Social-ecological systems approach for adaptation to climate change

Adaptation to climate change has become part of national development programs (e.g., National Adaptation Planning). Though communities are adapting to climate change across the world, this perspective argues that understanding social and ecological systems requires greater attention to enhance resilience for achieving and moving beyond the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in response to climate change across the world. In addition, based on a systematic literature review, this perspective identifies key research gaps and addresses relevant key challenges and future research direction for social and ecological systems (SES) adaptation to climate change. Ultimately, this may also help move from the existing limits to adaptation (intolerable risks through adaptive actions) concept to social-ecological limits to adaptation and offers an opportunity to integrate adaptation to climate change in development planning by considering both SES

A qualitative assessment of natural and anthropogenic drivers of risk to sustainable livelihoods in the Indian Sundarban

In the Indian Sundarban, multiple attributes and interactions of natural hazards, exposure, and vulnerability pose severe threats to lives and livelihoods. Understanding the cause-and-effect relationships contributing to the risk of loss of sustainable livelihoods has become imperative but has not yet been holistically explored in a single study that provides a broader picture of all possible complex interactions. This study used the impact chain tool to holistically understand the risk that manifests as a result of interactions of hazards, exposure, and vulnerability. The secondary literature and authors’ observations helped us structure the first draft of the impact chain, which was further developed and validated through fourteen gender-disaggregated interviews with key informants and delta dwellers. This validation process identified the complex interconnections contributing to risk as experienced by experts and delta dwellers, which is seldom reflected through exclusively quantitative data. A quantitative analysis of the qualitative data strongly indicated that tropical cyclones, rainfall variability, and storms are the dominant hazards that affect social–ecological vulnerability manifested through mangrove degradation, land loss due to erosion, and embankment breaching. Social vulnerability is caused by processes and factors that are either directly or indirectly influenced by natural hazards and social–ecological factors. Processes such as increasing seasonal male migration, uncertain agricultural income, and a lack of hazard-resistant housing exacerbates social vulnerability. Embankment breaching, the salinization of land and water, land loss due to erosion, mangrove degradation, land conversion, and groundwater abstraction were identified as the fundamental threats that can lead to a loss of sustainable livelihoods of the people if left unaddressed

Social-ecological systems approach for adaptation to climate change

Adaptation to climate change has become part of national development programs (e.g., National Adaptation Planning). Though communities are adapting to climate change across the world, this perspective argues that understanding social and ecological systems requires greater attention to enhance resilience for achieving and moving beyond the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in response to climate change across the world. In addition, based on a systematic literature review, this perspective identifies key research gaps and addresses relevant key challenges and future research direction for social and ecological systems (SES) adaptation to climate change. Ultimately, this may also help move from the existing limits to adaptation (intolerable risks through adaptive actions) concept to social-ecological limits to adaptation and offers an opportunity to integrate adaptation to climate change in development planning by considering both SES

Assessing Vulnerability and Risk to Livelihoods in River Deltas Socio-ecological Systems: Alignment of the GDRI With Global Frameworks’ Indicators

Disasters have significant impacts on the progress towards achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). However, the interlinkage between sustainable development and disaster risk reduction is not considered enough in risk assessment tools. A greater alignment with global frameworks would ease the monitoring while increasing the capacity to address data availability issues for indicator-based assessments. To bridge this gap, we use the Global Delta Risk Index (GDRI), which is composed of multiple components to assess risks to livelihoods: hazards, vulnerability, and exposure of social-ecological systems. The modular library of indicators of the GDRI has been further aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) and the Sendai Framework for Disaster and Risk Reduction (SFDRR). To improve the accuracy of the risk assessment, the list of indicators has been weighted and scored through consultation with stakeholders. This research presents the initial results of a multi-hazard risk assessment that encompasses SDG and SFDRR indicators in three Asian river deltas: Ganges-Brahmaputra-Meghna, Mekong and Red River. This work aims at better informing risk management and supporting delta-level interventions to influence progress towards sustainability and resilience of river deltas

Aligning the Global Delta Risk Index with SDG and SFDRR global frameworks to assess risk to socio-ecological systems in river deltas

River deltas globally are highly exposed and vulnerable to natural hazards and are often over-exploited landforms. The Global Delta Risk Index (GDRI) was developed to assess multi-hazard risk in river deltas and support decision-making in risk reduction interventions in delta regions. Disasters have significant impacts on the progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). However, despite the strong interlinkage between disaster risk reduction and sustainable development, global frameworks are still developed in isolation and actions to address them are delegated to different institutions. Greater alignment between frameworks would both simplify monitoring progress towards disaster risk reduction and sustainable development and increase capacity to address data gaps in relation to indicator-based assessments for both processes. This research aims at aligning the GDRI indicators with the SDGs and the Sendai Framework for Disaster and Risk Reduction (SFDRR). While the GDRI has a modular indicator library, the most relevant indicators for this research were selected through a delta-specific impact chain designed in consultation with experts, communities and stakeholders in three delta regions: the Red River and Mekong deltas in Vietnam and the Ganges–Brahmaputra–Meghna (GBM) delta in Bangladesh and India. We analyse how effectively the 143 indicators for the GDRI match (or not) the SDG and SFDRR global frameworks. We demonstrate the interconnections of the different drivers of risk to better inform risk management and in turn support delta-level interventions towards improved sustainability and resilience of these Asian mega-deltas

A global assessment of actors and their roles in climate change adaptation

An assessment of the global progress in climate change adaptation is urgently needed. Despite a rising awareness that adaptation should involve diverse societal actors and a shared sense of responsibility, little is known about the types of actors, such as state and non-state, and their roles in different types of adaptation responses as well as in different regions. Based on a large n-structured analysis of case studies, we show that, although individuals or households are the most prominent actors implementing adaptation, they are the least involved in institutional responses, particularly in the global south. Governments are most often involved in planning and civil society in coordinating responses. Adaptation of individuals or households is documented especially in rural areas, and governments in urban areas. Overall, understanding of institutional, multi-actor and transformational adaptation is still limited. These findings contribute to debates around ‘social contracts’ for adaptation, that is, an agreement on the distribution of roles and responsibilities, and inform future adaptation governance

Between land erosion and land eviction: emerging social movements in the Mishing fringe villages of the Kaziranga National Park (Assam, North East India)

No abstract available

Hydrological data for 20 locations every 500 m along Caerlaverock saltmarsh (UK) between March 2021 and 2022

 Raw acceleration data for 20 locations deployed every ~500 m on the mudflat ~2 m in front of eroding or expanding edges of Caerlaverock saltmarsh, Solway Firth, Scotland. Acceleration data was gathered by the Mini Buoy (B4+ design) at rates of either 1 second (monthly redeployments) or 10 seconds (quarterly redeployments) between March 2021-2022. The data has been cleaned to remove any data gathered before/after deployment. Coordinates of each location and the status of the marsh edge (eroding or expanding), and images of the marsh edge at each Mini Buoy deployment are also present. The data is being used to identify hydrological thresholds (inundation duration, current and wave orbital velocities) that determine whether saltmarshes expand or erode </p

Adaptation and Resilience in ASEAN: Managing Disaster Risks from Natural Hazards

No abstract available