Title: Reflecting on the challenges and barriers of performing climate change vulnerability assessments in Scotland

Authors: Marta Bruno Soares; Alexandre S. Gagnon

Addresses: Environmental Initiatives Research Group, School of Science, University of the West of Scotland, High Street, Paisley PA1 2BE, Scotland, UK ' Environmental Initiatives Research Group, School of Science, University of the West of Scotland, High Street, Paisley PA1 2BE, Scotland, UK

Abstract: Different conceptual perspectives and analytical approaches can be pursued in the analysis of climate change vulnerability. These include top-down and bottom-up approaches which frame and assess vulnerability in different ways using different methods and tools. Bottom-up approaches tend to focus on the analysis of vulnerability at the local level by addressing local conditions and processes that influence and affect the vulnerability of a system to climate change. However, performing vulnerability assessments (VA) using this type of analytical approach can be hindered and limited by numerous challenges such as the access to and quality of, data as well as the analytical compromises and trade-offs that come out of those challenges. Focusing on the farming sector, this paper reflects on "the challenges, compromises and analytical trade-offs" that were made to perform the analysis of vulnerability using a bottom-up approach in the Ayrshire region of Scotland.

Keywords: climate change; vulnerability assessment; bottom-up approaches; analytical challenges; operational challenges; institutional barriers; analytical trade-offs; Scotland; farming sector; agriculture.

DOI: 10.1504/IJGW.2012.049434

International Journal of Global Warming, 2012 Vol.4 No.3/4, pp.346 - 364

Received: 08 Nov 2011
Accepted: 18 Apr 2012
Published online: 13 Dec 2014 *

Full-text access for editors Full-text access for subscribers Purchase this article Comment on this article