SAGE Lab N' Lunch at UMASS Amherst
During SAGE Lab N' Lunch invited graduate and PhD students gather to read one or two shared articles that seem timely. Articles are discussed in detail and also at a meta-level in order for the students to better understand the field of climate change and resiliency, as well as how to improve writing skills. Below are short student reflections about the process and the chosen articles.
March 29, 2017
This session focused on the role of regional planning agencies in local climate vulnerability assessments and plan implementation. Starting with a personal experience of multi-municipal vulnerability assessment and plan development in eastern Massachusetts, discussion topics included: the roles and responsibilities of local/regional planners in climate adaptation planning, the scale and scope of local/regional adaptation strategies, and sustaining productivity with little time and insufficient data.
The following sites were used as references:
MAPC’s regional climate change strategy, web page & public presentations
http://www.mapc.org/regional-climate-change
MAGIC web page + community snapshots
http://www.mapc.org/magic
MAGIC climate resilience, web page + links --
http://resilientmagic.mapc.org/
This session focused on the role of regional planning agencies in local climate vulnerability assessments and plan implementation. Starting with a personal experience of multi-municipal vulnerability assessment and plan development in eastern Massachusetts, discussion topics included: the roles and responsibilities of local/regional planners in climate adaptation planning, the scale and scope of local/regional adaptation strategies, and sustaining productivity with little time and insufficient data.
The following sites were used as references:
MAPC’s regional climate change strategy, web page & public presentations
http://www.mapc.org/regional-climate-change
MAGIC web page + community snapshots
http://www.mapc.org/magic
MAGIC climate resilience, web page + links --
http://resilientmagic.mapc.org/
February 15, 2017
Towards fair local outcomes in adaptation to sea-level rise. Sonia Graham & Jon Barnett & Ruth Fincher & Colette Mortreux & Anna Hurlimann. Received: 12 January 2014 /Accepted: 31 May 2014 /Published online: 26 June 2014 # Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht 2014
The authors use the concept of the "lived values" of community members to evaluate fairness in climate adaptation communication and practice. Within the concept of fairness, the authors identify 5 aspects: distributive, procedural, temporal, spatial and interactional fairness; which may impact responses to adaptation policies. Methods for inquiry include semi-structured interviews, surveys and focus groups. This article contributes to scholarship on inclusive planning practices and highlights important concepts for climate adaptation communication. - Jane Buxton
Towards fair local outcomes in adaptation to sea-level rise. Sonia Graham & Jon Barnett & Ruth Fincher & Colette Mortreux & Anna Hurlimann. Received: 12 January 2014 /Accepted: 31 May 2014 /Published online: 26 June 2014 # Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht 2014
The authors use the concept of the "lived values" of community members to evaluate fairness in climate adaptation communication and practice. Within the concept of fairness, the authors identify 5 aspects: distributive, procedural, temporal, spatial and interactional fairness; which may impact responses to adaptation policies. Methods for inquiry include semi-structured interviews, surveys and focus groups. This article contributes to scholarship on inclusive planning practices and highlights important concepts for climate adaptation communication. - Jane Buxton
December 13, 2016
Spatial assessment of climate change vulnerability at city scale: A study in Bangalore, India Parveen Kumara,∗, Davide Genelettia, Harini Nagendrab.
The authors present a Spatial Multi-Criteria Evaluation (SMCE) of vulnerability at the city-scale, using three main components: exposure, sensitivity, and adaptive capacity. The study area is considered as a coupled social and ecological system, where short-term climate events (exposure) and long-term climate-related stimuli (sensitivity) constitute climate impact, mitigated by adaptive capacity. The SMCE methodology consists of assessment along these three vectors; exposure was assessed through extreme weather events, sensitivity was assessed through publicly available census data, spatial plans, policy analysis, primary and secondary surveys, and past assessments of the study area, and adaptive capacity was assessed by the socioeconomic aspects, the provisioning of basic facilities, and by ecological factors.
The SMCE uses a criteria tree, which categorizes indicators as benefits, costs, or constraints. Each indicator is standardized into a 0-1 scale for comparison, and then weighted according to fieldwork experience, stakeholder interviews and survey results. Results were mapped spatially, and then analyzed for clustering and/or scattering of each component. Comparative analysis of the three components revealed low levels of sensitivity, medium-level adaptive capacity and a high-level of influence from various exposures within Bangalore. - Max Dilthey
Spatial assessment of climate change vulnerability at city scale: A study in Bangalore, India Parveen Kumara,∗, Davide Genelettia, Harini Nagendrab.
The authors present a Spatial Multi-Criteria Evaluation (SMCE) of vulnerability at the city-scale, using three main components: exposure, sensitivity, and adaptive capacity. The study area is considered as a coupled social and ecological system, where short-term climate events (exposure) and long-term climate-related stimuli (sensitivity) constitute climate impact, mitigated by adaptive capacity. The SMCE methodology consists of assessment along these three vectors; exposure was assessed through extreme weather events, sensitivity was assessed through publicly available census data, spatial plans, policy analysis, primary and secondary surveys, and past assessments of the study area, and adaptive capacity was assessed by the socioeconomic aspects, the provisioning of basic facilities, and by ecological factors.
The SMCE uses a criteria tree, which categorizes indicators as benefits, costs, or constraints. Each indicator is standardized into a 0-1 scale for comparison, and then weighted according to fieldwork experience, stakeholder interviews and survey results. Results were mapped spatially, and then analyzed for clustering and/or scattering of each component. Comparative analysis of the three components revealed low levels of sensitivity, medium-level adaptive capacity and a high-level of influence from various exposures within Bangalore. - Max Dilthey
November 17, 2016
Reinhard Mechler and Thomas Schinko. "Identifying the policy space for climate loss and damage.” Science 21 Oct 2016: Vol. 354, Issue 6310, pp. 290-292 DOI: 10.1126/science.aag2514
In this paper, the researchers have defined two sets of options for policies that consider loss and damage to support risk management and a policy space. These options, represent a broad climate risk analysis that may be considered for developed and developing countries in order to create an agreement on the topic and proceed with action of risk management and a framework for negotiating responsibilities between nations. - Arlen Marin
Reinhard Mechler and Thomas Schinko. "Identifying the policy space for climate loss and damage.” Science 21 Oct 2016: Vol. 354, Issue 6310, pp. 290-292 DOI: 10.1126/science.aag2514
In this paper, the researchers have defined two sets of options for policies that consider loss and damage to support risk management and a policy space. These options, represent a broad climate risk analysis that may be considered for developed and developing countries in order to create an agreement on the topic and proceed with action of risk management and a framework for negotiating responsibilities between nations. - Arlen Marin
October 20, 2016
Executive Order No. 569: http://www.mass.gov/governor/legislationexecorder/execorders/executive-order-no-569.html
Heather Lazrus (2015) Risk Perception and Climate Adaptation in Tuvalu: A Combined Cultural Theory and Traditional Knowledge Approach. Human Organization: Spring 2015, Vol. 74, No. 1, pp. 52-61.
doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.17730/humo.74.1.q0667716284749m8
Adaptation efforts must concurrently address the projections of global climate change with the systematic vulnerabilities that make people exposed to its impacts. Cultural perceptions of risk are closely tied with adaptive decision making, especially at the local level where people are directly experiencing the impacts of global climate change. The study presented here analyzes how climate impacts and risk are perceived in Nanumea, Tuvalu by combining the Cultural Theory of Risk with an examination of traditional environmental knowledge. The author argues that a community’s worldview and risk perception are missing from the sphere of adaptive management, and adaptive decision making should more rigorously identify solutions that reflect community practices, preferences, and priorities. Although the discussion is centered on the specific values of a single community, this type of ethnographic research can be relevant for climate adaptation planning in coastal communities and beyond. - Alicia Coleman
Executive Order No. 569: http://www.mass.gov/governor/legislationexecorder/execorders/executive-order-no-569.html
Heather Lazrus (2015) Risk Perception and Climate Adaptation in Tuvalu: A Combined Cultural Theory and Traditional Knowledge Approach. Human Organization: Spring 2015, Vol. 74, No. 1, pp. 52-61.
doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.17730/humo.74.1.q0667716284749m8
Adaptation efforts must concurrently address the projections of global climate change with the systematic vulnerabilities that make people exposed to its impacts. Cultural perceptions of risk are closely tied with adaptive decision making, especially at the local level where people are directly experiencing the impacts of global climate change. The study presented here analyzes how climate impacts and risk are perceived in Nanumea, Tuvalu by combining the Cultural Theory of Risk with an examination of traditional environmental knowledge. The author argues that a community’s worldview and risk perception are missing from the sphere of adaptive management, and adaptive decision making should more rigorously identify solutions that reflect community practices, preferences, and priorities. Although the discussion is centered on the specific values of a single community, this type of ethnographic research can be relevant for climate adaptation planning in coastal communities and beyond. - Alicia Coleman
September 20, 2016
Planning for an Uncertain Future - Can Multicriteria Analysis Support Better Decision Making in Climate Planning? Ingrid Gould Ellen1, Jessica Yager2, Melinda Hanson3, Luke Bosher1. doi: 10.1177/0739456X16659911Journal of Planning Education and Research September 2016 vol. 36 no. 3 349-362
Planning for an Uncertain Future - Can Multicriteria Analysis Support Better Decision Making in Climate Planning? Ingrid Gould Ellen1, Jessica Yager2, Melinda Hanson3, Luke Bosher1. doi: 10.1177/0739456X16659911Journal of Planning Education and Research September 2016 vol. 36 no. 3 349-362
March 29, 2016
A note on the use of the analytic hierarchy process for environmental impact assessment. R. Ramanathan et al.
Indira Gandhi Institute of Development Research Santosh Nagar, Goregaon (East) Mumbai, 400 065, India.
Journal of Environmental Management (Impact Factor: 2.72). 10/2001; 63(1):27-35. DOI: 10.1006/jema.2001.0455
The Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) is a decision-making framework that combines multiple qualitative pairwise comparisons within a matrix that provides insight into priorities, perspectives, and expert evaluations between multiple actions and within multiple parameters. AHP also allows for consistency indexing, allowing reliability assessments of results. This process was demonstrated through the Socio-Economic Impact Assessment (SEIA) component of an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) in Maharashtra. - Max Dilthey
A comparison of landslide susceptibility maps produced by logistic regression, multi-criteria decision, and likelihood ratio methods: a case study at İzmir, Turkey. A. Akgun et al.
ARTICLE in LANDSLIDES 9(1):93-106 · FEBRUARY 2012 with 28 READS
Impact Factor: 2.87 · DOI: 10.1007/s10346-011-0283-7
Three methods for analysis of landslide susceptibility are compared in Izmir, Turkey. The comparison as conducted between logistic regression (LR), likelihood ratio models (LRM), and multi-criteria decision analysis (MCDA). The MCDA method used was the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP). LR was found to have the greatest accuracy in predicting landslide susceptibility, followed by LRM and MCDA. The AHP model was found to implicate too much qualitative expert opinion in its assessment, which could be a valuable result if the perspective of experts and stakeholders is the focus of analysis. The italicized is Max Dithey's opinion, but indicates why he considered the article relevant in demonstrating the potential of AHP for our SAGE Gradients concept.
Articles of reference for the adaptive gradient concept:
One side of the adaptive gradient idea explores the fact that while the weather moves along an expected longitudinal pattern, it remains easily adaptable by biological systems. The problem comes when abrupt changes occur as a result, for example, of climate change. In this context, the article presented by Adger et al. (2012) comes in handy when they examine the changing social contract where the vulnerability of citizens is being altered by changing weather extremes. Other side of the adaptive gradient idea is looking for the information most needed for policy-makers to equitably identify appropriate infrastructure choices. In this context, Porter et al. (2015) presents the results of a one decade study with British local government when they concluded that better scientific and climatic knowledge acquired throughout that period has not translated into tangible adaptation action. Instead, adaptation officers needed information about the economic costs of weather impacts to local authority services if they were to build a business case for action. - Ana Emlinger
A note on the use of the analytic hierarchy process for environmental impact assessment. R. Ramanathan et al.
Indira Gandhi Institute of Development Research Santosh Nagar, Goregaon (East) Mumbai, 400 065, India.
Journal of Environmental Management (Impact Factor: 2.72). 10/2001; 63(1):27-35. DOI: 10.1006/jema.2001.0455
The Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) is a decision-making framework that combines multiple qualitative pairwise comparisons within a matrix that provides insight into priorities, perspectives, and expert evaluations between multiple actions and within multiple parameters. AHP also allows for consistency indexing, allowing reliability assessments of results. This process was demonstrated through the Socio-Economic Impact Assessment (SEIA) component of an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) in Maharashtra. - Max Dilthey
A comparison of landslide susceptibility maps produced by logistic regression, multi-criteria decision, and likelihood ratio methods: a case study at İzmir, Turkey. A. Akgun et al.
ARTICLE in LANDSLIDES 9(1):93-106 · FEBRUARY 2012 with 28 READS
Impact Factor: 2.87 · DOI: 10.1007/s10346-011-0283-7
Three methods for analysis of landslide susceptibility are compared in Izmir, Turkey. The comparison as conducted between logistic regression (LR), likelihood ratio models (LRM), and multi-criteria decision analysis (MCDA). The MCDA method used was the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP). LR was found to have the greatest accuracy in predicting landslide susceptibility, followed by LRM and MCDA. The AHP model was found to implicate too much qualitative expert opinion in its assessment, which could be a valuable result if the perspective of experts and stakeholders is the focus of analysis. The italicized is Max Dithey's opinion, but indicates why he considered the article relevant in demonstrating the potential of AHP for our SAGE Gradients concept.
Articles of reference for the adaptive gradient concept:
- Adger, W. N., Quinn, T., Lorenzoni, I., Murphy, C., & Sweeney, J. (April 01, 2013). Changing social contracts in climate-change adaptation. Nature Climate Change, 3, 4, 330-333.
- Porter, J. J., Dessai, S., & Demeritt, D. (November 01, 2015). The right stuff? Informing adaptation to climate change in British Local Government. Global Environmental Change, 35, 411-422.
One side of the adaptive gradient idea explores the fact that while the weather moves along an expected longitudinal pattern, it remains easily adaptable by biological systems. The problem comes when abrupt changes occur as a result, for example, of climate change. In this context, the article presented by Adger et al. (2012) comes in handy when they examine the changing social contract where the vulnerability of citizens is being altered by changing weather extremes. Other side of the adaptive gradient idea is looking for the information most needed for policy-makers to equitably identify appropriate infrastructure choices. In this context, Porter et al. (2015) presents the results of a one decade study with British local government when they concluded that better scientific and climatic knowledge acquired throughout that period has not translated into tangible adaptation action. Instead, adaptation officers needed information about the economic costs of weather impacts to local authority services if they were to build a business case for action. - Ana Emlinger
March 8, 2016
Ashen, R., Kellett, J., Karuppannan, S. (2014) Climate Induced Migration: Lessons from Bangladesh. The International Journal of Climate Change: Impacts and Responses. 5, 2, 1-15. www.on-climate.com, ISSN 1835-7156
This article promotes a different type of discussion on climate change adaptation. It is a discussion that is more related with an expanded array of impacts that we are going to face due to climate change, especially in the population dynamics, urbanization, and therefore planning and land management in developing countries. The importance to include this kind of topics into the agenda will promote further research in adaptation planning for climate change. Dr. Reazul Ahsan holds a PhD in Urban and Regional Planning from the University of South Australia, where he is part of the research team at the Malaysia Sustainable Cities Program - MSCP -, which is part of the MIT-UTM Malaysia Sustainable Cities Program. The MSCP mission is to document sustainable city development efforts in Malaysia produce video teaching materials for use throughout the developing world. Professor Ahsan has conducted research on climate migration and urban changes, focusing on developing countries and also worked as a research fellow for designing aging-friendly cities. Also, professor Jon Kellet is an urban planner with research interests in urban sustainability, energy and climate change. He is the Program Co-ordinator for the Master of Planning and the Master of Planning (Urban Design) at the University of Adelaide, Australia since 2014. Finally, professor Sadasivam Karuppannan is a Senior Lecturer at the School of Art, Architecture and Design, University of South Australia. He is interested in urban regional planning, housing, planning in developing countries, land use planning and sustainability. (Marielos Arlen Marin, Ph. D. Student and Fulbright - LASPAU Alumna, University of Massachusetts Amherst).
Keywords: Climate Change, Climate Migrants, Social Change, Livelihoods and Urbanization.
Ashen, R., Kellett, J., Karuppannan, S. (2014) Climate Induced Migration: Lessons from Bangladesh. The International Journal of Climate Change: Impacts and Responses. 5, 2, 1-15. www.on-climate.com, ISSN 1835-7156
This article promotes a different type of discussion on climate change adaptation. It is a discussion that is more related with an expanded array of impacts that we are going to face due to climate change, especially in the population dynamics, urbanization, and therefore planning and land management in developing countries. The importance to include this kind of topics into the agenda will promote further research in adaptation planning for climate change. Dr. Reazul Ahsan holds a PhD in Urban and Regional Planning from the University of South Australia, where he is part of the research team at the Malaysia Sustainable Cities Program - MSCP -, which is part of the MIT-UTM Malaysia Sustainable Cities Program. The MSCP mission is to document sustainable city development efforts in Malaysia produce video teaching materials for use throughout the developing world. Professor Ahsan has conducted research on climate migration and urban changes, focusing on developing countries and also worked as a research fellow for designing aging-friendly cities. Also, professor Jon Kellet is an urban planner with research interests in urban sustainability, energy and climate change. He is the Program Co-ordinator for the Master of Planning and the Master of Planning (Urban Design) at the University of Adelaide, Australia since 2014. Finally, professor Sadasivam Karuppannan is a Senior Lecturer at the School of Art, Architecture and Design, University of South Australia. He is interested in urban regional planning, housing, planning in developing countries, land use planning and sustainability. (Marielos Arlen Marin, Ph. D. Student and Fulbright - LASPAU Alumna, University of Massachusetts Amherst).
Keywords: Climate Change, Climate Migrants, Social Change, Livelihoods and Urbanization.
February 23, 2016
Shi, L., Chu, E., Anguelovski, I., Aylett, A., Debats, J., Goh, K., Schenk, T., ... VanDeveer, S. D. (January 27, 2016). Roadmap towards justice in urban climate adaptation research. Nature Climate Change, 6, 2, 131-137.
I gladly chose this just published article in the certainty that it would provoke an alive discussion around the main topics brought up by the authors, providing a great contribution to our knowledge as well. And it did! Shi et al propose a roadmap for research focused on opportunities to advance equitable socio-spatial adaptation, building up on the scholarship of JoAnn Carmin (1957-2014), Associate Professor in the Department of Urban Studies and Planning at MIT. This roadmap is intended to reorient research on the social dimensions of urban climate adaptation around four issues of equity and justice: 1. Broadening participation in adaptation planning across municipal and civil society actors; 2. Expanding adaptation support to rapidly growing cities and to those with low financial or institutional capacity; 3. Adopting multilevel and multi-scalar approaches to plan, fund and implement adaptation actions; and 4. Integrating justice criteria into infrastructure systems and urban design processes to catalyze equitable adaptation on the ground. Among relevant topics well defended by the authors throughout the article, a table presenting the summary of four major research needs for urban adaptation justice was one of the main focus of discussions in our group. (Ana Emlinger, PhD candidate, LARP, UMASS Amherst)
** Note, one of the authors of this article is SAGE member David Dodman.
February 9, 2016
Tribbia, John and Moser, Susanne C. (2008). More than information: what coastal managers need to plan for climate change. In: Environmental Science and Policy. ScienceDirect, Elsevier, 315-328.
My intent for bringing this article in our SAGE study group was twofold: to include the U.S. West coast in our discussion of sustainable adaptative gradients in the coastal environment; secondly, because of its applicability where it concerns Latin American and Caribbean countries. Although it is eight years old its subject is quite current still (2016). From my stand point it is easy reading because of how the article is paced - its format, headings, graphs, and tables. This article addresses the science-practice disconnect where it concerns accessibility to climate change information. Tribbia and Moser investigate the challenges encountered by policy makers and coastal resource managers in their search for sources of and information about risk from climate change, as they plan for climate change adaptation for California’s coastal areas. From interviews and survey research applied to resource managers and staff, the authors identified the type of information they used and its source. Based on their findings the authors suggest that boundary organizations can serve as liaison bodies in various forms. Case in point, these organizations can intermediate California’s costal managers search for technical and financial support from public agencies at all levels. (Euripedes De Oliveira, PhD Candidate, UMass/LARP Amherst)
Tribbia, John and Moser, Susanne C. (2008). More than information: what coastal managers need to plan for climate change. In: Environmental Science and Policy. ScienceDirect, Elsevier, 315-328.
My intent for bringing this article in our SAGE study group was twofold: to include the U.S. West coast in our discussion of sustainable adaptative gradients in the coastal environment; secondly, because of its applicability where it concerns Latin American and Caribbean countries. Although it is eight years old its subject is quite current still (2016). From my stand point it is easy reading because of how the article is paced - its format, headings, graphs, and tables. This article addresses the science-practice disconnect where it concerns accessibility to climate change information. Tribbia and Moser investigate the challenges encountered by policy makers and coastal resource managers in their search for sources of and information about risk from climate change, as they plan for climate change adaptation for California’s coastal areas. From interviews and survey research applied to resource managers and staff, the authors identified the type of information they used and its source. Based on their findings the authors suggest that boundary organizations can serve as liaison bodies in various forms. Case in point, these organizations can intermediate California’s costal managers search for technical and financial support from public agencies at all levels. (Euripedes De Oliveira, PhD Candidate, UMass/LARP Amherst)
