Adapting to Climate Change: Public Policies and Citizen Actions

by Bourrelier, Paul-Henri

• ISBN13: 9782747216463
• ISBN10: 2747216462
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2011-01-30
• Publisher: Intl Pub Marketing

Summary

Climate change is approached from the aspect of adaptation -- that is of reducing the vulnerability of natural systems to the natural diseases and catastrophes that result from climate changes. To achieve this reduction we must act on the causes of this change by reducing emissions of greenhouse gases. Adaptation policies are very expensive and must be conducted at decentralized levels. Adapting to Climate Change, written by scientists, engineers and sustainable development specialists, tries to show that adapting to climate change is a realistic possibility. Each chapter offers a partial answer to particular points of the global phenomenon. History shows that the climate, as well as geology, species, biodiversity and biospheres, have changed drastically in various eras. Human actions and development affects the climate but are also a means to adapt and reduce the harmful effects. Various parties, from global policy makers to citizens, are involved in attenuate global warming and adapting to a changing climate. Most sectors feel concerned about the process of attenuation. We will have to rise to two challenges: the production of crops around the planet has to increase and we have to attenuate the climatic changes. A growing part of the population is concentrated in urban environments near the oceans increasing the need for dynamic management of coastal areas. Major events have recently focused attention on this issue: the tsunami in Asia and Hurricane Katrina's devastation of New Orleans in August 2005. Adaptation seems to be the reasonable third road between both climate change negationists and activists All humanity is concerned and some coastal areas are suffering from the absence of an answer to climate change. The world's poor are exposed to risks that they have not caused. If we don't act, we will be forced too pay the cost of covering the disasters we have not done more to avoid and face increasing global political instability. This book has contributions by over 20 scientists, engineers, sustainable development specialists and public decision makers. They have built these tools on the bases of the work of the experts who prepare the European plans related to climate change. The book was enriched by the experience of the conference in Copenhagen.