Climate change and the impac on developing countries

Climate Change in Indonesia: Implications for Humans and Nature

by Fitrian Ardiansyah

Authors: Michael Case1, Fitrian Ardiansyah2, Emily Spector3
1Research Scientist, WWF International Climate Change Programme
2Program Director, Climate & Energy WWF-Indonesia
3Brandeis University

Impact of climate change on ecotopes along Rivers

by Marjolijn Haasnoot

Impact of climate change and land subsidence on the water systems in the Netherlands

by Marjolijn Haasnoot

Livestock-poverty nexus paper summary Egeru Anthony

by Anthony Egeru

Preempting Possibility: Critical Assessment of the IEA's World Energy Outlook 2010

by Mazen Labban

Development and Change 43(1), pp. 375–393

email me if you'd like a pdf copy

A temporal change study of the Muda River system over 22 years

by Aminuddin Ab Ghani

Ab. Ghani, A., Ali, R., Zakaria, N.A., Abu Hasan, Z., Chang, C.K. &. S. Ahmad, M. S. (2010). A Temporal Change Study of the Muda River System over 22 Years, International Journal of River Basin Management, IAHR., Vol. 8, No.1, pp. 25-37, ISSN 1571-5124

The Muda River has been dramatically affected by unsustainable human activities that sacrificed environmental values... more The Muda River has been dramatically affected by unsustainable human activities that sacrificed environmental values for national development. The removal of the forest canopy causes a decrease in the interception and transpiration in a basin. The decrease in transpiration leads to an increase in the amount of water stored in the soil. These changes can increase the soil's moisture content, allowing more water to be available to drain into channels. Tree clearing can also cause increased erosion at logged sites and a subsequent increase in sediment yield. In this study, an investigation of the spatial and temporal changes in the environment imposed by new land usages on a long timescale (over 22 years) was carried out in the Muda River area. Detecting the changes in land usage will help predict both the consequent changes in the Muda River's behaviour and flood risks. In addition, computer modelling (InfoWorks RS) was used to help determine the long-term behaviour of the Muda River and its flooding behaviour.

Sungai Pahang Digital Flood Mapping: 2007 Flood

by Aminuddin Ab Ghani

Ab. Ghani, A., Chang, C.K., Leow, C.S. & Zakaria, N.A. (2012). Sungai Pahang Digital Flood Mapping: 2007 Flood , International Journal of River Basin Management, Vol. 10 No. 2

In this study, visits to areas in the subcatchments of Sungai Pahang, including Mentakab, Temerloh, Maran and Pekan,... more In this study, visits to areas in the subcatchments of Sungai Pahang, including Mentakab, Temerloh, Maran and Pekan, were made throughout the year 2009 to obtain information regarding inundation areas, flood depth, flow discharge and water levels relevant to the 2007 flood. Interviews with local people were also made to ascertain the true picture of the 2007 flood. Analyses of rainfall data, water level, flow discharge and river cross-sectional
changes were carried out from data gathering. The development of a digital elevation model (DEM) was made from a combination of digital topographical maps and satellite images which were purchased from Jabatan Ukur dan Pemetaan Malaysia. This visually enhanced DEM was then used for the development of the actual extent of the 2007 flood in the study area. Several options of flood mitigation works are proposed to reduce the impact of a similar flood in the future based on the developed DEM.

The development of Digital Elevation Model (DEM) was made from a combination of digital topographic maps and satellite images which were purchased from Jabatan Ukur dan Pemetaan Malaysia (JUPEM). This visually enhanced DEM is then used for the development of the actual extend of 2007 flood in the Study Area. Several options of flood mitigation works are proposed to reduce the impact of similar flood in the future based on the developed DEM.

Risk and Resilience in Three Southeast Asian Cross-Border Areas: The Greater Mekong Subregion, the Heart of Borneo and the Coral Triangle

by Fitrian Ardiansyah

Co-authored with Desak Putu Adhityani Putri

This paper investigates the security impacts of climate change in three Southeast Asian cross-border areas– the... more This paper investigates the security impacts of climate change in three Southeast Asian cross-border areas– the Greater Mekong Subregion, the Heart of Borneo and the Coral Triangle – through an examination of the ways in which climate change results in human insecurity and possibly social unrest, tension and conflict. The three cross-border areas are significant in that they host unique but threatened large-scale freshwater, terrestrial forest, coastal and marine ecosystems. In addition, they are home to more than 400 million people and provide important ecosystem goods and services to many countries in the region. This paper explores and evaluates regional agreements and actions in each of the three areas, with an emphasis on the mainstreaming of climate adaptation as well as mitigation in the development agenda. The analysis also points to the importance of reaching out to other actors beyond state and intergovernmental ones if adaptation and mitigation efforts were to succeed. There is a need to identify other actors, such as the business sector, local communities and the public, with the aim of getting them involved in these important issues.

Cross-border resource management in Southeast Asia: the cases of Greater Mekong region, the Heart of Borneo

by Fitrian Ardiansyah

Threats Without Threateners? Exploring Intersections of Threats to the Global Commons and National Security

by Erik Nemeth

Co-authored with Gregory F. Treverton and Sinduja Srinivasan

View abstract at:  View abstract at:  http://www.rand.org/pubs/occasional_papers/OP360

Why do individuals seem to be so unwilling to change their behaviour when they readily accept that global climate change will affect us?

by David Uzzell

Briefing paper published by the One Million Climate Jobs Campaign, South Africa

Rolling stones; fast weathering of olivine in shallow seas for cost-effective CO2 capture and mitigation of global warming and ocean acidification

by Poppe de Boer

R. D. Schuiling and P. L. de Boer

Human CO2 emissions may drive the Earth into a next greenhouse state. They can be mitigated by accelerating weathering... more Human CO2 emissions may drive the Earth into a next greenhouse state. They can be mitigated by accelerating weathering of natural rock under the uptake of CO2. We disprove the paradigm that olivine weathering in nature would be a slow process, and show that it is not needed to mill olivine to very fine, 10 μm-size grains in order to arrive at a complete dissolution within 1-2 y. In high-energy shallow marine environments olivine grains and reaction products on the grain surfaces, that otherwise would greatly retard the reaction, are abraded so that the chemical reaction is much accelerated. When kept in motion even large olivine grains rubbing and bumping against each other quickly produce fine clay- and silt-sized olivine particles that show a fast chemical reaction. Spreading of olivine in the world’s 2% most energetic shelf seas can compensate a year’s global CO2 emissions and counteract ocean acidification against a price well below that of carbon credits.

Climate Change and Museum Collections

by The International Institute for Conservation IIC

Climate Change and Museum Collections
London, 17th of September 2008

The changing climate of our... more Climate Change and Museum Collections
London, 17th of September 2008

The changing climate of our earth has implications that go well beyond the dramatic effects of storms and rising sea levels, shifts in migratory patterns and habitats, or the potential for increased health risks from pollutants. Weather patterns and temperature variations also affect the long term preservation of the world’s cultural treasures which we enjoy and which inspire us every day.

The threats that come with climate change do not just exist in the outdoor environment. The delicate and fragile treasures within our museums are also susceptible. Museum and house collections that may not have previously required environmental control may soon require such efforts to meet their preservation responsibilities. Those collections protected by environmental systems may be at greater risk if such systems are not updated and expanded in capacity. To remain effective the maintenance plans for historic buildings, public monuments, and archaeological sites will require adaptation to our changing climate.

Tuvalu and Climate Change: Constructions of Environmental Displacement in the" Sydney Morning Herald"

by Carol Farbotko

'The global warming clock is ticking so see these places while you can': Voyeuristic tourism and model environmental citizens on Tuvalu's disappearing islands

by Carol Farbotko

Copenhagen, Climate Science and the Emotional Geographies of Climate Change

by Carol Farbotko

Co-authored with Helen McGregor

Wishful sinking: disappearing islands, climate refugees and cosmopolitan experimentation

by Carol Farbotko

The Challenges of Tourism as a Development Strategy in an Era of Global Climate Change

by C. Michael Hall

Gössling, S., Hall, C.M. and Scott, D. 2009, The Challenges of Tourism as a Development Strategy in an Era of Global Climate Change, in Rethinking Development in a Carbon-Constrained World. ed. E. Palosou, Development Cooperation and Climate Change. Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Helsinki. DRAFT ONLY

Draft of chapter for Finland's Ministry of Foreign Affairs book.

The publication "Rethinking... more Draft of chapter for Finland's Ministry of Foreign Affairs book.

The publication "Rethinking Development in a Carbon-Constrained World. Development Cooperation and Climate Change" was launched in Bonn, Germany, at the 30th sessions of the UNFCCC Convention subsidiary bodies (1 to 12 June 2009) as part of a government of Finland event. In addition, the publication will be distributed in Bangkok in the context of the Ninth Session of the AWG-KP and seventh session of the AWG-LCA in September. The complete book is available from the Finnish Ministry of Foreign Affairs website for free downloading:
http://formin.finland.fi/Public/default.aspx?contentid=165894

Propuestas normativas para el enfrentamiento del Cambio Climático en Colombia

by Guillermo Tejeiro Gutierrez

Resultado de la segunda fase del proyecto "Cambio Climático en los países de la Cuenca Amazónica", el presente trabajo consigna las propuestas sobre legislación aplicable a Colombia en el tema de Cambio Climático

Habiendo identificado las características del Estado colombiano, su normatividad específica y aquélla por sectores de... more Habiendo identificado las características del Estado colombiano, su normatividad específica y aquélla por sectores de importancia para el análisis del fenómeno del cambio climático en la primera fase del proyecto "Cambio Climático en los países de la Cuenca Amazónica", en esta segunda parte de nuestro estudio habremos de referirnos al análisis de los instrumentos legales y de política pública que hemos identificado en función de la necesidad de regular las actividades cuya aportación a la causación del fenómeno resulta significativa, buscando definir igualmente las estrategias para hacer frente a los efectos inevitables del fenómeno.

Para ello, habremos de elaborar un marco conceptual que servirá para aproximarnos al estudio del cambio climático en Colombia. Posteriormente, habremos de dedicarnos al  análisis de los mecanismos legales y de política pública existentes en el país, buscando determinar si es necesario implementar nuevos mecanismos o si resulta factible hacer una relectura de aquéllos existentes en función de su potencial para la mitigación y adaptación al fenómeno. Finalmente habremos de elaborar propuestas de acción concretas para la mitigación y adaptación al fenómeno desde la disciplina del derecho ambiental.

Urban Governance for Adaptation: Assessing Climate Change Resilience In Ten Asian Cities

by Thomas Tanner

IDS Working Paper 315, Institute of Development Studies, Brighton, UK

Rapidly expanding urban settlements in the developing world face severe climatic risks in light of climate change.... more Rapidly expanding urban settlements in the developing world face severe climatic risks in light of climate change. Urban populations will increasingly be forced to cope with increased incidents of flooding, air and water pollution, heat stress and vector-borne diseases. This research, undertaken with a set of partner research institutes, examines how to manage climate-related impacts in an urban context by promoting planned and autonomous adaptation in order to by improve resilience in
a changing climate. It investigates the linkages between the characteristics of propoor good urban governance, climate adaptation and resilience, and poverty and sustainable development concerns.

The paper develops an analytical framework by combining governance literature with rapid climate resilience assessments
conducted in ten Asian cities. Based on this empirical data, we argue that a number of key characteristics can be identified to assess and build urban resilience to climate change in a way that reduces the vulnerability of the citizens most at risk
from climate shocks and stresses.

These characteristics form the basis of a climate resilient urban governance assessment framework, and include
(1) decentralisation and autonomy,
(2) accountability and transparency,
(3) responsiveness and flexibility,
(4) participation and inclusion
(5) experience and support.

This framework can help to assist in the planning, design and implementation of urban climate change resilience-building programmes in the future.

Keywords: climate change; adaptation; urban governance; resilience; Asia.