Resilience

In Resilience: The Science of Adaptation to Climate Change leading experts analyze and question ongoing adaptation interventions. Contributions span different disciplinary perspectives, from law to engineering, and cover different regions from Africa to the Pacific. Chapters assess the need for adaptation, highlighting climate change impacts such as sea level rise, increases in temperature, changing hydrological variability, and threats to food security. The book then discusses the state of global legislation and means of tracking progress. It reviews ways to build resilience in a range of contexts— from the Arctic, to small island states, to urban areas, across food and energy systems. Critical tools for adaptation planning are highlighted - from social capital and ethics, to decision support systems, to innovative finance and risk transfer mechanisms. Controversies related to geoengineering and migration are also discussed. This book is an indispensable resource for scientists, practitioners, and policy makers working in climate change adaptation, sustainable development, ecosystem management, and urban planning.

• Provides a summary of tools and methods used in adaptation including recent innovations
• Includes chapters from a diverse range of authors from academic institutions, humanitarian organizations, and the United Nations
• Evaluates adaptation options, highlighting gaps in knowledge where further research or new tools are needed

Scientists working in Climate Change adaptation, sustainable development, and ecosystem management and development; environmental scientists, environmental managers, urban planners

PART 1: ADAPTATION NEEDS - EVALUATING THE IMPACTS OF CLIMATE CHANGE
1. The state of climate change adaptation in international policy
2. The science of climate change and extreme event attribution
3. Adaptation needs: Gaps and priorities for action

PART 2: ADAPTATION ACTIONS BY HAZARD
4. Extreme Events
5. Sea Level Rise
6. Floods
7. Heat Waves

PART 3: ADAPTATION ACTIONS BY ECOSYSTEM
8. Mountain Ecosystems
9. Polar Regions
10. Dryland Ecosystems
11. Aquatic ecosystems
12. Coasts

PART 4: ADAPTATION ACTIONS BY DIFFERENT SECTORS
13. Agriculture and Food Security
14. Health
15. Urban Areas

PART 5: TOOLS AND METHODS FOR RESILIENCE
16. Evaluating Ecosystem Based Adaptation
17. The Role of Early Warning and Early Action
18. Insurance and Risk Transfer
19. Community-based adaptation
20. Public Private Partnerships
21. Investment in adaptation

PART 6: EMERGING NEEDS: BUILDING RESILIENCE
22. The Role of Innovation
23. The use of Challenges or Prizes
24. Loss and Damage and Limits to Adaptation
25. Validating what works and what doesn’t - the need for evidence