The Synergistic Trap: How Strategic Alliances Amplify Corporate Vulnerability to Climate Risk

Facilitating Climate-Smart Investments

The severe damage and impacts caused by extreme events in a changing climate will not only make the sustainable development goals difficult to achieve, but also erode the hard-won development gains of the past. This article reviews the major impacts and challenges of disaster and climate change risks on sustainable development, and summarizes the courses and linkages of disaster risk reduction (DRR), climate change adaptation (CCA), and sustainable development over the past 30 years. Our findings show that the conceptual development of DRR actions has gone through three general phases: disaster management in the 1990s, risk management in the 2000s, and resilient management and development in the 2010s. Gradually, CCA has been widely implemented to overcome the adverse effects of climate change. A framework is proposed for tackling climate change and disaster risks in the context of resilient, sustainable development, indicating that CCA is not a subset of DRR while they have similarities and differences in their scope and emphasis. It is crucial to transform governance mechanisms at different levels, so as to integrate CCA and DRR to reduce disaster and climate change risks, and achieve safe growth and a resilient future in the era of the Anthropocene.

Climate change is a complex and contentious public issue, but the risk-management options available to us are straightforward and have well-characterized strengths and weaknesses.

A new typology of climate change risk for European cities and regions: Principles and applications

Protected areas are a key instrument for conservation. Despite this, they are vulnerable to risks associated with weak governance, land-use intensification, and climate change. We used a novel hierarchical optimization approach to identify priority areas for expanding the global protected area system that explicitly accounted for such risks while maximizing protection of all known terrestrial vertebrate species. To incorporate risk categories, we built on the minimum set problem, where the objective is to reach species distribution protection targets while accounting for 1 constraint, such as land cost or area. We expanded this approach to include multiple objectives accounting for risk in the problem formulation by treating each risk layer as a separate objective in the problem formulation. Reducing exposure to these risks required expanding the area of the global protected area system by 1.6% while still meeting conservation targets. Incorporating risks from weak governance drove the greatest changes in spatial priorities for protection, and incorporating risks from climate change required the largest increase (2.52%) in global protected area. Conserving wide-ranging species required countries with relatively strong governance to protect more land when they bordered nations with comparatively weak governance. Our results underscore the need for cross-jurisdictional coordination and demonstrate how risk can be efficiently incorporated into conservation planning. Planeación de las áreas protegidas para conservar la biodiversidad en un futuro incierto.

Increased educational attainment is a sustainable development priority and has been posited to have benefits for other social and environmental issues, including climate change. However, links between education and climate change risks can involve both synergies and trade-offs, and the balance of these effects remains ambiguous. Increases in educational attainment could lead to faster economic growth and therefore higher emissions, more climate change and higher risks. At the same time, improved attainment would be associated with faster fertility decline in many countries, slower population growth and therefore lower emissions, and would also be likely to reduce vulnerability to climate impacts. We employ a multiregion, multisector model of the world economy, driven with country-specific projections of future population by level of education, to test the net effect of education on emissions and on the Human Development Index (HDI), an indicator that correlates with adaptive capacity to climate impacts. We find that improved educational attainment is associated with a modest net increase in emissions but substantial improvement in the HDI values in developing country regions. Avoiding stalled progress in educational attainment and achieving gains at least consistent with historical trends is especially important in reducing future vulnerability. The effect of education on climate change risks is integral to the relation between climate and development, but difficult to quantify. This article finds potential increases in emissions as well as HDI values due to improved educational attainment in developing countries.

The City University of New York

Communication of climate change (CC) risks is challenging, in particular if global‐scale spatially resolved quantitative information is to be conveyed. Typically, visualization of CC risks, which arise from the combination of hazard, exposure and vulnerability, is confined to showing only the hazards in the form of global thematic maps. This paper explores the potential of contiguous value‐by‐area cartograms, that is, distorted density‐equalizing maps, for improving communication of CC risks and the countries' differentiated responsibilities for CC. Two global‐scale cartogram sets visualize, as an example, groundwater‐related CC risks in 0.5° grid cells, another one the correlation of (cumulative) fossil‐fuel carbon dioxide emissions with the countries' population and gross domestic product. Viewers of the latter set visually recognize the lack of global equity and that the countries' wealth has been built on harmful emissions. I recommend that CC risks are communicated by bivariate gridded cartograms showing the hazard in color and population, or a combination of population and a vulnerability indicator, by distortion of grid cells. Gridded cartograms are also appropriate for visualizing the availability of natural resources to humans. For communicating complex information, sets of cartograms should be carefully designed instead of presenting single cartograms. Inclusion of a conventionally distorted map enhances the viewers' capability to take up the information represented by distortion. Empirical studies about the capability of global cartograms to convey complex information and to trigger moral emotions should be conducted, with a special focus on risk communication.

Topics of sustainable urban development and environmental sustainability are worldwide considered as fundamental for every strategy of urban transformation, renewal and regeneration. In particular, urban regenerations are urban re-development programs involving the rebirth or renewal of selected urban areas or district that have faced periods of decline due to compounding and intersecting pressures. The programs cover many aspects of the area to be re-generated such as physical, social and environmental contexts. Re-use of already built up areas and buildings, reduction of the demand for new soils to be developed, increasing of appealing of dense city areas, increasing of social and spatial resilience are among the positive consequences of these programs. However, in the current debate about urban regeneration, few studies have evaluated the real environmental outcomes and effectiveness of regeneration programs in terms of physical variables such as new provided greenspaces, accessibility to public transportation, climate change or seismic risk reduction. This paper proposes a method to quantify the real outcomes and effectiveness of urban regeneration programs with reference to the above mentioned variables. As a real experience of urban planning, the new Local Spatial Plan for the Municipality of Catania, a medium sized city in Southern Italy, is presented. The city is characterised by a high density urban fabric, a general lack of urban greenspaces and high levels of traffic congestion due to a massive use of private transportation. The urban fabric is also very vulnerable to seismic and climate change risks. Among the transformation tools, the new Local spatial plan proposes regeneration actions aimed at the complete regeneration of old and dilapidated areas, not classified as historical heritage and heavily vulnerable to seismic risk. These actions include the complete demolition and reconstruction of these areas within clearly defined boundaries, contributing to minimise soil consumption, maintaining as open public spaces the majority of existing non urbanised areas within the densely built-up settlement. The program of regeneration can dramatically contributes to the reduction of seismic and climate change risk and achieve a general requalification of the urban environment. Starting from this planning experience, this paper focus on the evaluation of the regenerations programs included in the Local Spatial Plan. Regeneration Areas (RAs) have been identified by the municipality as characterized by high level of seismic vulnerability, urban degradation, lack of public services and urban environment quality. For the chosen areas, this study proposes the evaluation of the transformations potentially occurring in the urban context by the proposed regeneration program. The following aspects are evaluated: reduction of risks (in terms of exposition and vulnerability to seismic and climate change related risks) 2 International Scientific Conference GEOBALCANICA 2016 256 mobility (concerning the presence of public means of transports, distance to the transit stops, roads, pedestrian and cycling lanes) accessibility increase (in terms of access to trip attractions) land-use diversity (in terms of number and distribution of different land uses) public spaces and services (in terms of extension and functions) Each of the aforementioned aspects are evaluated by spatial indicators calculated by GIS. All indicators are calculated at different and size increasing units, in order to understand the effect of a single regeneration project and of a number of concurrent projects within the considered geographical units. The geographical units are the RAs and districts. Different combinations of regeneration projects will be thus evaluated to highlight which projects produce the most relevant effects, calculated with the proposed indicators. This will allow the municipality to define scenarios of regeneration priority, in terms of which projects might be financed and implemented firstly because of their higher positive effect on the urban environment. Such scenarios will generate positive effects not only to the single areas to be regenerated but also to wider urban contexts, significantly reducing the urban vulnerability to seismic and climate change risks and at the same time producing more livable and healthy urban environment.

Understanding coastal communities' awareness and risk perceptions of climate change impact is essential in developing effective risk communication tools and mitigation strategies to reduce the vulnerability of these communities. In this study, we examined coastal communities' climate change awareness and risk perceptions of climate change impact on the coastal marine ecosystem, sea level rise impact on the mangrove ecosystem and as a factor affecting coral reefs and seagrass beds. The data were gathered by conducting face-to-face surveys with 291 respondents from the coastal areas of Taytay, Aborlan and Puerto Princesa in Palawan, Philippines. Results showed that most participants (82%) perceived that climate change is happening and a large majority (75%) perceived it as a risk to the coastal marine ecosystem. Local temperature rise and excessive rainfall were found to be significant predictors of climate change awareness. Sea level rise was perceived by most participants (60%) to cause coastal erosion and to affect the mangrove ecosystem. On coral reefs and seagrass ecosystems, anthropogenic drivers and climate change were perceived to have a high impact, while marine livelihoods had a low impact. In addition, we found that climate change risk perceptions were influenced by direct experiences of extreme weather events (i.e., temperature rise and excessive rainfall) and climate-related livelihood damages (i.e., declining income). Climate change risk perceptions were also found to vary with household income, education, age group and geographical location. The results suggest that addressing poverty and effectively communicating climate change risks can improve climate change awareness and risk perceptions.

Our study aims to assess the impact of climate change risk on human security of households in selected districts of Punjab, Pakistan namely, Rawalpindi, Lahore, Bahawalpur and Sialkot. We further, aim to ascertain if female labor force participation in the household leads to increase in household’s ability to withstand climate change risk to its human security. By incorporating people’s perception of climate change, the study is based on the data collected from 1000 households of the four districts of Punjab with an equal representation of rural and urban areas. The regression analysis shows climate change as a major security risk and consistently yields deteriorating effect on human security. While incorporating female labor force participation in the model, results shows a positive impact of female labor force participation on human security. Further, the interaction term between climate change risk index and female labor force participation depicts varying but insightful outcomes for human security and its constituents i.e. health, food and economic security. Our data depicts that only 328 out of 1007 households had female earners while the average proportion of female earners was about 16% in the households, which may account for the possibility of a few statistically insignificant coefficient. Though consistently positive sign of the coefficient makes a strong case for female labor force participation in enhancing human security of households via tackling climate change risk effectively. These results highlight the need for removal of barriers to female labor force participation at the household level to enable them to play their profound role in combating climate change risk and its repercussions for human security.

Climate change has been identified as one of the biggest challenges of our time and the impacts of global warming are becoming increasingly notable and damaging. As a result, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change urges for drastic actions to address and mitigate climate risk. This is highly relevant for the tourism industry which has been identified as a sustainable development option and which provides important economic activity to destinations globally, including many small island developing states, such as Vanuatu. Yet, tourism is highly vulnerable to the impacts of climate change, while at the same time contributing to global greenhouse gas emissions. For tourism to deliver on its development promise under a changing climate, climate risk to destinations and how it can be reduced needs to be better understood. To address this need, this thesis aims to understand what role tourism can play to reduce climate risk to the wider destination. The relevance of climate change is not new to the tourism literature, and there is evidence that tourism businesses are already coping with changes in their environment. Yet actions to address climate risk are often reactionary without the consideration of potential flow-on effects that may be created. This can be problematic, particularly in the South Pacific where tourism activity is highly integrated with local communities and the natural environment. For tourism to create benefits and reduce climate risk beyond the tourism businesses, the wider destination needs to be considered. However, our understanding of how different destination characteristics and elements link, interact, and change under increased climate risk and how flow-on effects between destination elements can themselves influence climate change remains limited. To address these gaps, this thesis applies general systems theory to advance our understanding of climate risk to destinations in Vanuatu, and to identify the systemic change that is required to collectively and holistically address climate change through tourism. A qualitative multi-stage research design was developed to first assess how academic, practical and political tourism and climate change knowledge is produced and how it can be enhanced to better inform the sector’s climate response. Following this literature review, the systems approach guides the development of the Vanuatu Tourism Adaptation System which identifies economic, socio-cultural, political, and environmental variables, how they interlink and thereby influencing climate risk to destinations in Vanuatu. Destination trade-offs are discussed and policy recommendations of how they may be reduced presented. Building on this systemic understanding of risk to Vanuatu destinations, the potential of Ecosystem-based Adaptation for tourism is empirically tested. Results highlight the potential this approach provides to reduce climate risk and contribute to destination well-being. A number of barriers to successful implementations were identified, and strategies presented of how to address those. To discuss the results and learnings of the empirical studies of this thesis, the concepts resilience and transformation, system characteristics linked to change, are critically reflected upon to develop seven leverage points for holistic climate risk reduction to Vanuatu destinations. Results of this thesis highlight the opportunity systems thinking provides to reduce climate risk to destinations. It can help enhance awareness, support collaboration to integrate projects and policies across sectors and inform the selection and implementation of climate risk reducing interventions in tourism. This thesis makes several significant theoretical and practical contributions. It contributes to our theoretical understanding of how tourism climate change knowledge is created, and to our systemic knowledge on climate risk to destinations. It thus advances systems approaches in tourism, including our understanding of destinations as social-ecological systems. Linking resilience to leverage points provides a novel way of assessing system change and provides insights into how to manage such change to reduce climate risk. In addition, this thesis provides practical recommendations for Vanuatu destinations relevant to decision makers at local, provincial and national level. It seeks to stimulate a different way of thinking about the means of tourism and how to address complex problems such as climate change more holistically.

Introduction.- Sustainable Development, Climate Change Adaptation and Disaster Management.- Risk and Vulnerability.- Building Urban Climate Resilience: Experiences from Vulnerability Assessment in Hue city, Viet Nam Resilience, Transition and Transformation.- Climate Change Risks - Methodological Framework and Case Study of Damages from Extreme Events in Cambodia.- Food security, climate change adaptation, and disaster risk.- Human Health as Pre-conditioning Nutrition towards Achieving Sustainable Development.- Ecosystem-based Disaster Risk Reduction: Experiences, Challenges and Opportunities in the Post-2015 Development Agenda.- Access, equity and hazards: Highlighting a socially just and ecologically resilient perspective on water resources.- Sustainable Development and Coastal Disasters: Linking Policies to Practices.- Climate Change and Integrated Approach to Water Resource Management in the Murray-Darling Basin.- Vulnerability and Sustainable Development: Issues and Challenges from the Philippines' Agricultural and Water Sectors.- Community-based approaches to sustainable development and disaster risk reduction.- Education, Training, and Capacity Building for Sustainable Development.- Missing the Forests for the Trees? Assessing the Use of Impact Evaluations in Forestry Programmes.- Integration of Indigenous Knowledge into Disaster Risk Reduction and Management (DRRM) Policies for Sustainable Development: The Case Of The Agta In Casiguran, Philippines.- Usefulness of a Sustainability Literacy Test.- Sustainable development and disaster risk reduction in post-2015.

The scientific community agrees that climate change is happening, is largely human induced, and will have serious consequences for human health (Field and others 2014). The health consequences of climate variability and change are diverse, potentially affecting the burden of a wide range of health outcomes. Changing weather patterns can affect the magnitude and pattern of morbidity and mortality from extreme weather and climate events, and from changing concentrations of ozone, particulate matter, and aeroallergens (Smith and others 2014). Changing weather patterns and climatic shifts may also create environmental conditions that facilitate alterations in the geographic range, seasonality, and incidence of some infectious diseases in some regions, such as the spread of malaria into highland areas in parts of Sub-Saharan Africa. Changes in water availability and agricultural productivity could affect undernutrition, particularly in some parts of Africa and Asia (Lloyd, Kovats, and Chalabi 2011). Although climate change will likely increase positive health outcomes in some regions, the overall balance will be detrimental for health and well-being, especially in low- and lower-middle-income countries that experience higher burdens of climate-sensitive health outcomes (Smith and others 2014).The pathways between climate change and health outcomes are often complex and indirect, making attribution challenging. Climate change may not be the most important driver of climate-sensitive health outcomes over the next few decades but could be significant past the middle of this century. Climate change is a stress multiplier, putting pressure on vulnerable systems, populations, and regions. For example, temperature is associated with the incidence of some food- and water-borne diseases that are significant sources of childhood mortality (Smith and others 2014). Reducing the burden of these diseases requires improved access to safe water and improved sanitation. Poverty is a primary driver underlying the health risks of climate change (Smith and others 2014). Poverty alleviation programs could improve the capacity of health systems to manage risks and reduce the overall costs of a changing climate.Climate change entails other unique challenges:Significant reductions in greenhouse gas emissions (mitigation) in the next few years will be critical to preventing more severe climate change later in the century, but they will have limited effects on weather patterns in the short term. In terms of costing, another complexity is that these policies and technologies are associated with short-term health benefits (Garcia-Menendez and others 2015).Reducing and managing health risks over the next few decades will require modifying health systems to prepare for, cope with, and recover from the health consequences of climate variability and change; these changes are part of what is termed adaptation. Adaptation will be required across the century, with the extent of mitigation being a key determinant of health systems’ ability to manage risks projected later in the century (Smith and others 2014). No matter the success of adaptation and mitigation, residual risks from climate change will burden health systems, particularly in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs).Given these complexities, estimating the costs of managing the health risks of climate variability and change is not straightforward. The wide range of health outcomes potentially affected means counting (1) costs associated with increased health care and public health interventions for morbidity and mortality from a long list of climate-sensitive health outcomes; (2) costs associated with lost work days and lower productivity; and (3) costs associated with well-being. Costs could also accrue from repeated episodes of malaria, diarrhea, or other infectious diseases that affect childhood development and health in later life. Costs associated with actions taken in other sectors are also important for health, such as access to safe water and improved sanitation. A portion of the costs of managing the health risks associated with migrants and environmental refugees could be, but has not been, counted.Further, costs and benefits will be displaced over time, with costs associated with increased health burdens occurring now because of past greenhouse gas emissions and benefits occurring later in the century because of mitigation implemented in the next few years. A few preliminary estimates have been made of the costs of adaptation. However, more work is needed to understand how climate variability and change could affect the ability of health systems to manage risks over long temporal scales.This chapter reviews the health risks of climate variability and change, discusses key components of those risks, summarizes the attributes of climate-resilient health systems, provides an overview of the costs of increasing health resilience that arise from other sectors, reviews temporal and spatial scale issues, and summarizes key conclusions regarding the costs of the health risks of climate change.

The consequences of climate change are profound for the residential building industry and, unless appropriate adaptation strategies are implemented, will increase exponentially. The consequences of climate change, such as increased repair costs, can be reduced if buildings are designed and built to be adaptive to climate change risks. This research investigates the preparedness of the Australian residential building sector to adapt to such risks, with a view to informing the next review of the National Construction Code (2022), which at present does not include provisions for climate change adaptation. Twelve semi-structured interviews were conducted with construction managers from residential building companies in Brisbane, Queensland to understand their level of preparedness to adapt with climate change risks. Three aspects of preparedness were investigated: participant’s awareness of climate change risks, their company’s capacity to include climate change information in planning, and actions taken to address climate change risks. Participants were also asked about climate change adaptation policies and what they thought the path towards increased preparedness in the residential construction industry to climate change risks might involve. Qualitative analysis of interview data was undertaken using NVivo software, and illustrative examples and direct quotes from this data are included in the results. The results indicate a low level of preparedness of the residential building industry to adapt with climate risks. Levels of awareness of managing the consequences of climate change risks, analytical capacity, and the actions taken to address climate change were all found to be low. Legislating climate adaptation practices and increasing the adaptation awareness of the residential constructors are some of the recommendations to enhance the preparedness of the residential construction industry in Australia to adapt with climate change risks.