AdaptNet for 12 August 2014
1. Planning Urban Water with Climatic Uncertainty
2. Improving Adaptation Practice in Developing Countries
3. Economic Risks of Climate Change in the United States
4. Comparative Analysis of Surface UHI – Australia
5. Climate Change Adaptation Study – India
6. International Symposium for Next Generation Infrastructure
Planning Urban Water with Climatic Uncertainty
This document consists of two sections: an introductory part that sets out water infrastructure related issues in non-technical terms; and a second part that consists of four technical papers on the topic. The document sets out the general uncertainty – including climate change as one source of imperfect information – facing managers of water infrastructure about increasing the availability and security of water supply.
Enhancing Water Infrastructure Provision with Climate Change Uncertainty – Interim Report, Harry Clarke, John Freebairn, Ananda Jayanath and Anke Leroux, Victorian Centre for Climate Change Adaptation Research (VCCCAR), Victoria, Australia [2.10 MB, PDF]
Improving Adaptation Practice in Developing Countries
The paper provides a review of climate adaptation practice in developing countries by focusing on the international community’s support for adaptation through numerous funding mechanisms. It identifies three areas deserving greater scrutiny: in-country priorities, entry points and delivery systems, and how to improve adaptation practice. The paper argues that these concerns, if not addressed, have the potential to increase the vulnerability of intended beneficiaries of the adaptation agenda.
Strategies for Improving Adaptation Practice in Developing Countries, Nature Climate Change, vol. 4, pp. 339-342, 2014 [subscription required]
Economic Risks of Climate Change in the United States
The report examines the economic costs of climate change. It applies risk assessment to the critical issue of climate change, and takes a fact-based look at the potential risks facing specific sectors (coastal, agricultural and labor productivity) and regions of the American economy. The report finds that the American economy faces multiple and significant risks from climate change. However, the U.S. can still avoid most of the worst impacts and significantly reduce the odds of costly climate outcomes by acting now.
Risky Business: the Economic Risks of Climate Change in the United States, A Climate Risk Assessment for the United States, Kate Gordon et al., Risky Business, United States, June 2014
Comparative Analysis of Surface UHI – Australia
The City of Sydney, Australia is increasingly experiencing the UHI (Urban Heat Island) effect due to its numerous urban development projects and changes in climate. In this context, the paper explores the most heat resilient urban features at precinct scale. It covers five high density precincts (based on a nocturnal remote-sensing thermal image) in central Sydney.
Comparative Analysis of Surface Urban Heat Island Effect in Central Sydney, Ehsan Sharifi & Steffen Lehmann, Journal of Sustainable Development; vol. 7, no. 3 (2014)
Climate Change Adaptation Study – India
The neonatal morbidity increases in non-climate-controlled settings during periods of extreme high ambient temperatures. This paper compares neonatal morbidity in a non-air-conditioned hospital during the 2010-heat wave in Ahmedabad, India to morbidity in the prior and subsequent years. It demonstrates the importance of simple surveillance measures in motivating a hospital policy change toward climate change adaptation.
Research Article: Neonates in Ahmedabad, India, During the 2010 Heat Wave: A Climate Change Adaptation Study, Khyati Kakkad et al., Journal of Environmental and Public Health, vol. 2014, article ID 946875, 8 pages, 2014
International Symposium for Next Generation Infrastructure
International Symposium for Next Generation Infrastructure (ISNGI) will take place at Laxenburg Palace, Austria from 30 September to 1 October 2014. The ISNGI aims to support the rapidly expanding international research community seeking to understand the interactions between infrastructure, the population it serves, the environment in which it functions, technology and the economy. Registration for the symposium is open now.
International Symposium for Next Generation Infrastructure, International Centre for Infrastructure Futures, University College London, 30 September-1 October 2014
For further information, please contact the editor, Dr. Saleem Janjua: muhammadsaleem.janjua@rmit.edu.au
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Professor Darryn McEvoy, Program Leader, RMIT University Climate Change Adaptation Programme
Professor Peter Hayes, Co-founder and Executive Director of Nautilus Institute for Security and Sustainability
Dr. Saleem Janjua, Editor, AdaptNet
AdaptNet is a free fortnightly report produced by RMIT University Global Cities Research Institute’s Climate Change Adaptation Programme, Melbourne, Australia. It is published in partnership with the Nautilus Institute for Security and Sustainability.
