Climate change and adaptive capacity in the Western Australian rangelands: a review of current institutional responses

2015 ◽  
Vol 37 (4) ◽  
pp. 331 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ellena Shaw ◽  
G. Bradd Witt
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Adaptive Capacity ◽  
Social Economic ◽  
Social Systems ◽  
Institutional Support ◽  
Sufficient Evidence ◽  
Agricultural Systems ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Agricultural Industries ◽  
Western Australian

This research analysed contemporary publications concerning climate change adaptation in the agricultural systems of the Western Australian rangelands. The term ‘systems’ refers to the supportive economic and social systems as well as agricultural industries. The aim of the study was to evaluate how the adaptive capacity of agricultural systems is supported given the anticipated challenges of climatic changes. The conceptual framework of adaptive capacity was employed to evaluate progress towards improving adaptation and resilience. Eight key indicators of adaptive capacity formed the evaluative criteria, and were applied to a wide range of publicly available documents relevant to the Western Australian rangelands. Progress towards building adaptive capacity was also evaluated by classifying the documents as ‘aspirational’, ‘in action’ or ‘assessed’. The institutional support for adaptive capacity was found to be adequate, as there was sufficient evidence that relevant institutions were providing mechanisms for social, economic and environmental adaptation in the face of climate change. The viability of the agricultural systems of the Western Australian rangelands has been in decline for some time and, therefore, the degree to which efforts to improve adaptive capacity have been successful was difficult to assess. There were methodological limitations of this research due to the limited breadth of available data and subjectivity within the data analysis process, which may have inhibited the accuracy of the findings and recommendations. Also difficulties inherent in quantifying social, economic and environmental processes at differing geographic and temporal scales, were apparent. This raises important questions regarding the extent to which the literature is able to appropriately reflect actual adaptation within the rangelands, and the extent to which stakeholders (community, pastoralists and regional organisations) perceive that adequate institutional support is being provided.

Health and Climate Change

2015 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nicholas Watts
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Climate Change ◽  
Health System ◽  
Adaptive Capacity ◽  
Social Systems ◽  
The United States ◽  
Extreme Weather Events ◽  
Policy Responses ◽  
Mass Migration ◽  
Climate Change And Health

This is an advance summary of a forthcoming article in the Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Environmental Science. Please check back later for the full article. There are three important linkages to explore between climate change and health in terms of potential policy responses. The first of these linkages relates to the impacts on health resulting from climate change. In 2009, The Lancet described climate change as “the greatest global health threat of the 21st century,” referencing the direct and indirect effects it is having on public health. While a number of impacts are directly observable (i.e., an increased frequency and severity of many extreme weather events), others are more indirect, being mediated through environmental and social systems (i.e., the health complications associated with mass migration or violent conflict). Further, it is well understood that resilience and adaptive capacity play an important role in reducing these impacts—often leaving low-income communities worse off than most. The second important linkage between climate change and health relates to the co-benefits of mitigation and adaptation. Policy responses to climate change will inevitably come with both intended and unforseen externalities and “side-effects” (both positive and negative). Traditional public health tools, such as health impact assessment, can be valuable in identifying and understanding these co-benefits to better guide policy. Indeed, many of the mitigation solutions yield substantial benefits for public health: switching away from coal-fired power plants as an energy choice improves cardiovascular and respiratory health; designing cities which are cycle- and pedestrian-friendly increases rates of physical activity (helping to tackle obesity, diabetes, many cancers, and heart disease) while also reducing greenhouse gas emissions from vehicles. Finally, the health system itself has an important role in responding directly to climate change. This is frequently understood in terms of a health facility’s ability to withstand and respond to the impacts of climate change, and to the adaptive capacity of the health system itself. But there is also a role for the health system to play in reducing its own emissions. In countries like the United Kingdom and the United States, the formal health system is responsible for as much as 3–8% of national emissions, and has subsequently made commitments to reduce its environmental impact. A 2013 review of the UK National Health Service’s carbon footprint indicated that as much as 60% of this came from procurement, 17% from building energy, and 13% from health system–related transport. A number of the solutions available are often designed in a way that improves patient outcomes and satisfaction, while reducing the costs of healthcare. In low- and middle-income countries, the focus is placed on ensuring access to reliable electricity, a task well suited to decentralized micro-grids with sustainable power generation. Academic literature on the topic of health and climate change has expanded rapidly in recent years and includes the 2009 and 2015 Lancet Commissions on health and climate change, the 2010 series on the health co-benefits of mitigation, and the 2014 Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s 5th Assessment Report.

A strategic analysis of climate vulnerability of national park resources and values

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Julia Michalak ◽  
Josh Lawler ◽  
John Gross ◽  
Caitlin Littlefield
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Adaptive Capacity ◽  
National Park ◽  
Climate Changes ◽  
Climate Change Impacts ◽  
Cultural Resources ◽  
Vulnerability Factors ◽  
Climate Change Vulnerability ◽  
Vulnerability Assessments ◽  
Wide Range

The U.S. national parks have experienced significant climate-change impacts and rapid, on-going changes are expected to continue. Despite the significant climate-change vulnerabilities facing parks, relatively few parks have conducted comprehensive climate-change vulnerability assessments, defined as assessments that synthesize vulnerability information from a wide range of sources, identify key climate-change impacts, and prioritize vulnerable park resources (Michalak et al. In review). In recognition that funding and planning capacity is limited, this project was initiated to identify geographies, parks, and issues that are high priorities for conducting climate-change vulnerability assessments (CCVA) and strategies to efficiently address the need for CCVAs across all U.S. National Park Service (NPS) park units (hereafter “parks”) and all resources. To help identify priority geographies and issues, we quantitatively assessed the relative magnitude of vulnerability factors potentially affecting park resources and values. We identified multiple vulnerability factors (e.g., temperature change, wildfire potential, number of at-risk species, etc.) and sought existing datasets that could be developed into indicators of these factors. To be included in the study, datasets had to be spatially explicit or already summarized for individual parks and provide consistent data for at least all parks within the contiguous U.S. (CONUS). The need for consistent data across such a large geographic extent limited the number of datasets that could be included, excluded some important drivers of climate-change vulnerability, and prevented adequate evaluation of some geographies. The lack of adequately-scaled data for many key vulnerability factors, such as freshwater flooding risks and increased storm activity, highlights the need for both data development and more detailed vulnerability assessments at local to regional scales where data for these factors may be available. In addition, most of the available data at this scale were related to climate-change exposures, with relatively little data available for factors associated with climate-change sensitivity or adaptive capacity. In particular, we lacked consistent data on the distribution or abundance of cultural resources or accessible data on infrastructure across all parks. We identified resource types, geographies, and critical vulnerability factors that lacked data for NPS’ consideration in addressing data gaps. Forty-seven indicators met our criteria, and these were combined into 21 climate-change vulnerability factors. Twenty-seven indicators representing 12 vulnerability factors addressed climate-change exposure (i.e., projected changes in climate conditions and impacts). A smaller number of indictors measured sensitivity (12 indicators representing 5 vulnerability factors). The sensitivity indicators often measured park or landscape characteristics which may make resources more or less responsive to climate changes (e.g., current air quality) as opposed to directly representing the sensitivity of specific resources within the park (e.g., a particular rare species or type of historical structure). Finally, 6 indicators representing 4 vulnerability factors measured external adaptive capacity for living resources (i.e., characteristics of the park and/or surrounding landscape which may facilitate or impede species adaptation to climate changes). We identified indicators relevant to three resource groups: terrestrial living, aquatic living (including living cultural resources such as culturally significant landscapes, plant, or animal species) and non-living resources (including infrastructure and non-living cultural resources such as historic buildings or archeological sites). We created separate indicator lists for each of these resource groups and analyzed them separately. To identify priority geographies within CONUS,...

scholarly journals Adaptability of Mediterranean Agricultural Systems to Climate Change. The Example of the Sierra Mágina Olive-Growing Region (Andalusia, Spain). Part I: Past and Present

2014 ◽  
Vol 6 (3) ◽  
pp. 380-398 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marianne Cohen ◽  
Josyane Ronchail ◽  
María Alonso-Roldán ◽  
Céline Morcel ◽  
Stéphane Angles ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Social Systems ◽  
Interdisciplinary Approach ◽  
Olive Tree ◽  
Nongovernmental Organization ◽  
Agricultural Systems ◽  
The Past ◽  
Cumulative Rainfall ◽  
Local Stakeholders ◽  
Local Farmers

Abstract This research focuses on the adaptability of olive-growing systems to climate change in the Sierra Mágina region of Andalusia. The authors combined a retrospective and prospective analysis, an interdisciplinary approach, collaboration among climatologists, geographers, and sociologists, and the participation of local farmers and stakeholders, all contributing their own knowledge. This paper assesses the adaptability of olive-growing systems to climate irregularities over the past 50 yr. First, a climatic study shows that rainfall decreased by 18% during the period 1955–2009. Water resource availability has declined 2 or 3 times more than rainfall, in part because of the expansion of irrigation, which ameliorated the effects of droughts and increased profitability. Second, relationships between rainfall and both irrigated and rainfed olive yields are assessed. These show that the cumulative rainfall of the 2 yr preceding the crop explains 41% of the variability of irrigated olive tree yields and 46% of rainfed yields; this result was unexpected for irrigated yields. Third, this study examines the perceptions of climate variability of 15 farmers, the views of 16 local stakeholders [developers, olive oil professionals, local authorities, a conservationist, and a representative of a local nongovernmental organization (NGO)]. The perceptions of the farmers are interpreted with respect to their socioeconomic status. All farmer and stakeholder interviewees know to a certain extent the climatic influence on olive yields, and most of them acknowledge the recent climatic changes. These findings will be valuable for future assessments of the adaptability of the agricultural and social systems to climate change.

scholarly journals Mobile Based Agriculture and Climate Services Impact on Farming Households in Rural Kenya

2019 ◽  
Vol 12 (2) ◽  
pp. 1 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lilian Muasa ◽  
Hirotaka Matsuda
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Mobile Phone ◽  
Adaptive Capacity ◽  
Household Income ◽  
Rural Households ◽  
Capacity Development ◽  
Probit Analysis ◽  
Multinomial Probit ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Farming Households

Rural farming households in semi-arid regions in Kenya are vulnerable to climate change impacts due to overreliance on rain fed agriculture and low adaptive capacity. Farming households’ adaptive capacity development is detrimental to enable them cope with short and long term impacts. Information Communication and Technology (ICTS) play an essential role in adaptive capacity development by ensuring access to information and knowledge related to agriculture and climate. The mobile phone is one of dominant ICT tool with wider ownership and promising technology for information accessibility. The increasing mobile penetration rate in Kenya has initiated the development of a wide range of agricultural related mobile phone services and applications targeting rural households to increase their agricultural productivity and strengthen their adaptive capacity in the face of climate change. This study examines households use and benefit from the developed mobile phone services and applications to access information related to agriculture and climate change. Using data of 120 households’ multinomial probit analysis is applied to identify factors that determine the adoption of the mobile phone. Findings reveled that through developed mobile phone services and applications, Kenyan rural households are able to access; mobile money banking, extension services, obtain credit, agriculture information, weather information and market information. Access to these services increases household capacity and reduce information asymmetry. Feature phone and smart phones are the types of mobile phone used across households. Multinomial probit analysis elicits that probability of feature phone adoption increases with a decrease in household income while that of smart phone increases on male headed households, increases with an increase in household income and accessibility to credit.

Message to the “Journal of Disaster Research”

2006 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. 4-4
Author(s):  
Christopher Arnold ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Natural Disasters ◽  
Social Economic ◽  
Social Systems ◽  
The United States ◽  
International Terrorism ◽  
Economic Losses ◽  
Disaster Research ◽  
Traditional Role ◽  
Joint Research ◽  
Wide Range

Publication of the new “Journal of Disaster Research” is most timely. The last two years have wreaked death and destruction around the world with a savagery that has caused widespread discussion, recrimination and concern for the future. It is clear that, in spite of the great progress in knowledge in the last few decades, much remains to be discovered about the characteristics of nature’s forces and how we can design, construct and retrofit to combat them. This work is the traditional role of scientist and engineers. It is also clear that much of the new found knowledge is not being implemented and our social and economic institutions are ineffective at ensuring that the best information is put to use. Preparing for and responding to nature’s extreme events is a social, economic and political problem and research in these areas must parallel the traditional areas of scientific and engineering research. The expressed viewpoint of the Journal of Disaster Research as multidisciplinary for both technology and social systems is right on target. Neither system can solve the problems on its own: we need true multidisciplinary approaches in which both research and practice are conducted by integrated teams that encompass the whole range of technological, social, economic and political issues. We need to improve communication between the public, the experts, the response officials and workers, the scientists and the politicians. Japan is located in a key position within the Pacific Rim. This region is both a critical area for a wide range of natural disasters, including earthquake, tsunamis, floods and high winds. As such, it is world laboratory for studying the effects of these events and our attempts to respond to them to reduce casualties and economic losses. Japanese researchers and response officials have gathered invaluable information over the last few decades in both the technological and social fields which they have shared at many international conferences, seminars and private discussions. In the United States we have instituted a number of joint research programs with our Japanese colleagues and visited each other’s cities to share information on preparing for and recovering from these inevitable events. The Journal of Disaster Research, with its distinguished board of editors, will be an invaluable resource in sharing our knowledge. The advent of international terrorism has added a new and unwelcome dimension to the disaster scene. The field is still in its infancy and much research is needed. Some of the lessons from combating natural disasters can be used in the terrorism situation, but also many new problems are introduced. We must come to terms with the difference between the deliberate attempts to provoke a disaster compared to nature’s random initiation of disastrous events. Christopher Arnold, Palo Alto, California, USA, June 7, 2006

The Avon River Basin in 2050: scenario planning in the Western Australian Wheatbelt

2005 ◽  
Vol 56 (6) ◽  
pp. 563 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael H. O'Connor ◽  
Mike McFarlane ◽  
James Fisher ◽  
Donald MacRae ◽  
Ted Lefroy
Keyword(s):  
River Basin ◽  
Success Factors ◽  
Initial Conditions ◽  
Regional Scale ◽  
Scenario Planning ◽  
Bottom Line ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Critical Issues ◽  
Agricultural Industries ◽  
Western Australian

Scenario planning was used to identify issues and drivers of change that are relevant to community efforts to improve regional prospects in the Western Australian Wheatbelt. The region, some 20 million hectares in area, is under pressure to respond to a variety of environmental (salinity, erosion, acidification, biodiversity decline), economic (declining agricultural terms of trade), and social forces (rural decline, isolation). Regional strategic plans have been increasingly seen as the means of achieving sustainability in the face of these challenges, but until recently typically had single-activity outlook and timeframes of up to a decade into the future. Systematic futures-based research has been used in various regions to avoid reliance on business-as-usual as the default strategy, and to identify opportunities and challenges not presently apparent. The Avon River Basin, the central region of the Wheatbelt, was selected as the geographic focus of the project, and the time horizon was set at 2050. The project was developed by a group of 50 stakeholders from the basin, with expertise and strategic interests across a wide range of economic, social, and environmental themes. Through a series of workshops the stakeholders identified critical issues and their attendant drivers, then documented relevant past trends. Four regional scenarios, Saline Growth, Grain and Drain, Landcare Bounty, and Harmony with Prosperity, were developed based on positive and negative combinations of 2 clusters of uncertain and important drivers: environmental change and access to new markets. Common opportunities, threats, and critical success factors for the Avon River Basin region out to 2050 were also identified. We also found that the stakeholders have a tendency to strive for positive outcomes despite negative initial conditions. This resulted in 4 scenarios that were superficially similar due to the regional scale of analysis and the continuation of agricultural industries as significant shapers of economy, society, and environment. However, each scenario represents profoundly different outcomes for the residents and communities of the Avon River Basin in 2050. The triple-bottom line outcomes for the Avon River Basin in 2050 were estimated to be in the range 4.9–9.7 Mt of wheat (currently 4.0), 46 000–66 000 people (currently 43 000), and 10–30% of farmland salinised (currently 6). The application of these results to other regions in Australia is discussed.

Reducing the Vulnerability of Uzbekistan's Agricultural Systems to Climate Change

2013 ◽  
Author(s):  
William R. Sutton ◽  
Jitendra P. Srivastava ◽  
James E. Neumann ◽  
Peter Droogers ◽  
Brent Boehlert
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Agricultural Systems

A MODELING SYSTEM FOR CLIMATE CHANGE RISK ASSESSMENT, MANAGEMENT AND HEDGING IN COASTAL AREAS

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sergei Soldatenko ◽  
Sergei Soldatenko ◽  
Genrikh Alekseev ◽  
Genrikh Alekseev ◽  
Alexander Danilov ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Risk Assessment ◽  
Coastal Areas ◽  
Mitigation Strategies ◽  
System Structure ◽  
The Arctic ◽  
Risk Modeling ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Adverse Weather ◽  
The Impact

Every aspect of human operations faces a wide range of risks, some of which can cause serious consequences. By the start of 21st century, mankind has recognized a new class of risks posed by climate change. It is obvious, that the global climate is changing, and will continue to change, in ways that affect the planning and day to day operations of businesses, government agencies and other organizations and institutions. The manifestations of climate change include but not limited to rising sea levels, increasing temperature, flooding, melting polar sea ice, adverse weather events (e.g. heatwaves, drought, and storms) and a rise in related problems (e.g. health and environmental). Assessing and managing climate risks represent one of the most challenging issues of today and for the future. The purpose of the risk modeling system discussed in this paper is to provide a framework and methodology to quantify risks caused by climate change, to facilitate estimates of the impact of climate change on various spheres of human activities and to compare eventual adaptation and risk mitigation strategies. The system integrates both physical climate system and economic models together with knowledge-based subsystem, which can help support proactive risk management. System structure and its main components are considered. Special attention is paid to climate risk assessment, management and hedging in the Arctic coastal areas.

The Biology of Mediterranean-Type Ecosystems

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Karen J. Esler ◽  
Anna L. Jacobsen ◽  
R. Brandon Pratt
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
South Africa ◽  
Invasive Species ◽  
Habitat Loss ◽  
Endemic Species ◽  
Geographic Area ◽  
Cutting Edge ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
The Mediterranean ◽  
Mediterranean Type Ecosystems

The world’s mediterranean-type climate regions (including areas within the Mediterranean, South Africa, Australia, California, and Chile) have long been of interest to biologists by virtue of their extraordinary biodiversity and the appearance of evolutionary convergence between these disparate regions. Comparisons between mediterranean-type climate regions have provided important insights into questions at the cutting edge of ecological, ecophysiological and evolutionary research. These regions, dominated by evergreen shrubland communities, contain many rare and endemic species. Their mild climate makes them appealing places to live and visit and this has resulted in numerous threats to the species and communities that occupy them. Threats include a wide range of factors such as habitat loss due to development and agriculture, disturbance, invasive species, and climate change. As a result, they continue to attract far more attention than their limited geographic area might suggest. This book provides a concise but comprehensive introduction to mediterranean-type ecosystems. As with other books in the Biology of Habitats Series, the emphasis in this book is on the organisms that dominate these regions although their management, conservation, and restoration are also considered.

scholarly journals Stomatal conductance limited the CO2 response of grassland in the last century

BMC Biology ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 19 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Juan C. Baca Cabrera ◽  
Regina T. Hirl ◽  
Rudi Schäufele ◽  
Andy Macdonald ◽  
Hans Schnyder
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Stomatal Conductance ◽  
Nitrogen Nutrition ◽  
Physiological Control ◽  
Co2 Response ◽  
Nitrogen Acquisition ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Park Grass Experiment ◽  
Conductance Changes ◽  
Canopy Stomatal Conductance

Abstract Background The anthropogenic increase of atmospheric CO2 concentration (ca) is impacting carbon (C), water, and nitrogen (N) cycles in grassland and other terrestrial biomes. Plant canopy stomatal conductance is a key player in these coupled cycles: it is a physiological control of vegetation water use efficiency (the ratio of C gain by photosynthesis to water loss by transpiration), and it responds to photosynthetic activity, which is influenced by vegetation N status. It is unknown if the ca-increase and climate change over the last century have already affected canopy stomatal conductance and its links with C and N processes in grassland. Results Here, we assessed two independent proxies of (growing season-integrating canopy-scale) stomatal conductance changes over the last century: trends of δ18O in cellulose (δ18Ocellulose) in archived herbage from a wide range of grassland communities on the Park Grass Experiment at Rothamsted (U.K.) and changes of the ratio of yields to the CO2 concentration gradient between the atmosphere and the leaf internal gas space (ca – ci). The two proxies correlated closely (R2 = 0.70), in agreement with the hypothesis. In addition, the sensitivity of δ18Ocellulose changes to estimated stomatal conductance changes agreed broadly with published sensitivities across a range of contemporary field and controlled environment studies, further supporting the utility of δ18Ocellulose changes for historical reconstruction of stomatal conductance changes at Park Grass. Trends of δ18Ocellulose differed strongly between plots and indicated much greater reductions of stomatal conductance in grass-rich than dicot-rich communities. Reductions of stomatal conductance were connected with reductions of yield trends, nitrogen acquisition, and nitrogen nutrition index. Although all plots were nitrogen-limited or phosphorus- and nitrogen-co-limited to different degrees, long-term reductions of stomatal conductance were largely independent of fertilizer regimes and soil pH, except for nitrogen fertilizer supply which promoted the abundance of grasses. Conclusions Our data indicate that some types of temperate grassland may have attained saturation of C sink activity more than one century ago. Increasing N fertilizer supply may not be an effective climate change mitigation strategy in many grasslands, as it promotes the expansion of grasses at the disadvantage of the more CO2 responsive forbs and N-fixing legumes.

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