Mansi Agarwalla
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Coastal cities play a crucial role in the global economy and fulfill vital functions for society as a whole. At the same time, they are also strongly affected by the consequences of climate change. Therefore, their role in global climate adaptation is important. In order to find out how coastal cities are adapting, an international team led by Geographer and Professor Matthias Garschagen from Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München (LMU) is now analysing the current state of adaptation.
Based on a survey conducted in 199 cities in 54 different countries, researchers investigated whether cities take certain risk factors into account in their adaptation efforts. The most important parameters taken into account include climate-related factors such as sea level rise, storms, floods and heat. The analysis also took into account other aspects such as population, infrastructure and the risk and vulnerability of ecosystems in the affected areas. The climate system is largely inadequate.
Most climate change adaptation measures focus primarily on sea level rise, flooding and, to a lesser extent, storms, cyclones and erosion. Technological and institutional measures, such as large-scale dams or innovations in urban planning, are more common in prosperous regions such as North America and Europe. In less prosperous areas, such as many parts of Africa and Asia, behavioural measures remain the dominant typology, with affected households and businesses largely left to fend for themselves.
Overall, the LMU researchers found that most optimisation systems are inadequate in terms of depth, scope and speed, regardless of the region or its resources. Furthermore, there is little evidence that the measures taken by researchers have led to a lasting reduction in risk.
“Our results show that there is still much work to be done at all levels,” explains Professor Matthias Garschagen. “There has been no far-reaching change that entails fundamental changes in risk management. Cities often try to adapt disaster management based on past experiences, without fundamentally asking themselves whether these approaches will still be viable in the future.”
Global climate change research needs to be carried out in all parts of the world. The research also found that adaptation planning is rarely based on quantitative factors. While cities take into account future natural hazards such as floods and heat waves, they rarely consider future trends in social vulnerability or socio-economic factors such as development and local risks. “But these trends are important, because Lagos or Jakarta are not the same today as they were twenty years ago. There are definitely excellent research applications and we need better conditions and better modelling methods”, says Garschagen. “Another important question is when it is appropriate to abandon coastal protection measures and talk about resettlement of populations instead.”
Matthias Garschagen therefore called for a strong increase in research activity in the Global South. Until now, most research activity has focused on cities in the Global North. He said,“Global climate change research, covering all regions of the world, will enable us to tackle the climate crisis faster and more effectively.”
Story Source:
Materials provided by Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München.
Journal Reference:
- Mia Wannewitz, Idowu Ajibade, Katharine J. Mach, Alexandre Magnan, Jan Petzold, Diana Reckien, Nicola Ulibarri, Armen Agopian, Vasiliki I. Chalastani, Tom Hawxwell, Lam T. M. Huynh, Christine J. Kirchhoff, Rebecca Miller, Justice Issah Musah-Surugu, Gabriela Nagle Alverio, Miriam Nielsen, Abraham Marshall Nunbogu, Brian Pentz, Andrea Reimuth, Giulia Scarpa, Nadia Seeteram, Ivan Villaverde Canosa, Jingyao Zhou, Matthias Garschagen. Progress and gaps in climate change adaptation in coastal cities across the globe. Nature Cities, 2024; DOI: 10.1038/s44284-024-00106-9
- Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München. (2024, August 27). Coastal cities must adapt faster to climate change. ScienceDaily. Retrieved September 2, 2024 from www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2024/08/240827104956.htm