Title: Issues in identifying climate change adaptation within community hazard mitigation

Authors: David King

Addresses: School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, James Cook University, Townsville, Queensland 4811, Australia

Abstract: Increased temperatures from climate change are expected to result in sea level rise which will initially be experienced in the surge events that accompany hazards. Despite uncertainty various scenarios have been proposed that predict more severe droughts, wildfire, floods, tropical cyclones/hurricanes and severe storms. Media focus and raised public awareness of climate change risks presents an opportunity to enhance community level mitigation for climate-induced natural hazards. Emergency managers and community researchers must guide communities towards adaptation to climate change impacts. A review of recent literature on the state of knowledge of climate change impact and natural hazards examines the problem of translating this increased risk into community hazard mitigation strategies, and the more complexity of identifying those hazard risks that specifically relate to climate change which requires enhanced adaptation strategies on the part of households, communities and local governments. Climate change adaptation must be flexible, local, community based and stakeholder driven, involving all of government and community agencies and institutions.

Keywords: climate change; community adaptation; hazard mitigation; sustainability; resilience; emergency management; adaptation strategies; risk management.

DOI: 10.1504/IJEM.2010.037011

International Journal of Emergency Management, 2010 Vol.7 No.3/4, pp.269 - 280

Published online: 21 Nov 2010 *

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