Climate Smart Development Research Articles

Remote Sensing-Based Outdoor Thermal Comfort Assessment in Local Climate Zones in the Rural-Urban Continuum of eThekwini Municipality, South Africa.

Due to the need to continuously monitor and understand the thermal environment and its socioeconomic implications, this study used remotely sensed data to analyze thermal comfort variation in LCZs, including along the rural to urban gradient of the eThekwini Municipality in KwaZulu-Natal province of South Africa. LCZs were mapped using multi-temporal and multi-spectral Landsat 8 and Landsat 9 data using the approach by World Urban Database and Access Portal Tools (WUDAPT), while thermal data were used to retrieve land surface temperatures (LSTs). Data for training classification of LCZs and accuracy assessment were digitized from GoogleEarth guided by knowledge gained and data collected during a field survey in March 2022 as well as pre-existing maps. LCZs were mapped using the random forest classifier in SAGA GIS software while a single channel algorithm based on band 10 was used to compute LST for different scenes. The LSTs were adjusted and further used to derive thermal comfort based on the Universal Thermal Comfort Index (UTCI) categories as an indicator for outdoor thermal comfort on the extremely low- and extremely high-temperature periods in the cool and hot seasons, respectively. LCZs were mapped with high accuracy (overall accuracy of 90.1% and kappa of 0.88) while inter-class separability was high (>1.5) for all LCZ pairs. Built-up LCZs dominate the eastern parts of the municipality, signifying the influence of the sea on development within the area. Average LST was coolest in the dense forest, open low-rise and water LCZs in the cool and hot seasons, respectively. The compact high-rise LCZ was the warmest in both the hot (36 °C) and the cool (23 °C) seasons. The sea sands were among coolest regions in both seasons due to their high water content, attributed to their high water table and close proximity to the ocean. There was no thermal stress during the cool season, while most areas recorded moderate to strong heat stress in the hot season. Some areas in the densely built-up LCZs recorded very strong heat stress in the hot season. The findings suggest that policies and strategies should enhance heat mitigation capacities in strong-heat-stress areas during the hot season. Municipal authorities and citizens must work together to build strategies to minimize temperature extremes and associated socioeconomic pressures. Urban development policies, plans and strategies should consider implications on the thermal environment as well as the value of conservation of LCZs with high-heat mitigation value such as dense forests and expansion of built-up LCZs with low-heat absorption levels such as open low-rise. The study was based mainly on remotely sensed temperatures with some ground data used to validate results, which may limit the assessment. Overall, the study provides insights towards achievement of global sustainable and climate-smart development targets.

Integrating Climate Smart Development through Bioclimatic Planning and Principles: The Case of the World Heritage City of Vigan, Philippines

With rapid and unplanned urban development, there is the emergence of Urban Heat Islands, altering the microclimate of the city. As a coping mechanism, several studies have integrated bioclimatic planning for climate-smart development in the Western context; however, there is an inadequacy of studies focusing on the application of bioclimatic design for a tropical urban climate like the Philippines. Furthermore, studies regarding city microclimate analysis are absent in the country. This study aimed to enumerate the factors contributing to warmer temperatures in the urban core of the heritage district of Vigan and provide bioclimatic environmental planning strategies to encourage climate-smart development on the site.

Low carbon energy model in West Papua

West Papua is one of the Indonesian remaining forest frontiers expected to contribute greatly to countries’ climate commitments. Although fast economic growth in West Papua may results in high emission to the environment, especially in the energy sector. This study aimed to simulate the Gross Regional Domestic Product (GRDP) linked to Emission variables and integrate climate-smart development. The dynamic system model will integrate the influencing factors such as GRDP, capital, investment, and emission in West Papua. The modeling stage comprises of concept drafting, modeling, model simulation, and validation process. Powersim 10 is used to run the model. A causal loop diagram of the initial model scenario is formed of one variable is positive (reinforcing). Modeling results has been declared valid by the AME value of 4,96%. The implementation of NDC 41% in the economic sector will cut GRDP to approximately a half than business as usual GRDP. Based on the initial scenario, the model simulations indicate that the CO2 emission along the simulation period is defined to the year 2030, about 14,397,034,50 tonCO2/year on average. After the structural intervention is conducted, the CO2 emission decrease up to 25,6%, reducing emission according to NDC, 41% will correct the economy.

Understanding the vulnerability, farming strategies and development pathways of smallholder farming systems in Telangana, India

Climate change projections for the 21st century indicate an increase in the already high number of food-insecure people in India. While considerable research on vulnerability to climate change exists, research about Indian smallholder farming systems as a whole, encompassing farming strategies and development pathways in this context, is limited. Hence, the current study examines the vulnerability of three smallholder farming systems, namely, (i) crop without livestock (CWL), (ii) crop with small ruminants (CSR), and (iii) crop with dairy (CD), in the context of climate change in Telangana, India. A mixed methods approach was used to conduct the research with a sample size of ten households per farming system. We found that households of different farming systems faced differential vulnerability due to variation in perceptions of climate change exposures, access to livelihood capitals, and the farming strategies they chose. The CWL households were highly vulnerable to increased maximum temperature and erratic rainfall, while households that farmed both crop and livestock were more vulnerable to overall reduction in precipitation. Decision-making related to farming strategies was a complex process involving several factors, of which the availability of livelihood capitals, provided by government programs, was the foremost. Due to this, households of the different farming systems pursued divergent farming strategies, leading to varying types of adaptation and climate change resilience. Among the three farming systems, the households in the CWL system had the least access to all livelihood capitals and showed the highest vulnerability as their farm strategies only helped to cope with immediate needs. The households in the CD system had access to all critical livelihood capitals, which facilitated opting for sustainable farming strategies. However, as these households were highly dependent on scarce ground water resources for production, their strategies helped only short-term adaption. The households in the CSR system, despite having access to limited capitals, adopted long-term adaptation strategies which is attributed to them being a pastoral ethnic group. Lastly, despite the existence of an integrated climate change policy, state-level development programs continue to focus more on agricultural intensification than on climate change adaptation. This stimulates farming strategies that are lucrative in the short term but endanger farming system resilience to climate change in the long term. We therefore recommend policy makers to give high priority to climate smart development in state development programs, and science-based evaluations of these programs to enable proper climate change adaptation in dryland regions that is inclusive of perspectives of different populations.

Lessons From the Pacific Islands – Adapting to Climate Change by Supporting Social and Ecological Resilience

By necessity Pacific Islands have become hubs of innovation, where climate strategies are piloted and refined to inform adaptation efforts globally. Pacific Island communities face increasingly severe climate impacts including sea-level rise, changing temperature and rainfall patterns, changes in food and water security, and social, cultural, and political impacts including loss of identity, climate-induced migration and threats to sovereignty. In response, communities in the region are leading climate adaptation strategies, often combining traditional practices and cutting-edge science, to build the resilience of their communities and ecosystems in the face of increasing climate risk. For example, communities are implementing resilient networks of marine protected areas using the best available science and strengthening tribal governance to manage these networks, experimenting with salt and drought tolerant crops, revegetating coastlines with native salt-tolerant plants, revitalizing traditional wells, and implementing climate-smart development plans. Often these efforts contribute to local development priorities and create co-benefits for multiple sustainable development goals (SDGs). These community efforts are being scaled up through provincial and national policies that reinforce the critical role that ecosystems play in climate adaptation and provide a model for the rest of the world. While adaptation efforts are critical to help communities cope with climate impacts, in some cases, they will be insufficient to address the magnitude of climate impacts and local development needs. Thus, there are inherent trade-offs and limitations to climate adaptation with migration being the last resort for some island communities.

Rethinking the Limits of Climate Change Adaptation

Using a case study approach, this research explores the various potential limiting factors of climate change adaptation, based on the experience of four low-lying islands in central Philippines. In the aftermath of the 2013 7.2-magnitude Bohol earthquake, the islands now become flooded even during normal spring tides. Results show that, while development problems can constrain adaptive capacity against climate hazards, the outlook of the affected communities about their future on their home islands may ultimately determine the limits of adaptation. As social factors may play a greater role in adaptation than environmental factors, climate-smart development is needed, as well as proper education regarding climate risks and available adaptation options.

Multi-objective land use allocation modelling for prioritizing climate-smart agricultural interventions

Climate-smart interventions in agriculture have varying costs and environmental and economic impacts. Their implementation requires appropriate investment decisions by policy makers that are relevant for current as well as future scenarios of agro-ecology, climate and economic development. Decision support tools are therefore needed to assist different stakeholders to prioritize and hence implement appropriate strategic interventions. These interventions transform agriculture ecosystems to climate-resilient, adaptive and efficient. This paper outlines the mathematical modelling framework of one such, the Climate Smart Agricultural Prioritization (CSAP) toolkit. This toolkit employs a dynamic, spatially-explicit multi-objective optimization model to explore a range of agricultural growth pathways coupled with climate-adaptation strategies to meet agricultural development and environmental goals. The toolkit consists of three major components: (i) land evaluation including assessment of resource availability, land suitability, yield and input-output estimation for all promising crop production practices and technologies for key agro-ecological units; (ii) formulation of scenarios based on policy views and development plans; and (iii) land-use optimization in the form of linear programming models. Climate change and socio-economic drivers condition the land evaluation, technological input-output relations, and specification of optimization objectives that define modelled scenarios. By integrating detailed bottom-up biophysical, climate impact and agricultural-emissions models, CSAP is capable of supporting multi-objective analysis of agricultural production goals in relation to food self-sufficiency, incomes, employment and mitigation targets, thus supporting a wide range of analyses ranging from food security assessment to environmental impact assessment to preparation of climate smart development plans.

A. Srinivasan, F. H. Ling and H. Mori (eds): Climate smart development in Asia: transition to low carbon and climate resilient economies

With today’s rapid economic and population growth, many countries in Asia have entered the most carbonand energy-intensive stages of their development. The resulting carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions have become the major contributor to global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and global climate change. By 2030, Asia is projected to contribute 45 % of global GHG emissions, even though the industrial per capita production and energy consumption in developing countries (e.g., China, India) are relatively low. The impacts of climate change have caused immense damage to many parts of Asia in the forms of increased frequency and intensity of extreme climate events, including hurricanes, floods, and droughts. Therefore, the transition of Asian economies from a ‘‘carbon intensive and climate sensitive’’ paradigm to ‘‘low carbon climate and resilient economies (LCEs)’’ in both developed and developing countries will be essential to realizing future reductions in GHG emissions and thereby the stabilization of global climate. However, research on LCE is still in its infancy throughout the world and even more so in Asia. Peer-reviewed syntheses of the literature on issues associated with LCE have been limited— including the means of financing, governance, and technological capacity for reducing emissions. The recent book, ‘‘Climate Smart Development in Asia: Transition to Low Carbon and Climate Resilient Economies’’ edited by Ancha Srinivasan, Frank Ling, and Hideyuki Mori and published by Routledge in 2012, attempts to produce a practical and forwardlooking source of information on LCEs in Asia for researchers, practitioners, and policymakers. The book, comprising four sections, highlights the technical, economic, financial, and institutional challenges and opportunities for transitioning to LCE in Asia. Section I (Chapter 1) covers the broad context of climate-smart development and enabling transition to LCE. Section II includes five chapters (2–6) that cover national-level LCE endeavors and mitigation and adaption strategies. Section III includes five chapters (7–11) that discuss enabling conditions to climate-smart development in Asian cities. Section IV comprises a single chapter (12) that summarizes the way forward. As the most developed country in Asia, Japan leads technological innovation and provides a regional and global role in finding solutions to LCE. Chapter 2 discusses the potential transition to LCE and the progress made in Japan by focusing on mitigation and adaptation strategies for improving energy efficiency, developing renewables, urban renewal, and sustainable transportation. Although much attention has been paid to mitigating climate risk, the authors argue that W. J. Wang H. S. He (&) School of Natural Resources, University of Missouri, 203 ABNR Bldg, Columbia, MO 65211, USA e-mail: heh@missouri.edu

Development & Climate Days at COP 18 meeting report

The Development & Climate Days celebrated its 10th anniversary at the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change COP 18 in Doha, Qatar (1–2 December 2012). With a vision of re-energizing the original purpose of bringing together policy-makers, practitioners and researchers for intensely participatory learning, dialogue and networking, this event convened over 200 negotiators, policy-makers, scientists, funding agencies and development practitioners. A highly interactive, out-of-the-box programme featured ‘speed networking’ icebreaker sessions, experiential learning games about climate risk management and development, sharply moderated discussions, high-level panels and a ‘Beyond the Film Festival’. Without support from the habitual Powerpoint presentation format, each of these sessions aimed to foster an environment of collaboration among participants, and inject serious fun into the climate and development dialogue processes. Key messages emerging from the event included: (i) considering ways to reduce social exclusion and generating ‘constituencies of demand’, in order to place the injustice of climate change in a political agenda guided by science, (ii) addressing the role of sub-national governments in delivering climate and development financing at community level, (iii) integrating climate services into climate-smart development, and (iv) improving understanding of Loss and Damage from the research, policy and practice perspectives.