"Modern
environmentalism is driven by a yearning to protect what we haven't ruined
already, to conserve what we haven't used up, to restore as much as possible
what we haven't destroyed and to drive ways of recognizing our lives so that
civilization as we know it can be sustained through our children's life time
and beyond Green Metropolis” -David Owen
What used to be only a figment
of the imagination or perhaps a nightmare to the generations of ages ago is now
shaking the present generation wide-awake to reality. One hour it is sunny and
next thing you will know the rain is pouring, the streets are flooded, and you
could not remember whether you brought the umbrella because it is hot outside
or it is your contingency plan in case it rains.
Climate Change is now slowly
becoming a household term, what used to be the main concern of the
environmentalists is now a layman’s term. As much as we would like to turn back
the hands of time to erase what has already been done, what we can do for now
is to cope and slow down its side effect. Below are some of the adaptation
measures being implemented from around the world in order to keep up with
climate change.
Adaptation to the adverse
effects of climate change is vital in order to reduce the impacts of climate
change that are happening now and increase resilience to future impacts. [1]Adaptation
to global warming is a
response to climate
change that seeks to reduce the vulnerability of biological systems to climate change effects."[2] Even if emissions are alleviated relatively soon, climate
change and its effects will last many years, and adaptation will be necessary.[3]
Climate change adaptation is especially important in developing countries since
those countries are predicted to bear the burden of the effects of climate
change.[4]
1. The use of artificial snow-making in the European Alps.[5] There
is a risk that the unfavourable snow conditions will lead to a decrease in the
demand for ski tourism in the European Alps. Many have predicted that for
popular resorts to continue running there will be a reliance on artificial snow
makers to provide sufficient snow cover for the tourists. However there are
significant disadvantages to the extensive use of snow making technology as
described by Koenig and Abegg (1997:55): (1)
The already existing problem of the lack of water supply for
artificial snow-making; (2) Rising temperatures due to global warming
will also endanger the snow production; The ecological impacts of artificial
snow-making in the alpine area have to be taken in consideration (for example
the impacts on the flora and fauna)."[6]
2. Adaptation Through Local Planning- Local land use and
municipal planning represent important avenues for adaptation to global warming.
These forms of planning are recognized as central to avoiding the impacts of
climate related hazards such as floods and heat stress, planning for
demographic and consumption transition, and plans for ecosystem conservation.[7] At
the local scale, municipalities are at the coal face of adaptation where
impacts are experienced in the forms of inundation, bushfires, heatwaves and
rising sea levels.[8]
Some examples of these adaptations through local planning are as follows:
a.
Changing
to water permeable
pavements to absorb higher rainfalls
and adding air conditioning in public schools, New York and other cities are
involved in similar planning.[9] [10] [11]
b.
Carefully
planned water storage could help urban areas adapt to increasingly severe
storms by increasing rainwater storage (domestic water butts, unpaved gardens etc.) and increasing the capacity of stormwater systems (and also separating stormwater from blackwater, so that overflows in peak periods do not contaminate
rivers).
c.
Changing to heat tolerant tree varieties. [12]
3. According to English Nature, gardeners can help mitigate the effects of climate
change by providing habitats for the most threatened species, and/or saving
water by changing gardens to use plants which require less.[13]
4. Using small planting basins to 'harvest' water in
Zimbabwe.[14]
It
is noted that, in response to increased demand for food and power supplies,
many developing country governments with fast-growing economies have recently
invested in large dams. The benefits of these projects in terms of storing
water for crop irrigation were clear, it said, "but so are the adverse
social and environmental impacts." As examples of the value of small-scale
storage options, the study cited field studies that have proven the
effectiveness of using small planting basins to "harvest" water. In
Zimbabwe, such basins have been shown to boost maize yields, whether rainfall
is abundant or scarce. In Niger, they have led to three- or four-fold increases
in millet yields.[15]
5. Russian
and American scientists have in the past tried to control the weather, for
example by seeding clouds with chemicals to try to produce rain when and where
it is needed.[16]
6. Solar radiation management, such as
space sunshade, creating stratospheric sulfur aerosols and painting roofing and
paving materials white.[17]
7. Hydrological geoengineering -
typically seeking to preserve sea ice or adjust thermohaline circulation by using
methods such as diverting rivers to keep warm water away from sea ice, or tethering icebergs to prevent them drifting into warmer waters and melting.[18]
8. Using
the principle of ‘road sharing in particular,” the roads must be transformed to
follow the simple principle that “those who have less in wheels must have more
in roads” to favor non-motorized transportation system such as cycling and
walking and man-powered mini-trains.[19]
9. Carpooling-
Carpooling, using transit, walking, bicycling, or telecommuting–just one day a
week for a year–can save typical commuters about 1,200 miles on their vehicles
and reduce their CO2 emissions by over half a ton per year.[20]
10. Telecommute
– Work at home sometimes. You'll save time and money, and reduce traffic
congestion and CO2 emissions. Americans spend more than 200 hours commuting
each year – equal to 5 weeks of vacation! (The average daily round-trip commute
takes about 50 minutes.)[21]
[1] http://unfccc.int/adaptation/items/4159.php
[2] UNFCCC Glossary of
Climate Change Acronyms". Accessed October 24, 2010
[3] Farber, Daniel A.
Adapting to Climate Change: Who Should Pay"], 23 FLA. ST. U. J. LAND USE
& ENVTL. L. 1, 8 (2007)
[4] Cole, Daniel A.
"Climate Change, Adaptation, and Development", 26 UCLA J. ENVTL. L.
& POL’Y 1, 3 (2008)
[5]
“Climate Change Imapct on Tourism” from https://sites.google.com/site/climatechangeimpactsontourism/home/case-study---european-alps,
accessed Juloy 13, 2013. The Alps is one of the great mountain ranges located
between oceanic and continental Europe, running from Austria and Slovenia
through Italy and Switzerland until it reaches Germany and France in the
west. For many alpine areas of the Alps, winter tourism is
the predominant form of income, as the Alps is one of the world's
most popular destination for skiing holidays. For example, in Austria
tourism is one of the largest forms of industry, often accounting for a large
percentage of their GDP annually (Viner and Agnew 1999: 18). Other than
tourism the Alps are a crucial source of water supply for a significant
proportion of Europe. According to a report in 2009 by the European Environment Agency :
'The Alps are responsible for responsible for a disproportionately high
contribution to the total discharge of the four major rivers — mainly
Danube, Rhine, Po and Rhone — flowing from the region, from 26 % (Danube)
to 53 % (Po). Most of the major European rivers have their headwaters
in the Alps and their discharge is transported via river systems to
lower-lying areas. The Alps are crucial for water accumulation and water
supply and therefore they are often referred to as natural 'water towers'.
(2009:17)
[6] http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/ in “Climate Change Imapct on Tourism” from
https://sites.google.com/site/climatechangeimpactsontourism/home/case-study---european-alps,
accessed Juloy 13, 2013.
[7] Local landuse and
municipal planning represent important avenues for adaptation to global
warming. These forms of planning are recognised as central to avoiding the
impacts of climate related hazards such as floods and heat stress, planning for
demographic and consumption transition, and plans for ecosystem conservation
[8] Preston, B.L., Brooke,
C., Measham, T.G., Smith, T.F., Gorddard, R. (2009) Igniting change in local
government: Lessons learned from a bushfire vulnerability assessment.
Mitigation and Adaptation Strategies for Global Change, 14 (3) pp. 251-283
http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s11027-008-9163-4
[9] Koch, Wendy
(2011-08-15). "Cities combat climate change". USA Today.
[10] Revkin, Andrew C.
(2011-05-23). "Cities Embrace the Adaptation Imperative". The New
York Times.
[11] http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=all-climate-is-local
[12]
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adaptation_to_global_warming
[13] Jowit, Juliette
(2006-06-11). "Gardeners can slow climate change". The Guardian
(London). Retrieved 2010-04-23.
[14] Barker, T. (2007).
11.2.2 Ocean fertilization and other geo-engineering options. In (book
chapter): Mitigation from a cross-sectoral perspective. In: Climate Change
2007: Mitigation. Contribution of Working Group III to the Fourth Assessment
Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (B. Metz et al.
(eds.)). Print version: Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK, and New
York, N.Y., U.S.A.. This version: IPCC website. ISBN 978-0-521-88011-4.
Archived from the original on 29 March 2010. Retrieved 2010-04-05.
[15] “Diverse Waters Sources Seen as Key to Food Security”
Reporting by Kate Kelland; Editing by Kevin Liffey, http://www.reuters.com/article/2010/09/07/us-climate-water-idUSTRE68500820100907, accessed July 13, 2013.
[16]
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adaptation_to_global_warming
[17] Ibid.
[18] Ibid.
[19] The Road Sharing
Movement Concept Paper.
[20]http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/environment/climate_change/adaptation/resources_and_publications/ten_steps/index.cfm
[21] Ibid.
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