Technological Solutions for Climate Change Adaptation in the Peruvian Highlands

Abstract

Climate change is one of the most pressing and complex problems facing humanity. Climate change was first presented as a biophysical phenomenon, one that would manifest itself through sea level rise, melting polar ice caps, and warming temperatures. It has since become an issue of international significance and the subject of ongoing dialogue in both political and academic settings. As the risks of climate change deepen, so too does the contention and confusion surrounding how best to proceed. How we address climate change is continuously redefined and expanded in academia and policy. As the focus has gradually shifted from mitigation to adaptation, the dialogue has shifted to include the social dimensions of climate change, resulting in a sharp rise in research on the human dimensions of climate change. No longer just a biophysical phenomena, climate change has become a lens through which we analyze poverty, inequality, vulnerability, and development. It has created intense debate about who is responsible, who is most susceptible, and how best to prepare for the consequences of a changing climate. To address these questions, climate change scholarship has developed the concepts of vulnerability and adaptation.