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The Vulnerability Sourcebook : concept and guidelines for standardised vulnerability assessments
The Vulnerability Sourcebook sourcebook provides a standardised approach to vulnerability assessments covering a broad range of sectors and topics (e.g. water sector, agriculture, fisheries, different ecosystems) as well as different spatial levels (community, sub-national, national) and time horizons (e.g. current vulnerability or vulnerability in the medium- to long-term). It refers to vulnerability as ‘the degree to which a system is susceptible to, and unable to cope with, adverse effects of climate change, including climate variability and extremes. Vulnerability is a function of the char ...
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Available online: https://gc21.giz.de/ibt/var/app/wp342deP/1443/wp-content/uploads/filebase/va/vul [...]
Published by: GIZ ; 2014
The Vulnerability Sourcebook sourcebook provides a standardised approach to vulnerability assessments covering a broad range of sectors and topics (e.g. water sector, agriculture, fisheries, different ecosystems) as well as different spatial levels (community, sub-national, national) and time horizons (e.g. current vulnerability or vulnerability in the medium- to long-term). It refers to vulnerability as ‘the degree to which a system is susceptible to, and unable to cope with, adverse effects of climate change, including climate variability and extremes. Vulnerability is a function of the character, magnitude, and rate of climate change and variation to which a system is exposed, its sensitivity, and its adaptive capacity.’ Based on this definition, the Vulnerability Sourcebook distinguishes between and assesses four key components that determine whether, and to what extent, a system is susceptible to climate change: exposure, sensitivity, potential impact and adaptive capacity.
Language(s): English
Format: Digital (Free)Tags: Climate change ; Adaptation ; Vulnerability
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Agriculture and disaster risk : a contribution by the United Nations to the consultation leading to the Third UN World Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction (WCDRR)
United Nations (UN) - United Nations, 2014This document provides some recommendations for addressing disaster risk in agriculture in the post-2015 framework for disaster risk reduction. It presents: (i) the status of mainstreaming disaster risk in agriculture, reporting on the progresses and highlighting some emerging trends; (ii) the drivers for mainstreaming disaster risk into agriculture; (iii) the regional/international policy frameworks and initiatives within agriculture to be targeted; (iv) measuring disaster risk in agriculture; (v) a list of agencies contributing and description of institutional commitment; and (vi) key docume ...
Agriculture and disaster risk: a contribution by the United Nations to the consultation leading to the Third UN World Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction (WCDRR)
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Available online: http://www.preventionweb.net/files/38775_attfonwo1.pdf
Published by: United Nations ; 2014
This document provides some recommendations for addressing disaster risk in agriculture in the post-2015 framework for disaster risk reduction. It presents: (i) the status of mainstreaming disaster risk in agriculture, reporting on the progresses and highlighting some emerging trends; (ii) the drivers for mainstreaming disaster risk into agriculture; (iii) the regional/international policy frameworks and initiatives within agriculture to be targeted; (iv) measuring disaster risk in agriculture; (v) a list of agencies contributing and description of institutional commitment; and (vi) key documents/source of additional info.
Language(s): English
Format: Digital (Free)Tags: Food Safety ; Agrometeorology ; Multi-hazard Early Warning Systems (MHEWS)
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Climate variability, adaptation strategies and food security in Malawi
This study has a focus on climate adaptation strategies for farmers in Malawi.
This paper assesses farmers’ incentives and conditioning factors that hinder or promote adaptation strategies and evaluates its impact on crop productivity by utilizing household level data collected in 2011 from nationally representative sample households in Malawi. The study distinguishes between (i) exposure to climatic disruptions, (ii) bio-physical sensitivity to such disruptions, (iii) household adaptive capacity in terms of farmers’ ability to prepare and adjust to the resulting stress, and, finally, ( ...
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Available online: http://www.fao.org/3/a-i3906e.pdf
S. Asfaw ; N. McCarthy ; L. Lipper ; Food and Agriculture Organization (Rome, Italia)
Published by: FAO ; 2014This study has a focus on climate adaptation strategies for farmers in Malawi.
This paper assesses farmers’ incentives and conditioning factors that hinder or promote adaptation strategies and evaluates its impact on crop productivity by utilizing household level data collected in 2011 from nationally representative sample households in Malawi. The study distinguishes between (i) exposure to climatic disruptions, (ii) bio-physical sensitivity to such disruptions, (iii) household adaptive capacity in terms of farmers’ ability to prepare and adjust to the resulting stress, and, finally, (iv) system-level adaptive capacity that serve as enabling factors for household-level adaptation. We employ a multivariate probit (MVP) and instrumental variable technique to model farming practice selection decisions and their yield impact estimates.Language(s): English
Format: Digital (Free)Tags: Agroclimatology ; Food Safety ; Malawi
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Policy Research Working Paper, 6916. Climate change, conflict, and cooperation : global analysis of the resilience of international river treaties to increased water variability
World Bank, 2014Although water variability has already been observed across river basins, climate change is predicted to increase variability. Such environmental changes may aggravate political tensions, especially in regions that are not equipped with an appropriate institutional apparatus. Increased variability is also likely to challenge regions with existing institutional capacity. This paper argues that the best attempts to assess the ability of states to deal with variability in the future rest with considering how agreements have fared in the past. The paper investigates to what extent particular mecha ...
Climate change, conflict, and cooperation : global analysis of the resilience of international river treaties to increased water variability
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Available online: http://www-wds.worldbank.org/external/default/WDSContentServer/WDSP/IB/2014/06/1 [...]
Published by: World Bank ; 2014
Although water variability has already been observed across river basins, climate change is predicted to increase variability. Such environmental changes may aggravate political tensions, especially in regions that are not equipped with an appropriate institutional apparatus. Increased variability is also likely to challenge regions with existing institutional capacity. This paper argues that the best attempts to assess the ability of states to deal with variability in the future rest with considering how agreements have fared in the past. The paper investigates to what extent particular mechanisms and institutional designs help mitigate inter-country tensions over shared water. The analysis specifically focuses on identifying which water allocation mechanisms and institutional features provide better opportunities for mitigating conflict given that water allocation issues tend to be most salient among riparians. Water-related events from the Basins at Risk events database are used as the dependent variable to test hypotheses regarding the viability, or resilience, of treaties over time. Climatic, geographic, political, and economic variables are used as controls. The analysis is conducted for the years 1948-2001 with the country dyad as the level of observation. Findings pertaining to the primary explanatory variables suggest that country dyads governed by treaties with water allocation mechanisms exhibiting both flexibility and specificity evince more cooperative behavior. Country dyads governed by treaties with a larger sum of institutional mechanisms likewise evince a higher level of cooperation, although certain institutional mechanisms are more important than others.
Collection(s) and Series: Policy Research Working Paper- No. 6916
Language(s): English
Format: Digital (Free)Tags: Water ; Climate change ; Conflict
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Integrating urban agriculture and forestry into climate change action plans: Lessons from Sri Lanka
This case study aims to illustrate how the Western Province in Sri Lanka is promoting urban and peri-urban agriculture and forestry as a strategy to reduce vulnerability to climate change, while at the same time enhancing urban liveability and livelihoods. Key messages include that the province is promoting the rehabilitation of flood zones through their productive use as a strategy to improve storm water infiltration and mitigate flood risks. It is recommended that future upscaling of these interventions will need new urban design concepts and the development of a provincial climate change ...
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Available online: http://cdkn.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/SriLanka_Inside_Story_final_web-res.p [...]
Published by: CDKN ; 2014
This case study aims to illustrate how the Western Province in Sri Lanka is promoting urban and peri-urban agriculture and forestry as a strategy to reduce vulnerability to climate change, while at the same time enhancing urban liveability and livelihoods. Key messages include that the province is promoting the rehabilitation of flood zones through their productive use as a strategy to improve storm water infiltration and mitigate flood risks. It is recommended that future upscaling of these interventions will need new urban design concepts and the development of a provincial climate change action plan, in parallel with a revision of local and national policies. The paper argues that achieving this progress on policy will require improved impact monitoring and awareness raising at all levels of government, partnership and capacity building and local financing.
Language(s): English
Format: Digital (Free)Tags: Agroclimatology ; Food Safety ; Climate change ; Sri Lanka
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United Nations World Water Development Report 2014: Water and Energy, Volume 1
This report provides an overview of major and emerging trends from around the world, with examples of how some of the trend-related challenges have been addressed, their implications for policy-makers, and further actions that can be taken by stakeholders and the international community. It argues that water and energy are closely interconnected and highly interdependent. Choices made and actions taken in one domain can greatly affect the other, positively or negatively. Trade-offs need to be managed to limit negative impacts and foster opportunities for synergy. The argument is given that wat ...
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What climate change means for farmers in Africa: A triptych review middle panel: Introductional matters and consequences of global warming for African farmers: In African Journal of Food, Agriculture, Nutrition and Development (Vol. 14 No. 1)
This paper deals with the consequences of climate change for farmers in Africa, including increasing temperatures and changing rainfall, increasing atmospheric carbon dioxide content and impacts on agricultural production. The paper attempts to illustrate local conditions that must be taken into account to understand the impacts/consequences of climate change for African farmers and how they may cope with them. The review is in three parts; climate change is approached by dealing with the three sides from which the danger comes: (i) global warming, (ii) increasing climate variability, (iii) mo ...
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Impact of climate change on agriculture and food crops: options for climate smart agriculture and local adaptation in East NusaTenggara, Indonesia
This paper highlights the impact of climate change on agriculture. It argues that the erratic climate of the region has strongly impacted the local food system especially the seed availability and therefore food security in general. This paper identifies some of the innovation in water use efficiency, water management at crop levels, and proposes some agriculture interventions in order to achieve a sustainable local seed systems, participatory breeding, livestock adaptation measures and improvement of existing agroforestry as well as knowledge management.
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Establishing links between disaster risk reduction and climate change adaptation in the context of loss and damage : policies and approaches in Bangladesh
The aim of this paper is to examine the challenges of addressing loss and damage through national institutional arrangements that integrate disaster risk reduction (DRR) and climate change adaptation (CCA) in Bangladesh. Published as part of the Germanwatch Loss and Damage Initiative, it analyses DRR and CCA policies, strategies, institutions and approaches, and identifies areas where greater synergy may be achieved.
The paper recommends that the following steps be undertaken: develop a comprehensive policy on the integration of DRR and CCA to address loss and damage; establish policy a ...
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Cities in developing countries and their development in response to climate change and resource scarcity
Johannessen L.M. - Evidence on Demand, 2013Future Fit is a DFID Executive Management Committee initiative, to produce a vision and strategy for the department’s response to the challenges and opportunities that climate change and resource scarcity pose for poverty reduction and development. The Future Fit strategy asks the question what strategic shifts in front line sectors - Food, Water, Energy, and Cities - are needed to protect development gains and respond to the challenge of climate change and resource scarcity. Answers to this question will feed into the review of the DFID business model and resource allocation. As part of this ...
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The year of recurring disasters: a review of natural disasters in 2012
This report examines four topics: (i) disasters in 2012, with a focus on recurring disasters; (ii) the role of regional organizations in disaster risk management; (iii) wildfires; and (iv) the important role of women in disaster risk management. It highlights the value given by governments and other actors in working together to prevent disasters and, to a lesser extent, to respond to disasters occurring in the region. It also features the development of strong regional initiatives and different mechanisms for encouraging collaboration, including frameworks for disaster risk reduction, regiona ...
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Urban poverty, food security and climate change
This paper argues that the high and volatile food prices that triggered a renewed interest in food security since the 2008–09 crisis are expected to continue due to the impacts of climate change. It notes that current policy is focused on food production; however, a broader approach based on food systems would be more appropriate as it encompasses all aspects of food production, storage, distribution and consumption. As most low-income groups in both rural and urban areas are net buyers of food, access and affordability are central concerns. There is also a need for more attention to urban foo ...
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The role of conservation programs in drought risk adaptation
This report evaluates the extent to which farms facing higher levels of drought risk are more likely to participate in conservation programs, and finds a strong link between drought risk and program participation. It examines drought risk adaptation, defined as the choices that farmers make in response to drought risk exposure, and addresses the policy uncertainty by examining the role of drought risk within agricultural conservation programs and considering potential changes in conservation program design, such as adjustments in contract ranking criteria or changes in eligibility requirements ...
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Uganda climate change vulnerability assessment report
This assessment was conducted in 2012. Field research focused on Gulu, Lira, Luweero, Mbale, Isingiro, and Kasese, USAID/Feed the Future priority districts that include important cropping systems, represent different agro-ecological zones, and are near weather stations that have collected consistent rainfall and temperature data for a long period of time.
The research and analysis show how current climate patterns shape – and how future climate patterns may influence – key crop value chains and the livelihoods of households that depend on them.
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Conflict management and disaster risk reduction: a case study of Kenya
2013This report explores the links between disaster risk reduction and conflict prevention, with a specific focus on Kenya. The overall objective is to develop a livelihoods approach to understanding and reducing the risk of households and communities who have been, or are likely to be, affected by disasters. Conflict is linked to livelihoods through both cause and effect pathways, but the linkages between conflict mitigation and disaster risk reduction at the level of policy and program are limited. This study seeks to understand those linkages at the community level, and strengthen the policy co ...
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Using climate information to support adaptation planning and policy-making: A practical case study in Bagamoyo District, coastal Tanzania
This case study is designed to provide a practical example of how to use climate information to support adaptation planning and policy-making. The paper focuses on the Bagamoyo district in coastal Tanzania. Local livelihoods are mostly based on natural resources, including small-scale agriculture, seaweed farming, traditional fishing and small-scale eco-tourism. People living on the coast report that climate variability and climate change are affecting their lives due to factors such as unreliable timing and intensity of rainfall, major flooding and sea-level rise. These impacts have increased ...
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Tackling climate change through livestock: A global assessment of emissions and mitigation opportunities
According to this report, the global livestock sector contributes a significant share to anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions, but it can also deliver a significant share of the necessary mitigation effort. The authors call for urgent, concerted and collective action from all sector stakeholders to ensure that existing and promising mitigation strategies are implemented. They also highlight a need to reduce the sector’s emissions and its environmental footprint, especially in view of its continuing expansion to ensure food security and feed a growing, richer and more urbanized world populati ...
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Mapping the regional variation in potential vulnerability in Indian agriculture to climate change: An exercise through constructing vulnerability index: In African Journal of Environmental Science and Technology
The anticipated changes in water availability, temperature rise, soil degradation and the suggested increase in extreme weather events are likely to greatly affect agriculture in India. This paper aims to develop the vulnerability profile of agricultural systems of the Indian states to the changing climate scenarios. It develops two sub indices: Bio-Physical vulnerability index and Socio-Economic vulnerability index to develop the final overall vulnerability index.
The contribution of agriculture to India’s GDP has been declining over recent years, but agriculture still provides employm ...
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Impact of climate change on ASEAN food security: downscaling analysis and response
This Issues Brief is based on the proceedings of the Expert Group Meeting on the Impact of Climate Change on ASEAN Food Security held in June 2013. This meeting called for higher priority to be given to research on climate shifts, a greater focus on agricultural research and development and also highlighted the need for resource and knowledge inputs from those involved in food value chains across Southeast Asia.
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Climate change, water conflicts and human security
UNU, 2013This report presents a comprehensive regional assessment of the Mediterranean, Middle East, and Sahel in terms of climate change impacts, vulnerabilities, conflict/cooperation and human security at various scales and in a variety of contexts. The Climate Change, Hydro Conflicts and Human Security (CLICO) project builds on interdisciplinary and cross-comparative research covering a variety of geographical scales and historical contexts to unravel social, political, environmental/ ecological and economic conditions in relation to the environment.
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Increasing resilience to climate change in the agricultural sector in the Middle East: the cases of Jordan and Lebanon
Verner Dorte - World Bank, 2013This report aims to assist decision-makers in Jordan and Lebanon in understanding the specific challenges and opportunities posed by climate change in the agricultural sector and to develop local-level priorities, informed by stakeholder input, in order to build agricultural resilience in the two countries. The report is divided into four chapters: (i) chapter one introduces the background of the study and the structure of the report; (ii) chapter two provides a synthesis of evidence of climate variability and change in Jordan and Lebanon; (iii) chapter three explains the methodology of the st ...
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Disquiet on the weather front : the welfare impacts of climatic variability in the rural Philippines
World Bank, 2013Three recent rounds (2003, 2006, and 2009) of the Family Income and Expenditure Survey are matched to rainfall data from 43 rainfall stations in the Philippines to quantify the extent to which unusual weather has any negative effects on the consumption of Filipino households. It is found that negative rainfall shocks decrease consumption, in particular food consumption. Rainfall below one standard deviation of its long-run average causes food consumption to decrease by about 4 percent, when compared with rainfall within one standard deviation. Positive deviations above one standard deviation h ...
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Nationally appropriate mitigation actions for grassland and livestock management in Mongolia
This policy brief by the Asian Development Bank argues that, given the negative impact of climate change on Mongolia, it is crucial to select mitigation actions that reduce vulnerability to climate change, support the achievement of national development goals, and are feasible given local constraints.
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The climate and development challenge for Latin America and the Caribbean : options for climate-resilient, low-carbon development
Climate change is already affecting the foundations on which Latin American societies rely for sustenance and welfare. Addressing these impacts, this report was prepared by a task force of the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF), and the United Nations Economic Commission for Latin America (ECLAC).
Although the carbon footprint of Latin America and the Caribbean is modest and appears to be decreasing, efforts to further reduce that footprint are required if global climate stabilization goals are to be achieved. A substantial contribution of this r ...
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Climate & environment assessment: Building an evidence base in Yemen
Venton C.C. - Evidence on Demand, 2013Evidence on Demand was requested by DFID to carry out a climate and environmental assessment. This was for part of the Business Case for building an evidence base in Yemen by gathering high quality, nationally representative data on key poverty indicators and living conditions.
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