Conducting a Climate Change Risk & Vulnerability Assessment Climate Change Adaptation Training Program
What is a Climate Change Vulnerability Assessment?
A Climate Change Vulnerability Assessment is a process to determine which climate change impacts are most important for your area Agriculture Biodiversity Coastal Health Settlements Water Crop Yields Fires Irrigation Demands Loss of habitat & species Change in biomes Sea level rise Impacts on property & livelihoods Air Pollution Infectious Diseases Flooding Infrastructure impacts Decreased quality and quantity of water
Standard CC Vulnerability Assessment Methodology 1: Identify Indicators 2: Exposure 3: Sensitivity Potential Impacts 4: Adaptive Capacity Vulnerability
Vulnerability Assessment - Step 1 Step 1: What are the CC Indicators? What are all the potential impacts from Climate Change in South Africa?
Indicators Draft list of indicators has been developed from the LTAS
Example of CC Indicators - Disaster Management, Infrastructure and Human Settlements Indicator Title Indicator Description Loss of industrial and Direct impacts of weather on construction, electricity generation labour productivity and other industries, resulting in loss of productivity. Increased impacts on Increased disruptions to key strategic infrastructure (e.g. WWTW, strategic storm water, roads, rail, bridges) as a result of extreme weather infrastructure events. Increased impacts on Increased risk of extreme weather events to already vulnerable traditional and traditional and informal dwellings, that are often unplanned, and informal dwellings without extensive service or infrastructure.
Vulnerability Assessment - Step 2 Step 1: What are the CC Indicators? Step 2: What is my exposure to the CC indicator? Will the impact take place in my area?
Exposure Example Sector Indicator Title Indicator Description Disaster Management, Infrastructure and Human Settlements Increased risk of extreme weather events to Increased impacts already vulnerable traditional and informal on traditional and dwellings, that are often unplanned, and informal dwellings without extensive service or infrastructure. Do you have traditional and informal dwellings in your area? Yes/No
Traditional Dwelling - Definition A traditional dwelling is one made of clay, mud, thatch or other traditional materials. It can be round or square in shape. Traditional dwellings may be found as single units or in clusters. -StatsSA 2011 Image source: http://www.lisabradshaw.org/
Exposure Resources Website Maps LTAS and other research resources
Vulnerability Assessment - Step 3 Step 1: What are the CC Indicators? Step 2: What is my exposure to the CC indicator? Step 3: What is my sensitivity to the CC indicator? If it takes place, how important is the impact?
Sensitivity Example Sector Indicator Title Indicator Description Disaster Management, Infrastructure and Human Settlements Increased risk of extreme weather events to Increased impacts already vulnerable traditional and informal on traditional and dwellings, that are often unplanned, and informal dwellings without extensive service or infrastructure. What percentage of households live in traditional and informal dwellings? >25% = high; 15%> and <25% = Medium; <15% = Low
Sensitivity Resources Website Statistics Workshop handouts
Vulnerability Assessment - Step 4 Step 1: What are the CC Indicators? Step 2: What is my exposure to the CC indicator? Step 3: What is my sensitivity to the CC indicator? Step 4: What is my adaptive capacity? Do I have systems in place to respond to the impact?
Adaptive Capacity example Sector Indicator Title Indicator Description Disaster Management, Infrastructure and Human Settlements Increased risk of extreme weather events to Increased impacts already vulnerable traditional and informal on traditional and dwellings, that are often unplanned, and informal dwellings without extensive service or infrastructure. Do you have adaptive capacity to respond to Increased impacts on traditional and informal dwellings? High Medium Low
Adaptive Capacity Example Research Is there local research on climate change impacts on traditional and informal dwellings risks? Policy Are there robust policies & programs in place to deal with traditional and informal dwelling impacts? Institutional Support Is there institutional systems to deal with traditional and informal dwellings impacts? Finance Is there financial support for traditional and informal dwellings programs? Community Capacity Is there capacity within the community to deal with climate change impacts?
Adaptive Capacity Resources Adaptive capacity is usually determined through stakeholder consultation and consensus
Vulnerability Assessment - Steps Step 1: What are the CC Indicators? Step 2: What is my exposure to the CC indicator? Step 3: What is my sensitivity to the CC indicator? Step 4: What is my adaptive capacity?
Priority indicators Short-list the indicators that you have the following answers for: Exposure - Yes Sensitivity - High Adaptive Capacity - Low
Priority indicator example Indicator Exposure Sensitivity Adaptive Capacity Increased impacts on traditional and informal dwellings Yes High Low Change in sugarcane production Yes Low Increased fish mortality No Increased malnutrition and hunger as a result of food insecurity Yes High Low
Vulnerability Assessment Methodology 1: Identify Indicators 2: Exposure 3: Sensitivity Potential Impacts 4: Adaptive Capacity Vulnerability
Conducting a Climate Change Vulnerability Assessment Climate Change Adaptation Training Program