GECHS

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.

In this report GECHS, in collaboration with several leading institutions within the climate change community, analyzes recent literatures on the human dimensions of climate change and the risk perspective. Recognition of the threats to human security associated with climate change has generated growing interest in the relationship between disaster risk reduction and climate change adaptation. There is an intuitive understanding that the two are closely linked, yet it has been difficult to elaborate a common framework for addressing disaster risk in the context of climate change.

The findings of this report suggest a timely need to assess the role that disaster risk reduction and climate change adaptation can play in minimizing threats to human security. The risk of more complex, frequent, intense or unpredictable extreme weather events associated with global temperature increases, changing precipitation patterns and sea level rise, coupled with both gradual and non-linear changes to ecosystems and natural resources, suggests the need for a renewed focus on the ways that disaster risk reduction and adaptation can influence the context in which climate change occurs. Rather than creating or perpetuating contexts for disaster, it is possible to use disaster risk reduction and adaptation strategies to create a context that promotes human well-being and security.

This report and a comprehensive bibliography served as a background and support for an International Strategy for Disaster Reduction (ISDR)/Norway lead proposal, presented at the 28th session of the IPCC in 1-4 September 2008, for an IPCC Special Report on “Managing the Risk of Extreme Events to Advance Climate Change Adaptation”. The writing of the report and the bibliography was funded by the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

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:

1. 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;
2. to identify what sustainable adaptation measures can look like in development projects;
3. 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.

The links between climate change, peace and war are analysed in the recent publication “A climate of conflict” from International Alert. International Alert is an independent peacebuilding organisation that has worked for over 20 years to lay the foundations for lasting peace and security in communities affected by violent conflict. In order to understand how the effects of climate change will interact with socio-economic and political problems in poorer countries, the report traces the “consequences of consequences”. This process highlights four key elements of risk – political instability, economic weakness, food insecurity and large-scale migration. Based on the analysis of these elements, the report points out twelve recommendations for addressing climate change in fragile states.

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.