Assessing vulnerabilities to the effects of global change: an eight step approach

Schröter, Dagmar; Polsky, Colin; Patt, Anthony

doi:10.1007/s11027-005-6135-9

Cited by 287 publications

(227 citation statements)

References 35 publications

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“…Accordingly, research focusing on coupled human-environment systems calls for theoretical expertise and methods from several research fields, such as risk-and disaster-management, political ecology, sustainable livelihoods frameworks and resilience research (Ingram et al 2010). This realization has resulted in many frameworks that attempt to understand vulnerability (Wisner and Luce 1993;Watts and Bohle 1993;Ribot et al 1996;Kasperson and Kasperson 2001;Brooks 2003;Cutter et al 2003;Turner et al 2003;Schröter et al 2005;Adger 2006;Füssel and Klein 2006;Polsky et al 2007, Scoones andThompson 2009;Ionescu et al 2009;Hinkel 2011;Preston et al 2011) even if vulnerability itself, like sustainability, can neither be observed nor measured directly, but rather must be deduced (Hinkel 2011). Some scholars (Patt et al 2009), argue that these theoretical developments have lured scientists into the trap of simplifying the complexity and uncertainty of a specific vulnerability system to such an extent that it may no longer be helpful for our overall understanding of what vulnerability entails.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Living without buffers—illustrating climate vulnerability in the Lake Victoria basin

2012

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Exposure, sensitivity and adaptive capacity are essential, albeit theoretically vague, components of climate vulnerability. This has triggered debate surrounding how these factors can be translated into, and understood in, an empirical context subject to present and future harm. In this article, which draws on extensive fieldwork in the Lake Victoria Basin of Kenya and Tanzania, we illustrate how exposure, sensitivity and adaptive capacity play out in the context of climate vulnerability and discuss how they interact in situ. Using a mixed methods approach including survey data, rainfall data and a suite of participatory methods, such as focus groups and interactive mapping of seasonal calendars, we identify how climate-induced stressors affect smallholder farmers' well-being and natural resources. Drawing on the seasonal calendar as a heuristic, and climate vulnerability terminology, we illustrate when, where and how these climate-induced stressors converge to constrain farmers' livelihoods. Our analysis indicates that farmers in the basin face a highly uncertain future with discernible, but differentiated, adaptation deficits due to recurring, and potentially worsening, patterns of hardship.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Living without buffers—illustrating climate vulnerability in the Lake Victoria basin

2012

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“…I-C-SEA Change satisfies most of the five criteria of Schröter et al (2005) to guide VAs to help achieve the objective of informed decision making on adaptation options. First, I-C-SEA Change is based on varied knowledge incorporating indigenous, local knowledge, and experiences.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

I-C-SEA Change: A participatory tool for rapid assessment of vulnerability of tropical coastal communities to climate change impacts

Licuanan

Samson

Mamauag³

et al. 2015

Ambio

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We present a synoptic, participatory vulnerability assessment tool to help identify the likely impacts of climate change and human activity in coastal areas and begin discussions among stakeholders on the coping and adaptation measures necessary to minimize these impacts. Vulnerability assessment tools are most needed in the tropical Indo-Pacific, where burgeoning populations and inequitable economic growth place even greater burdens on natural resources and support ecosystems. The Integrated Coastal Sensitivity, Exposure, and Adaptive Capacity for Climate Change (I-C-SEA Change) tool is built around a series of scoring rubrics to guide non-specialists in assigning scores to the sensitivity and adaptive capacity components of vulnerability, particularly for coral reef, seagrass, and mangrove habitats, along with fisheries and coastal integrity. These scores are then weighed against threat or exposure to climate-related impacts such as marine flooding and erosion. The tool provides opportunities for learning by engaging more stakeholders in participatory planning and group decision-making. It also allows for information to be collated and processed during a ''town-hall'' meeting, facilitating further discussion, data validation, and even interactive scenario building.

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“…The latter are statements or conclusions intended to apply to across specific situations. As noted above, the results of human-environment interactions are highly specific to context, which is one reason for the emphasis on place-based approaches (e.g., Schröter et al 2005). Even in a single location, responses at different times may vary greatly, as in the case of the Faroese population response to fisheries catches.…”

Section: Multivariate Time Plots Aid the Integration Of Datamentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The results, however, more than justify the effort required. The research is typically improved by a sharper focus on relevant topics and parameters as well as more relevant data and information on which to draw (e.g., Schröter et al 2005). Acceptance of the results is also enhanced when local residents feel that they have been part of the process and that their views have been taken into account.…”

Section: Multivariate Time Plots Aid the Integration Of Datamentioning

confidence: 99%

Toward understanding the human dimensions of the rapidly changing arctic system: insights and approaches from five HARC projects

et al. 2007

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Human dimensions research focuses on the interrelationships between humans and the environment. To date, human dimensions research in arctic regions has concentrated primarily on local events and contexts. As such, it complements analysis elsewhere of adaptation and sustainable development within broad institutional, social, and environmental contexts. This paper reviews five projects from the Human Dimensions of the Arctic System (HARC) initiative, established by the US National Science Foundation in 1997. Common themes and findings are highlighted: climatic variations or change affect societies through interactions with human activities; population dynamics provide key quantitative indicators of social impacts and well being; and specific impacts and responses are the result of complex, context-sensitive interactions. Congruent approaches to the challenges of interdisciplinary research are also identified: multivariate time plots aid the integration of data, retrospective and prospective studies are part of a continuum and reinforce one another, comparative studies are essential for understanding general principles of human dimensions, and arctic residents can play a vital role in research and action.

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Assessing vulnerabilities to the effects of global change: an eight step approach

Abstract: adaptation, adaptive capacity, exposure, global environmental change, integrated assessment, modeling, sensitivity, stakeholders, sustainability, vulnerability,

Cited by 287 publications

References 35 publications

Living without buffers—illustrating climate vulnerability in the Lake Victoria basin

Living without buffers—illustrating climate vulnerability in the Lake Victoria basin

I-C-SEA Change: A participatory tool for rapid assessment of vulnerability of tropical coastal communities to climate change impacts

Toward understanding the human dimensions of the rapidly changing arctic system: insights and approaches from five HARC projects

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