Can Managing Climate Risks Be a Catalyst for Broader Transformative Change?
-
Published:2023-03-06
Issue:3
Volume:12
Page:158
-
ISSN:2076-0760
-
Container-title:Social Sciences
-
language:en
-
Short-container-title:Social Sciences
Author:
Swart Rob1, Timmermans Wim1, Boon Eva2, Van Ginkel Maarten3, Goosen Hasse2, Van Veldhoven Felix2ORCID, Cilliers Jua4ORCID, Ndaguba Emeka45
Affiliation:
1. Wageningen Environmental Research, Droevendaalsesteeg 3-3 A, 6708 PB Wageningen, The Netherlands 2. Climate Adaptation Services, 1406 NZ Bussum, The Netherlands 3. Municipality of Nijmegen, 6511 PS Nijmegen, The Netherlands 4. School of Built Environment, University of Technology Sydney, Ultimo 2007, Australia 5. Centre for Development Support, University of Free State, Bloemfontein 9301, South Africa
Abstract
This essay addresses the long-term effectiveness of urban climate change adaptation approaches, based, inter alia, on work in the C40 city network. We argue that in most cities, the dominant framing of climate risk management almost exclusively focuses on short-term incrementalities and preventive solutions directly tackling hazards, vulnerability, and exposure. This approach has serious flaws, leading to missed opportunities for longer-term sustainable urban development. Until very recently, climate science usually provided only a marginal input to long-term urban planning and design. We argue that any analysis of urban climate risk management and the associated climate services should be broadened beyond solely climate focusing on impacts. In this context, the development of positive urban visions is a key gap for both research and practice. A change is required from negatively addressing risks to positively pursuing a positive vision of attractive, resilient, and sustainable cities. The emphasis on short-term incremental solutions should shift towards long-term transformation. This embodies a paradigm shift from “function follows system” to “system follows function”. For many cities, this also means a change in procedural practice from siloed top-down to integrated, participatory urban transformation. Our main argument in this paper is that simple, longer-term sustainable urban transformation would not only reduce climate risks but also enhance overall environmental quality, economic opportunities, and social wellbeing.
Funder
European Research Area for Climate Services project INNO-VA
Subject
General Social Sciences
Reference80 articles.
1. ABC (2022, September 24). Available online: http://www.resilientbayarea.org/s/Final-Report-Excerpt_ABC_In-It-Together.pdf. 2. Pörtner, ans-Otto, Roberts, Debra C., Masson-Delmotte, Valérie, Zhai, Panmao, Tignor, Melinda, Poloczanska, Elvira, Mintenbeck, Katja, Alegría, Andrés, Nicolai, Maike, and Okem, Andrew (2019). IPCC Special Report on the Ocean and Cryosphere in a Changing Climate, IPCC. 3. From fail-safe to safe-to-fail: Sustainability and resilience in the new urban world;Ahern;Landscape and Urban Planning,2011 4. The End of Sustainability;Benson;Society & Natural Resources,2014 5. A survey of urban climate change experiments in 100 cities;Broto;Global Environmental Change,2013
Cited by
2 articles.
订阅此论文施引文献
订阅此论文施引文献,注册后可以免费订阅5篇论文的施引文献,订阅后可以查看论文全部施引文献
|
|