GECHS » Development

GECHS sessions at the Open Meeting in Bonn, 26-30 April 2009

Kirsten Ulsrud — Fri, 20 Mar 2009 14:57:16 +0000

GECHS will organize 12 sessions with more than 60 paper presentations in the Open Meeting in Bonn 26-30 April 2009. The meeting will take place at the former German Parliament premises on the United Nations Campus.

This 7th Open Meeting, “Social Challenges of Global Change”, addresses the need to incorporate not only the social aspects of climate change, but also the social aspects of many other environmental changes which happen in our society, such as resource shortages, the destruction of ecosystem services, and new threats to human health.

The GECHS sessions cover important aspects of the social challenges of global change, including how to approach the threats to human security, emerging new vulnerabilities in megacities and its implications for human security, interactions between globalization and global environmental change, limits and barriers to climate adaptation, climate change and conflicts, sustainable adaptation, environmental management and human security for disaster resilient communities, sustainability and adaptive capacity, and reducing water insecurity through stakeholder participation.

An overview over these sessions is presented below. The full program for the conference is available at the Open Meeting website.

Set of articles on the sustainability of southern African savannas

Kirsten Ulsrud — Fri, 09 Jan 2009 15:27:49 +0000

As a result of a collaborative effort by the Southern African Vulnerability Initiative and the Southern African Savannas Network (ICSU/EU-sponsored), a set of articles integrating findings from research efforts regarding the sustainability of southern African savannas are now out in the journal Environmental Science and Policy. The articles are available electronically from the journal website and will be published in the paper version of the journal later this year. The articles seek to identify main threats and opportunities to sustainability, link sustainability and vulnerability in the region, and exemplify how these interlinkages play out on the ground. GECHS associate Siri Eriksen is the lead author of two articles and co-author of two articles, while GECHS chair Karen O’Brien is the lead author of one of the five articles.

International Human Dimension Workshop on “Sustainable Adaptation to Climate Change”

iss — Fri, 24 Oct 2008 11:33:08 +0000

The Global Environmental Change and Human Security (GECHS) project organized an International Human Dimensions Workshop (IHDW) on “Sustainable Adaptation to Climate Change” October 11-16, 2009, New Delhi, India. A total of 17 researchers and practitioners from around the world attended and contributed to this seminar. The participation of 5 young researchers from Africa was funded from START/PACOM African Global Change Research Grants. The training seminar focused on the concept of sustainable adaptation to climate change as a means of enhancing human security. In particular, the relationship between adaptation and development was explored, including how poverty reduction strategies can have either positive or negative influences on vulnerability to climate change. The role of social and technological innovations for development was also addressed in the seminar, especially the role of renewable energy technologies in contribution to increased adaptive capacity and sustainable adaptation. The presentations given during the IHDW are listed below:

Report by GECHS on climate adaptation in practice

Kirsten Ulsrud — Mon, 29 Sep 2008 09:29:26 +0000

GECHS has written a report on climate adaptation for the Development Fund, a Norwegian NGO working with environment and development projects through southern organizations and networks. The aim of the report is threefold:

to present a method for examining poverty reduction projects and programs based on a comprehensive approach to climate adaptation, in order to identify, plan, and evaluate climate adaptation activities;
to identify what sustainable adaptation measures can look like in development projects;
to present some guiding principles for the design and implementation of climate change adaptation in poverty reduction strategies and activities.

The report was launched during the 30th year anniversary of the Development Fund on September 9th 2008. Authors were Kirsten Ulsrud, Linda Sygna and Karen O’Brien at the GECHS project, in close collaboration with the Development Fund and it’s partners in Nicaragua, Nepal and Ethiopia. The report, “More than rain: Identifying sustainable pathways for climate adaptation and poverty reduction”, can be downloaded here.

New book on double exposures to environmental change and globalization

Kirsten Ulsrud — Mon, 21 Apr 2008 12:52:23 +0000

In July 2008, Robin Leichenko and GECHS chair Karen O’Brien will launch the book Environmental Change and Globalization: Double Exposures. The book explores the connections between two of the most transformative processes of the twenty-first century, namely global environmental change and globalization. In the book, Leichenko and O’Brien present a conceptual framework for analyzing the interactions between these two processes, and they illustrate, through case studies, how these interactions create situations of “double exposure.” Drawing upon prominent recent and current environmental events – Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans, recurring droughts in India, and the melting of the Arctic sea ice – the case studies each demonstrate a different pathway of interaction between globalization and environmental change. The double exposure framework not only sheds light on the challenges raised by these processes, but also possibilities for using the interactions to generate positive opportunities for action. The book can be ordered here.

Coastal Cities Summit

Kirsten Ulsrud — Tue, 12 Feb 2008 18:39:12 +0000

The Coastal City Summit will be held 17-20 November 2008 in St. Petersburg, Florida, USA. One of the most challenging issues facing the ocean today is rapid coastal urbanization whose implications have yet to be assessed. Today, the majority of the world’s population lives within sixty kilometers of the coast line and this is steadily increasing. This profound demographic shift has significant implications for the coastal environment, inhabitants and ecosystem stability. Combined with increasing birth rate and life expectancy, as well as future climate change, the escalating strain on public resources means that coastal city managers face unprecedented challenges. The summit aims to bring together coastal city leaders, managers, and academics to discuss environmental, social, economic, and public policy challenges and viable solutions. Deadline for proposals is 15 May 2008. Completed research papers, case studies, panels and round table discussion papers will be considered. Please find the guidelines for proposals at the conference website.

Human Development Report 2007/2008

Kirsten Ulsrud — Fri, 16 Nov 2007 09:12:53 +0000

This years theme for the global Human Development Report is climate change, as the defining human development challenge of the 21st century. The report, “Fighting climate change: Human solidarity in a divided world”, states that failure to respond to that challenge will stall and then reverse international efforts to reduce poverty. And looking to the future, no country – however wealthy or powerful – will be immune to the impact of global warming. This Human Development Report argues that climate change poses challenges at many levels. In a divided but ecologically interdependent world, it challenges all people to reflect upon how we manage the environment of the one thing that we share in common: planet Earth. The report points out that climate change challenges us to reflect on social justice and human rights across countries and generations. It challenges political leaders and people in rich nations to acknowledge their historic responsibility for the problem, and to initiate deep and early cuts in greenhouse gas emissions. Above all, it challenges the entire human community to undertake prompt and strong collective action based on shared values and a shared vision.

Conference: IHDP Open Meeting in Bonn 2009

Kirsten Ulsrud — Tue, 11 Sep 2007 11:52:49 +0000

The 7th International Science Conference on the Human Dimensions of Global Environmental Change (Open Meeting) will be organised by The International Human Dimensions Programme on Global Environmental Change, IHDP. The conference, which was originally scheduled for 15 – 19 October 2008 in New Delhi, will take place from 26 – 30 April 2009 in Bonn, Germany. With the theme of the 7th Open Meeting, “Social Challenges of Global Change”, IHDP wants to indicate the need to incorporate not only the general discussion about climate change, but also many other environmental changes which happen in our society: resource shortages, the destruction of ecosystem services, and new threats to human health. Four core questions on the social aspects of environmental change will be addressed:

How do we deal with demographic challenges?
How do we deal with limitations of resources and ecosystem services?
How do we maintain social cohesion while increasing (global) equity?
How do we adapt institutions to address global change?

GECHS will contribute with numerous sessions and paper presentations in the conference. For more information, please see the conference website.

Article: Climate Vulnerability in East Timor

Lynn Rosentrater — Wed, 29 Aug 2007 17:13:46 +0000

In the July 2007 issue of Ambio Jon Barnett, Suraje Dessai and Roger N. Jones present the results of a preliminary study of climate vulnerability in East Timor. It shows the results of projections of climate change in East Timor: the country’s climate may become hotter, drier, and increasingly variable; and sea levels are likely to rise. The paper then considers the implications of these changes on three natural resources—water, soils, and the coastal zone—and finds all to be sensitive to changes in climate and sea level. Changes in the abundance and distribution of these resources is likely to cause a reduction in agricultural production and food security, and sea-level rise is likely to damage coastal areas, including Dili, the capital city.

Visit the Ambio web site for downloading information.

International Workshop on Evaluating Climate Change and Development

Lynn Rosentrater — Mon, 27 Aug 2007 08:41:19 +0000

An international workshop on Evaluating Climate Change and Development will take place May 10-13, 2008 at the Bibliotheca Alexandrina in Alexandria, Egypt. This workshop aims to identify good practices, methodologies, and information gaps in evaluation of climate change and development projects and programs.

Proposals for papers or presentations are being accepted until September 15, 2007 and should address methodological issues in evaluating either climate change mitigation or adaptation. Research studies and on-evaluative assessments may also be considered, provided they are relevant to the evaluation of climate change issues. These may include reports on methodologies, measurements, and indicators or studies on the relationship between mitigation/adaptation and development.

For more information please visit the conference website.