguments and exploring empirical data. To achieve this, a pragmatic philosophy, mixed-methods approach, and an abductive strategy were adopted. The research location was Noapara Village, Bangladesh, providing a representative case-study of the local area. The unit of analysis was the household, facilitating understanding of relationships between microfinance, livelihoods, autonomous adaptation, and environmental and climate hazards. Methods included a household survey, semi-structured interviews, and focus group discussions. The fieldwork was iterative and sequenced to facilitate subsequent research and triangulation. Analytical categorisation was undertaken iteratively, building on initial descriptive coding and drawing on literature themes to interpret the material. The first thesis objective was to explore features and patterns of autonomous household livelihood adaptation to better understand responses to environmental and climate hazards. Most households were found to have implemented reactive measures reducing livelihood risk. Two forms of transformational adaptation linked to socioeconomic status emerged: low-cost involuntary measures which reduce income, and high-cost voluntary measures taking advantage of emerging opportunities. The second objective was to explore the influence microfinance had on household efforts to reduce vulnerability to environmental and climate hazards. Households used credit to cope and adapt but credit limits prevented many households from adopting transformative opportunities. Often credit usage sacrificed longer term prospects for livelihood improvement for short-term security and at times led to over-indebtedness. The third objective was to explore how local-level microfinance institution representatives have responded to environmental and climate hazards and their ability to foster adaptation. Branch managers have done little in response to the problems posed by flooding, and are unable to screen clients or effectively manage aggregated risk. Reducing vulnerability by encouraging adaptation among clients holds promise but climate proofing products and partnering with other institutions is required. The thesis demonstrates that the existing literature relies on an overly simplistic view of potential microfinance-adaptation linkages, arguably due to insufficient consideration of adaptation concepts. However, the microfinance-adaptation literature is in its early stages. This thesis has contributed by providing a more nuanced study, producing different types of data, employing different data collection and interpretation approaches, and exploring both positive and negative linkages. This thesis arguably represents the first in-depth empirical study using an adaptation lens. Several important research findings were uncovered which show both signs of promise and concern. Future research can build upon this thesis, deepening understanding of how and under what conditions microfinance can reduce vulnerability. In summary, this thesis found that microfinance currently does not provide the necessary ingredients households require to transformationally adapt. Considering that future projections estimate non-marginal change to be ever more necessary, adaptation planners cannot rely upon the microfinance system to facilitate sufficient adaptation levels. The microfinance system can arguably benefit as much from adaptation planning as adaptation planning can benefit from microfinance. However, microfinance offers a potential conduit to support vulnerable communities. Microfinance programmes need climate proofing, so that investment patterns incentivised are ‘climate-compatible’. Additionally, microfinance institutions need to partner with other development actors to ensure households receive the holistic support required to adapt and thus reduce institutional vulnerability.

APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles

32

Fortune, Faeeza. "The impact of climate change and climate variability on coastal wetland ecosystem dynamics." University of the Western Cape, 2018. http://hdl.handle.net/11394/6666.

Full text

Abstract:

Magister Artium - MA
This thesis investigates the influence of climate change and climatic variability on wetland ecosystems (coastal and inland wetlands) on the Agulhas coastal plain. Firstly, this research examines coastal wetland ecosystem resilience to sea level rise by modelling sea level rise trajectories for the Droё River wetland. The rate of sediment accretion was modelled relative to IPCC sea level rise estimates for multiple RCP scenarios. For each scenario, inundation by neap and spring tide and the 2-, 4- and 8-year recurrence interval water level was modelled over a period of 200 years. When tidal variation is considered, the rate of sediment accretion exceeds rising sea levels associated with climate change, resulting in no major changes in terms of inundation. When sea level rise scenarios were modelled in conjunction with the recurrence interval water levels, flooding of the coastal wetland was much greater than current levels for the 1 in 4 and 1 in 8 year events. The study suggests that for this wetland, variability of flows may be a key factor contributing to wetland resilience. Secondly, the thesis examines the variability of open wetland water surface areas and their relation to rainfall to determine wetland hydrological inputs for the Nuwejaars wetland system and respective wetlands. A remote sensing approach was adopted, Landsat 5 TM and 8 OLI multispectral imagery were used to detect changes of water surfaces for the period 1989 to 2017. Water surfaces were enhanced and extracted using the Modified Normalized Difference Water Index of Xu (2006). The coefficient of variation of wetland water surface area was determined. The variability ranges from low to high for respective wetlands. A correlation analysis of wetland water surfaces and local and catchment rainfall for the preceding 1, 3, 6, 9, 12 and 24 months was undertaken. The preceding month and associated inputs explains the annual variability of surface waters. The study suggests that, the variability of wetland water surface area are related to variations to water inputs and groundwater, as well as variations in water outputs such as evapotranspiration and an outlet channel.

APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles

33

Lidsell, Karolina. "Women and climate change adaptation : A qualitative research of a gender perspective on climate change adaptation for national authorities in Sweden." Thesis, Högskolan för lärande och kommunikation, Högskolan i Jönköping, HLK, Globala studier, 2016. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:hj:diva-34899.

Full text

Abstract:

The purpose of this thesis was to investigate if, and how, national authorities integrate a gender perspective into climate change adaptation in Sweden. The study was completed by using qualitative text analysis and content analysis of documents and reports, of two chosen national authorities currently active in the Swedish society. Particularly Yvonne Hirdmans gender system were used as a theoretical framework. The result of the study reveals that national authorities mention gender as an important aspect to climate change, and an important factor of vulnerability in any outcome of a climate disaster. It is also revealed that a gender perspective on climate change adaptation could enlighten the differences between how men and women are affected by climate change, as well as providing solutions to prevent women’s vulnerability in future extreme weather events. A conclusion of the study is that the authorities analysed do integrate a gender perspective in their climate change adaptation work. However, the overall lack of material of a gender perspective on climate change makes it clear that a gender perspective is not fully integrated among national authorities currently active in Sweden.
Syftet med denna studie var att undersöka om, samt hur, nationella myndigheter integrerar ett genusperspektiv i klimatanpassning i Sverige. Studien utfördes genom att använda kvalitativ text analys och innehållsanalys av dokument och rapporter från två utvalda nationella myndigheter aktiva i det svenska samhället. I studien användes genusteori och särskilt Yvonne Hirdmans teori Genussystemet. Resultatet av studien visar att nationella myndigheter nämner kön som en viktig aspekt i klimatförändringarna, men även att kön är en avgörande faktor i resultatet av en klimatkatastrof. Studien förtydligar även att ett genusperspektiv i klimatanpassning kan bevisa hur män och kvinnor påverkas olika av klimatförändringarna, samt bidra med lösningar för att undvika kvinnors utsatthet i ett förändrat klimat. En slutsats av studien är att de valda myndigheterna har integrerat ett genusperspektiv i sitt klimatanpassningsarbete. Övergripande brist på information och material kring ett genusperspektiv i klimatanpassning tydliggör dock att ett genusperspektiv inte är helt integrerat i klimatanpassningsarbetet för myndigheter aktiva i Sverige.

APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles

34

Christoffersson, Moa. "Climate Change Adaptation as Disaster Risk Reduction : A global study of the relationship between exposure to natural hazards and climate change adaptation." Thesis, Uppsala universitet, Statsvetenskapliga institutionen, 2020. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:uu:diva-431519.

Full text

Abstract:

In this thesis, I conduct a global event-data study investigating the relationship between exposure to natural hazards and climate change adaptation. Exposure to natural hazards has previously been linked to actions aimed at reducing risks related to future natural hazards. With climate change, and predicted increase in hazard frequency and intensity, a feasible approach to risk mitigation is climate change adaptation, which can thus be considered a disaster risk reduction strategy. I investigate the effects of disaster frequency and severity on the amount of climate change adaptation actions taken on a subnational level of government, using disaster data from the International Disaster Database (EM-DAT) and data on adaptation actions from CDP. Disaster severity is operationalised in three separate ways to distinguish between different kinds of disaster impacts: in terms of (1) economic damage, (2) how many are affected, and (3) fatalities. I hypothesise that all independent variables are positively related to climate change adaptation, and test the hypotheses using OLS regression. The result depicts a positive correlation between the number of disasters experienced and adaptation actions. I do not see a positive relationship between climate change adaptation actions and the two impact variables total affected and total fatalities. The relationship between economic damages and adaptation actions indicates that economic damages could have different impacts depending on the level of economic development in a country. This study contributes to the integration of the two research fields climate change adaptation and disaster risk reduction by studying climate change adaptation as a form of disaster risk reduction, and deepening the knowledge of what can drive adaptation. Finally, this study contributes by showing that the level of economic development could be an important aspect of the exposure-adaptation relationship.

APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles

35

André, Karin. "Climate change adaptation processes : Regional and sectoral stakeholder perspectives." Doctoral thesis, Linköpings universitet, Tema vatten i natur och samhälle, 2013. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:liu:diva-90500.

Full text

Abstract:

This thesis analyses how societal adaptation processes in public and private sectors at the regional to local level in Sweden are enacted. The thesis pays particular attention to critical factors that constrain or enable adaptation by focussing on: who are the stakeholders, how do different stakeholders perceive their capacity to adapt, and the role of stakeholder interaction in facilitating adaptation processes A combination of two analytical perspectives is used where one is based on key concepts within adaptation literature, and the other draws on boundary crossing and transdisciplinary knowledge production (stakeholders, adaptive capacity, and science-based stakeholder dialogues). The study is conducted within the scope of two overall case studies of local adaptation processes within an urban region, and a land-use based sector, the private forestry sector. The cases are setting the scene for the collection of empirical material which is achieved through qualitative methods, primarily focus groups discussions with local and regional, public and private stakeholders with an interest in, and responsibility for adaptation. The focus groups meetings are organized as a series of meetings to which different participatory techniques are applied. The study also builds on a comprehensive stakeholder mapping. First, the results suggest a systematic method for identifying stakeholders in adaptation research, policy, and planning applicable in both sectors and regions that combines top-down knowledge with experience and knowledge based on bottom-up processes. Second, the analysis of perceived adaptive capacities reveal several facilitating and constraining factors that relates both to the characteristics of climate risks, experience of climate variability and extreme weather events, and responsibility- and decision-making structures. Third, the analysis of the interaction between local experts and scientists show that there is potential for the boundary spanning function of science-based stakeholder dialogues in facilitating adaptation through stimulating questions and sharing different knowledge bases and experiences among the participants. However further attention needs to be taken to the institutional environment and the role of so called anchoring devices that help local experts to contextualise, discus and thus anchor scientific knowledge in their own decision-making context. In conclusion, there are both commonalities between adaptation processes in the two case studies and some marked differences, e.g., regarding the concept of adaptation, what type of adaptation actions that are identified, the perceived opportunities for adaptation and degree of complexity.
Denna avhandling analyserar hur klimatanpassningsprocesser inom privata och offentliga sektorer på regional till lokal nivå i Sverige initieras, utvecklas och genomförs. Avhandlingen ägnar särskild uppmärksamhet åt identifiering av vilka intressenter (”stakeholders”) som är involverade i att underlätta och genomföra anpassning, uppfattningar om anpassningsförmåga samt vilken roll interaktion mellan olika intressenter kan ha för att underlätta anpassning. En kombination av två analytiska perspektiv används som bygger på tidigare forskning om klimatanpassningsprocesser samt transdisciplinär kunskapsproduktion. Studien genomförs inom ramen för två övergripande fallstudier av anpassningsprocesser i en urban region samt den privata skogssektorn. Fallstudierna utgör grunden för insamlingen av det empiriska materialet som bygger på kvalitativa metoder. Den främsta metoden är fokusgruppsdiskussioner med lokala och regionala, privata och offentliga aktörer med intresse av, eller ansvar för klimatanpassning. Fokusgrupperna organiseras som en serie möten där olika deltagandetekniker tillämpas. Studien bygger också på en omfattande intressentkartläggning. I avhandlingen utvecklas och ges förslag på en stegvis metod för att identifiera intressenter för anpassningsprocesser som kan användas inom forskning och praktik. Studien analyserar också hur olika intressentgrupper upplever förmågan att hantera klimatförändringar. Ett antal möjliggörande och begränsande faktorer identifieras så som karaktären på de upplevda klimatriskerna, erfarenhet av klimatvariationer och extrema väderhändelser, samt ansvar- och beslutsstrukturer. Slutligen, analyseras om och i så fall hur interaktionen mellan lokala experter och forskare som deltar i intressantdialoger (”science-based stakeholder dialogues”) kan underlätta anpassning. Resultaten visar att det finns potential genom att deltagarna ges möjlighet att ställa frågor tillvarandra och dela med sig av sina olika kunskapsbaser och erfarenheter, samt utforska olika anpassningsalternativ. Däremot behövs vidare studier för att undersöka betydelsen av det institutionella sammanhanget samt hur olika verktyg (”anchoring devices”) kan bidra när det gäller att förankra och omsätta kunskap om klimatförändringar i olika beslutskontexter. Avslutningsvis visar denna studie på att det finns både likheter och skillnader i hur anpassningsprocesser kommer till uttryck bland de olika aktörsgrupperna inom fallstudierna, t.ex. när det gäller hur begreppet anpassning används, vilken typ av anpassning som identifieras, upplevda möjligheter för anpassning samt graden av komplexitet.

APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles

36

Cooper, Sarah Jane. "Rural transformations : livelihood adaptation to climate change in Uganda." Thesis, University of Reading, 2012. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.590142.

Full text

Abstract:

Adaptation to climate change is difficult because of uncertainties about the future climate and its impacts, the multitude of contexts affected and the dynamic nature of future impacts. Adaptive governance and social learning may provide institutions with the flexibility to tackle this challenge. This study aimed to explore how these processes assist smallholder farmers in Uganda. A mixed methods approach was used. Farmers' perception of the climate, livelihood adaptation and social learning was explored using semi-structured interviews (n=160), and social networks of learning was investigated using an actor-network analysis (n=62). Processes of livelihood resilience were documented with guided interviews and focus group discussions. Farmers perceived a change in the local climate. There were differing perceptions of change in seasonality, but conclusive perceptions of decreasing trends in rainfall and increased variability in intra-seasonal rainfall. No perceptions were supported by meteorological data, except for the rising trend in temperature. Farmers implemented many livelihood coping and anticipatory responses to perceived climate risk, including livestock maintenance, food storage, and planting drought-resistant varieties. Adaptive capacity and perception of farmers differed with their access to assets, entitlements and endowments. Wealthier farmers had more effective responses than marginalised farmers, and perceived drought as higher risk, whereas marginalised farmers perceived extreme rainfall as riskier. Agricultural extension stimulated social learning and contributed to livelihood innovation increasing food security and income. Informal knowledge exchange at other learning platforms, e.g. church, supported marginal farmers and learning was assisted by strong, local leadership and shadow networks at local scales. Reflexivity and multi-stakeholder collaboration were evident in governing institutions. Limited self-organisation and vertical communication among farmers demonstrated few opportunities for shifts in governance and learning was challenged by inequity and elite capture. Livelihood resilience would be improved by further farmer inclusivity, the mainstreaming of adaptation into policy and improved collaboration amongst stakeholders.

APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles

37

CHEN, CHEN. "Mitigation, Adaptation and Climate Change: Policy Balance under Uncertainty." Doctoral thesis, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, 2011. http://hdl.handle.net/10280/1062.

Full text

APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles

38

Mingliang, Lu. "Coastal Community Climate Change Adaptation Framework Development and Implementation." Thèse, Université d'Ottawa / University of Ottawa, 2014. http://hdl.handle.net/10393/30425.

Full text

Abstract:

As the impacts of climate change become more severe, coastal communities are required to prepare plans for adaptation to the invasive environmental changes. A well-prepared adaptation plan can effectively reduce the overall risks of coastal communities. However, a plan is not the final solution for the climate change on coastal communities. How to take the plan into action and implement it in the local communities and find the opportunities for the enhanced preparedness and development of coastal communities is the primary consideration of this thesis research. Many organizations are engaged in developing adaptation tools and guidebooks. For completing their adaptation plans, communities need to develop clear, operational, action plans, and discover the opportunities to enhance the sustainability of coastal communities. To make coastal communities more sustainable in the face of the changing climate, the public’s attention and community participation is critical. The purpose of this study is to develop an adaptation framework and action plan process system for coastal communities and at the same time, provide the general public with an enhanced opportunity to contribute their understanding about what is being done for their costal community around them and how to react when an event happens. The research is applied to the coastal communities of Richmond County, Cape Breton, Canada as a case study. The result of the work develops an adaptation “Action Plan” website for Richmond County. The website features the development, application, and simulation of a mobile communication “Action plan” application designed and implemented with the action website along to provide coastal community with communication options that exploit the local community network and enhance the community’s capacity for climate change adaptation. The emergency response community mobile app and the accompanying website are models for other communities especially those that from the coastal communities in Canada and the Caribbean as part of the C-Change ICURA project to which this research is affiliated.

APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles

39

Higbee, Melissa (Melissa Aura). "Climate change adaptation in the U.S. electric utility sector." Thesis, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2013. http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/81632.

Full text

Abstract:

Thesis (M.C.P.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Urban Studies and Planning, 2013.
Cataloged from PDF version of thesis.
Includes bibliographical references (p. 95-101).
The electric utility sector has been a focus of policy efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, but even if these efforts are successful, the sector will need to adapt to the impacts of climate change. These are likely to include increased heat waves, drought, extreme precipitation events, and sea level rise. Electric utilities play a key role in providing electricity services in cities that will be facing all of these difficulties. Cities depend on electricity service for public health, safety and economic development. This thesis examines how electric utilities in the United States are approaching climate change adaptation and the factors enabling and constraining these efforts. The thesis draws on an analysis of electric utility responses to surveys distributed by the Carbon Disclosure Project as well as case studies of Consolidated Edison, Entergy, and Pacific Gas & Electric. The case study utilities are incorporating climate change projections into their risk management and capital planning activities. Integrating climate change projections into risk management efforts helps utilities use replacement opportunities to build greater resilience into infrastructure systems and ensure that adaptation strategies take competing demands on resources into account. Both approaches to adaptation are generally recommended by adaptation experts. However, existing internal decisionmaking may not be well suited for incorporating the uncertainties of climate change impacts. The case study utilities could be using Scenario Planning to develop strategies likely to be effective given a range of possible futures, but they are not. I argue that state utility regulatory commissions should consider taking a more active role in providing guidance and oversight to utilities regarding climate change adaptation. They should consider (1) requiring utilities to submit climate change vulnerability assessments and detailed adaptation plans; (2) incorporating climate change risk and adaptation considerations into existing electricity plans; and (3) convening joint climate change planning efforts with utilities, municipal governments, and a range of other stakeholders. Cities and states that would like to see electric utilities put more emphasis on climate change adaptation should consider sharing climate change projections and forecasts of potential climate change impacts. Provision of such information has been effective in encouraging adaptation planning in the case studies. The actual adaptation strategies that utilities have adopted depend largely on the risks they face and the regulatory and policy environment in which they find themselves.
by Melissa Higbee.
M.C.P.

APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles

40

Matus, Kramer Arnoldo. "Climate change adaptation and tourism in the Mexican Caribbean." Thesis, University of Oxford, 2011. http://ora.ox.ac.uk/objects/uuid:548c18c7-e3da-4c12-8389-608b8f18909c.

Full text

Abstract:

The Mexican Caribbean tourism sector is highly exposed to hurricane activity, yet coastal tourism is also a major driver influencing regional biophysical and social vulnerability to climate risks. Drawing on a political ecology approach and a vulnerability assessment, this study asks how experiences with extreme hurricane events in the Mexican Caribbean shape climate change adaptation in the regional tourism sector. This study uses multiple methods, scales and field sites to (a) examine how biophysical vulnerability to extreme hurricanes affects the tourism sector, (b) explain the changing conditions of social vulnerability linked to hurricane damage in the tourism sector and (c) assess the present and future opportunities and obstacles for adaptation planning. The main findings show that the region is experiencing a phase of unprecedented high intensity hurricanes. It is uncertain, however, whether changes in hurricane activity exceed natural multi-decadal variability. Tourism is one major driver of land use changes which have resulted in some of the world’s fastest increase in coastal urban sprawl. Most tourism infrastructure is located in areas with the greatest exposure to hurricanes. Hurricane Wilma which hit the region in 2005 is the most expensive natural disaster in the history of the Mexican insurance industry. Hotels have showed a high ability to recover operations after hurricanes. There is a high penetration of insurance ownership in hotels and there is substantial mobilization of public and private financial and human resources during hurricane disasters. Hotel responses to hurricanes, however, tend to be reactive and autonomous. One important consequence of hurricanes is that hoteliers in the interest to reduce operational costs, fire those workers with the weakest labour rights. Thus, hotel workers suffer from ‘double exposure’, a situation where hotel workers are confronted with the consequences of climate change while simultaneously suffering the consequences of globalization and neoliberal policies which have reduced the power of unions and weakened access to social security. The Mexican government has created a national climate change strategy and its operational programme which has led to the consolidation of an adaptation organizational structures at the national and state levels. I conclude, however, that adaptation planning may not result in the necessary actions on the ground since local actors are not well integrated yet into such efforts. This study shows the importance of regional adaptation research that takes into account perspectives from both the physical and social sciences. This study highlights the importance of interactions between local actors, the larger socioeconomic and political economy context to inform adaptation planning and policy.

APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles

41

Dowiatt, Matthew. "Urban Adaptation Planning in Response to Climate Change Risk." The Ohio State University, 2020. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1598284306542077.

Full text

APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles

42

Мельник, Леонід Григорович, Леонид Григорьевич Мельник, Leonid Hryhorovych Melnyk, and D. Uchelor. "Challenges of agricultural adaptation to climate change in Nigeria." Thesis, Сумський державний університет, 2013. http://essuir.sumdu.edu.ua/handle/123456789/31649.

Full text

Abstract:

Climate change is one of the most serious environmental threats facing mankind worldwide. It affects agriculture in several ways, including its direct impact on food production. Climate change, which is attributable to the natural climate cycle and human activities, has adversely affected agricultural productivity in Africa When you are citing the document, use the following link http://essuir.sumdu.edu.ua/handle/123456789/31649

APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles

43

Cheng, Cheng. "Adaptation of buildings for climate change : A literature review." Thesis, Högskolan i Gävle, Avdelningen för byggnadsteknik, energisystem och miljövetenskap, 2021. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:hig:diva-36143.

Full text

Abstract:

In September 2020, Northeast China suffered three unprecedented typhoons in half a month, and there was freezing rain in early November, all of which led to the large-scale urban power failure. The occurrence of these phenomena makes people directly see climate change and its impact on the living environment of human beings. Many studies have shown that the cause of climate change is the increase of artificial greenhouse gas emissions since industrialization. In addition to the increase of extreme weather disasters, the most direct manifestations of climate change are the rising temperature, droughts, and rising sea levels. The building sector accounts for 39% of global greenhouse gas emissions and 36% of energy consumption. To ensure the long-term integrity and normal operation of buildings, we need to understand the impact of climate on buildings, and how to deal with it. This paper reviews the literature on climate change and building energy by searching search engines and literature databases. For extreme weather, most literature talks about the impact of power failure, the main strategy is to improve reliability, resilience, sustainability, and robustness, it can help reduce losses and recover as soon as possible. On the other hand, the methods of adaptation to and mitigation of non-disaster weather are reviewed from the perspective of sustainability. This paper mainly reviews the methods of passive technology and strategy for exemplary buildings, building envelope, passive ventilation, lighting/shading, solar energy, bioenergy, dehumidification, passive cooling, and design strategy. According to the local climate, the geographical characteristics of the building, to develop comprehensive passive technology and strategy, can meet or close to meet their energy saving, emission reduction, comfort needs. This paper can provide a technical and strategic reference for the building sector to deal with climate change.

Via online ZOOM meeting Presentation

APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles

44

Serrat, Capdevila Aleix. "Climate Change Impacts in Hydrology: Quantification and Societal Adaptation." Diss., The University of Arizona, 2009. http://hdl.handle.net/10150/194702.

Full text

Abstract:

The research presented here attempts to bridge science and policy through the quantification of climate change impacts and the analysis of a science-fed participatory process to face a sustainability challenge in the San Pedro Basin (Arizona). Paper 1 presents an assessment of a collaborative development process of a decision support system model between academia and a multi-stakeholder consortium created to solve water sustainability problems in a local watershed. This study analyzes how science-fed multi-stakeholder participatory processes lead to sustainability learning promoting resilience and adaptation. Paper 2 presents an approach to link an ensemble of global climate model outputs with a hydrological model to quantify climate change impacts in the hydrology of a basin, providing a range of uncertainty in the results. Precipitation projections for the current century from different climate models and IPCC scenarios are used to obtain recharge estimates as inputs to a groundwater model. Quantifying changes in the basin's water budget due to changes in recharge, evapotranspiration (ET) rates are assumed to depend only on groundwater levels. Picking on such assumption, Paper 3 explores the effects of a changing climate on ET. Using experimental eddy covariance data from three riparian sites, it analyzes seasonal controls on ET. An approach to quantify evapotranspiration rates and growing season length under warmer climates is proposed. Results indicate that although atmospheric demand will be greater, increasing pan and reference crop evaporation, ET rates at the studied field sites will remain unchanged due to stomatal regulation. However, the length of the growing season will increase, mainly with an earlier leaf-out and at a lesser level by a delayed growing season end. These findings - implying decreased aquifer recharge, increased riparian water use and a lesser water balance - are very relevant for water management in semi-arid regions. Paper 4, in which I am second author, explores the theory relating changes in area-average and pan evaporation. Using the same experimental data as Paper 3, it corroborates a previous theoretical relationship and discusses the validity of Bouchet's hypothesis.

APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles

45

Huda, Fakir Azmal. "Economic assessment of farm level climate change adaptation options." Doctoral thesis, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Lebenswissenschaftliche Fakultät, 2015. http://dx.doi.org/10.18452/17277.

Full text

Abstract:

Biophysikalische Veränderungen der Produktionsbedingungen zwingen Landwirte zur Anpassung ihrer klimasensiblen Produktionsprozesse. Eine ökonomische Bewertung dieser strategischen Alternativen ist angesichts der Unsicherheiten durch den Klimawandel von hoher Bedeutung. Mit nur wenigen empirischen Studien befindet sich die Forschung in diesem Bereich jedoch noch im Anfangsstadium. Die vorliegende Studie zielt auf die Entwicklung eines integrierten ökonomischen Rahmens für die Bewertung von Anpassungsoptionen ab. Die theoretische und ökonometrische Analyse wird dabei anhand (1) einer prozessorientierten Analyse von Produktionsverfahren und Anpassungsoptionen auf Basis der Theorie der Betriebslehre sowie (2) eines hedonischen (Ricardianischen) Ansatzes, basierend auf der Theorie zu Landrenten und Veränderungen des Nettobetriebseinkommens, in Abhängigkeit von klimatischen Variablen durchgeführt. Die Analyse von Input-Output-Verhältnissen der Reisproduktion basiert auf einer umfassenden Befragung von 300 „klimaangepassten“ Landwirten über acht Jahre in Bangladesch. Es werden insgesamt 14 Anpassungsoptionen für zwei Anbauperioden von Reis identifiziert. Eine Kombination der Methoden ermöglicht dabei drei Vorteile: (1) Eine geringere Ressourcennutzung in Kombination mit einer moderaten produktiven Leistung und einem hohen Nettoeinkommen, (2) eine Verringerung von Treibhausgasemissionen sowie (3) einen klimaangepassten Betrieb. Es wird gezeigt, dass sich Temperaturänderungen in beiden Perioden negativ auf das Betriebseinkommen auswirken. Niederschlagsänderungen sind in allen Modellen signifikant und positiv zu bewerten. Die Studie zeigt eindeutig, dass eine sukzessive Anpassung das Betriebsergebnis signifikant erhöhen und zu einer Steigerung des Betriebseinkommens beitragen kann. Durch die Modellierung der Auswirkungen verschiedener Szenarien des Klimawandels auf das Nettobetriebseinkommen werden die nachteiligen Effekte auf zukünftige Betriebseinkommen aufgezeigt.
The bio-physical change in the production environment has directed farmers towards strategic alternatives for farming practices. The economic assessment of these adaptation options is of great importance in facing the uncertainty of climate change. However, the economic assessment of farm-level adaptation options remains in its infancy with few empirical studies. The study framework analyzes economic implications of alternative farming activities relating to climate change in several dimensions. The theoretical and empirical economic approach of the study can be characterized in two distinct ways: (1) the process-based approach following farm management theory by production performance analysis and the appraisal of adaptation and (2) the hedonic (Ricardian) approach based on land rent theory and the change in net farm income in relation to climatic variables. The analysis of input-output relations of rice farming was done based on an intensive survey of 300 adapted farmers in Bangladesh over 8 years at different climate thresholds. The study assesses different adaptation options for two rice growing seasons, namely Boro and Amon. These options are (1) low resource use, moderate productive performance and high farm net income, (2) minimum GHG production and (3) farms coping with changing climatic conditions. The study reveals that marginal impacts of temperature on farm net income are negative for all seasons. The marginal impacts of rainfall were found to be positive and significant for all models in the study. It is also evident from the analysis that successive adaptation significantly increases farm productivity and contributes to the revival of farm revenue up to a threshold level. Finally, based on estimated climate variability models of farm net income, the study presents a model that simulates according to future climate change scenarios. It indicates adverse effects of climate change on future farm income.

APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles

46

Rasheed, Ashiq Mohamed. "Adaptation of water sensitive urban design to climate change." Thesis, Queensland University of Technology, 2018. https://eprints.qut.edu.au/122960/1/Ashiq%20Mohamed_Rasheed_Thesis.pdf.

Full text

Abstract:

This research developed mathematical models to generate reliable future rainfall data in small spatial and temporal scales, and used them to estimate future floods and water quality scenarios. Outcomes of the study suggested a substantial increase in the occurrences and the extent of future floods and the amount of pollutant that they carry. Outcomes will be highly valued in future-proofing urban flood mitigation measures and water sensitive urban design infrastructure.

APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles

47

Pariartha, I. Putu Gustave Suryantara. "Optimisation of climate change adaptation for urban stormwater management." Thesis, Queensland University of Technology, 2019. https://eprints.qut.edu.au/127643/1/I%20Putu%20Gustave%20Suryantara_Pariartha_Thesis.pdf.

Full text

Abstract:

This project was a step forward in developing new knowledge relating to the optimisation of the flood mitigation measures adaptation against climate change and urbanisation impacts by considering their uncertainty. The generic outcomes of this study are expected to contribute to the optimisation of design of flood mitigation measures into the future based on costs and the capability to reduce the flood damage.

APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles

48

Taylor, Anna. "Urban climate adaptation as a process of organisational decision making." Doctoral thesis, University of Cape Town, 2017. http://hdl.handle.net/11427/27554.

Full text

Abstract:

In a world that is increasingly urbanised, cities are recognised as critical sites for tackling problems of climate change, both by reducing greenhouse gas emissions and addressing the impacts of changing climate conditions. Unlike climate change mitigation, adaptation does not have one clear, commonly agreed collective goal. Governing and making decisions on climate adaptation in cities entails contestation over knowledge, values and preferences. Currently, the two dominant conceptualisations of adaptation are as cycles or pathways. Do these models adequately theorise what can be empirically observed in cities as to how climate adaptation is undertaken? Most research on urban climate adaptation emanates from the Global North, where political, scientific, economic and administrative systems are well established and well resourced. There is a dearth of empirical research from cities of the Global South contributing to the development of urban climate adaptation theory. This thesis contributes to addressing this gap in two ways. Firstly, by drawing on both conceptual and methodological resources from the field of organisational studies, notably the streams and rounds models of decision making, organisational ethnography and processual case research. Secondly, by conducting empirical case study research on three processes of city scale climate adaptation in Cape Town, South Africa, a growing city facing many development challenges where the local government began addressing climate adaptation over ten years ago. The three adaptation processes studied are: the preparation and adoption of city-wide sectoral climate adaptation plans; the creation of a City Development Strategy with climate resilience as a core goal; and the inclusion of climate change projections into stormwater masterplans. Data were gathered through interviews, participant observation, focus groups and document review, through embedded research within a formal knowledge co-production partnership between the University of Cape Town and the City of Cape Town government. Processual analysis and applied thematic analysis were used to test models of adaptation and decision making against data from the three case studies. The findings suggest that both the cycles and pathways models of climate adaptation inadequately represent the contested and contingent nature of decision making that prevail within the governance systems of cities such as Cape Town. Based on ethnographic knowledge of how Cape Town's local government undertakes climate adaptation, it is argued that the rounds model of decision making provides conceptual tools to better understand and represent how the process of climate adaptation in cities is undertaken; tools that can be used to enhance the pathways model. The study concludes that progress in adapting cities to a changing climate is currently constrained by both the problems and potential solutions or interventions being too technical for most politicians to deal with and prioritize and too political for most technical and administrative officials to design and implement. It calls for urban climate adaptation to be understood as distributed across a multitude of actors pursuing concurrent, discontinuous processes, and thereby focus needs to be on fostering collaboration and coordination, rather than fixating on single actors, policies, plans or projects.

APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles

49

Ayers, Jessica. "Understanding the adaptation paradox : can global climate change adaptation policy be locally inclusive?" Thesis, London School of Economics and Political Science (University of London), 2010. http://etheses.lse.ac.uk/393/.

Full text

Abstract:

The governance of climate change adaptation presents a paradox: Climate change is a global risk, yet vulnerability is locally experienced. In order to address this paradox, debates in environmental governance need to find ways of integrating local perceptions of risk with global risk assessments. But how can local inclusiveness be achieved in the context of global environmental risks, and what kinds of institutions are needed? Accordingly, this thesis looks at three inter-related concepts from the social sciences that address the challenge of inclusive policy making, but are as yet under-examined in the context of climate change adaptation: (i) Participation, drawing from development studies; (ii) Expertise, drawing from Science and Technology Studies (STS); and (iii) Deliberation, drawing from political science. It is argued that these concepts have not been sufficiently advanced to take account of the challenges raised by the ‘adaptation paradox.’ The hypothesis of this thesis is that this paradox gives rise to a globalised discourse on adaptation that restricts discussion of risk to ‘global’ and technical expertise, and is not open to localised vulnerability-based knowledge about how risks are experienced. This hypothesis is tested by asking: i) What is the evidence that conflicting definitions of climate risk inhibit inclusive adaptation policy making? And ii) Under what circumstances is local inclusiveness achieved under global climate change policy frameworks? This study collects and analyses a new set of data on the main avenue for the inclusion of vulnerable groups in adaptation policy making: National Adaptation Programmes of Actions (NAPAs). Through a detailed empirical case study analysis of the NAPA process in Bangladesh and Nepal, this study examines the evidence that NAPAs achieved inclusiveness, and the circumstances of more inclusive decisionmaking. This data suggests Nepal took a more inclusive approach to NAPA preparation than Bangladesh; and that this was a result of the choices around how to ‘do inclusiveness’ that were in turn influenced by the historical and political contexts within which these decisions were made. Based on these findings, the thesis argues that current approaches to ‘local inclusiveness’ in global adaptation policy need to pay more attention to the deliberative component of participatory policy making, in terms of how deliberative institutions can shape participatory spaces, and how history and politics have in turn shaped how deliberation takes place in each location.

APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles

50

Kim, Kyungwoo. "Effects of Disasters on Local Climate Actions: Climate Change Mitigation and Adaptation Actions." Thesis, University of North Texas, 2017. https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc1062866/.

Full text

Abstract:

This dissertation investigates the effects of natural disasters and political institutions on municipalities' climate change policies. Although most theoretical frameworks on policy adoption highlight the roles of extreme events as exogenous factors influencing policy change, most studies tend to focus on the effects of extreme events on policy change at the national level. Additionally, the existing theoretical frameworks explaining local policy adoption and public service provision do not pay attention to the roles of extreme events in local governments' policy choices. To fill those gaps, this dissertation explores the roles of natural disasters and political institutions on municipal governments' climate change policies. It does this by applying the theory of focusing events to local climate mitigation and adaptation actions. Based on the policy change framework, the political market model, and the institutional collective action frameworks, this dissertation develops and tests hypotheses to examine the effects of natural disasters and political institutions on municipalities' climate mitigation and adaptation policies. The dissertation uses 2010 National League of Cities (NLC) sustainability surveys and the 2010 International City/County Management Association (ICMA) sustainability survey to test the hypotheses. Analytical results show that floods and droughts influence local climate change policies and suggest that local governments can take advantage of extreme events when initiating a policy change. The results also suggest that political institutions can shape the effects of natural disasters on municipalities' climate mitigation and adaptation actions.

APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles

Dissertations / Theses on the topic 'Ecosystem adaptation to climate change'

Create a spot-on reference in APA, MLA, Chicago, Harvard, and other styles