Assessing Vulnerability to Global Environmental Change

<p>Assessing the vulnerability of human populations to global environmental change, particularly climate change, is now the main imperative of research and international action. However, much of the research into vulnerability is not designed to feed directly into decision making and policy, creating a gap between the knowledge created by researchers and what is required by decision makers. </p><p>This book seeks to rectify this problem and bridge the gap. It discusses vulnerability as the central theme and brings together many different applications from disaster studies, climate change impact studies and several other fields and provides the most comprehensive synthesis of definitions, theories, formalization and applications to date, illustrated with examples from different disciplines, regions and periods, and from local through to regional, national and international levels.</p><p>Case study topics cover sea level rise, vulnerability to changes in ecosystem services, assessing the vulnerability of human health and 'double exposure' to climate change and trade liberalization amongst other issues. Research outcomes stress that science-policy dialogues must be transparent to be effective and concentrate on a mutual understanding of the concepts used. A key research finding is that the most useful information for decision makers is that which shows the separate causes and drivers of vulnerability, rather than presenting vulnerability in an aggregated form. The book concludes with a unifying framework for analysing integrated methodologies of vulnerability assessment and guiding how research and policy can be linked to reduce vulnerability. </p> <p>Forewords by Hans Joachim Schellnhuber and Rik Leemans </p> <p>List of Acronyms and Abbreviations </p> <p>1 Vulnerability Research and Assessment to Support Adaptation and <br>Mitigation: Common Themes from the Diversity of Approaches <br>Anthony G.Patt, Dagmar Schr ter, A.Cristina de la Vega-Leiner <br>and Richard J.T. Klein</p> <p>2 The House is Both Empty and Sad: Social Vulnerability, Environmental <br>Disturbance, Economic Change and the Irish Potato Famine <br>Evan D.G. Fraser</p> <p>3 Vulnerability Assessments in the Developed World:The UK and <br>Norway <br>Ian Holman and Lars Otto N‘ss</p> <p>4 Vulnerability Assessments in the Developing World: Mozambique <br>and South Africa <br>Siri Eriksen, Coleen Vogel, Gina Ziervogel, Franziska Steinbruch and <br>Florence Nazare</p> <p>5 Global Assessment of Coastal Vulnerability to Sea-Level Rise: <br>Experience from DINAS-COAST <br>Richard J.T. Klein and Jochen Hinkel</p> <p>6 Our Vulnerability to Changes in Ecosystem Services <br>Dagmar Schr ter</p> <p>7 Assessing Vulnerability of Human Health <br>Hans-Martin F‘ssel and Kristie L. Ebi</p> <p>8 Mapping Double Exposure to Climate Change and Trade <br>Liberalization as an Awareness-Raising Tool <br>Robin Leichenko and Karen O'Brien <br>1566.qxd 8/11/08 8:54 AM Page v</p> <p>9 An Agent-Based Framework for Assessing Vulnerability Futures <br>Lilibeth Acosta-Michlik and Mark Rounsevell</p> <p>10 Assessing Financial and Economic Vulnerability to Natural Hazards: <br>Bridging the Gap between Scientific Assessment and the <br>Implementation of Disaster Risk Management with the CatSim Model <br>Stefan Hochrainer and Reinhard Mechler</p> <p>11 Evaluation of a Stakeholder Dialogue on European Vulnerability <br>to Global Change <br>A. Cristina de la Vega-Leinert and Dagmar Schr ter</p> <p>12 Defining Dangerous Climate Change:The Beijing Exercise <br>Martin Welp, Antonella Battaglini and Carlo C. Jaeger</p> <p>13 A Framework for Analysing Methodologies of Vulnerability <br>Assessments <br>Jochen Hinkel</p> <p>Index</p>