Understanding Climate Change Adaptation
Lessons from community-based approaches
Poor people bear the brunt of climate change since they live in those regions most affected by fluctuating temperatures, sea level rise, flooding and drought. Far from behaving as victims, however, they use the assets and resources at their disposal to adapt and survive. How can agencies assist local communities adapting to change? By what mechanisms can communities make the most of emerging information? Can effective community-based approaches be scaled up? Understanding Adaptation to Climate Change demonstrates that although communities’ adaptation strategies may be varied and depend on local context, social networks play a pivotal role in accessing appropriate climate knowledge and resources and communicating useful approaches to other communities. The key activities of reducing vulnerability, fostering resilience and developing the capacity to experiment and learn are combined as appropriate. This book is essential reading for NGO practitioners, students and government and NGO policy makers who wish to gain an understanding of what adaptation means in theory and practice.
Published: 2009
Pages: 208
eBook: 9781780440415
Paperback: 9781853396830
Prelims (Preface, Acknowledgements) | |||
---|---|---|---|
1. Introduction: understanding community-based adaptation | |||
2. Erosion and flooding in northern Bangladesh | |||
3. Changing seasons and flash flooding in the foothills of the Nepal Himalaya | |||
4. Desert and floodplain adaptation in Pakistan | |||
5. Increasing paddy salinity in coastal Sri Lanka | |||
6. Increasing drought in arid and semiarid Kenya | |||
7. Multiple pressures on pastoralism in semi-arid Niger | |||
8. Declining water resources in Sudan’s Red Sea coastal belt | |||
9. Extreme weather in the Peruvian high Andes | |||
10. Conclusion: community-based adaptation in practice | |||
Back Matter (References, Index) |
Rachel Berger
Rachel Berger was formerly the climate change policy adviser at Practical Action and is co-author of Understanding Climate Change Adaptation.
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