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Complementing institutional with localised strategies for climate change adaptation: a South-North comparison
Christine Wamsler1, Nigel Lawson
1Lund University Centre for Risk Assessment and Management, Lund, Sweden. christine.wamsler@lucram.lu.se
Disasters
|June 28, 2011
Summary
Local communities in the South develop coping strategies for climate change adaptation due to limited institutional support. Northern cities also need enhanced local engagement as climate challenges grow.
Area of Science:
- Environmental Science
- Urban Planning
- Disaster Risk Reduction
Background:
- Climate change and disasters present significant risks to sustainable development globally.
- Local coping strategies are crucial for adaptation in Southern cities, often arising from inadequate urban actor support and governance systems.
- Northern cities have less developed local coping strategies, but face increasing institutional strain from climate variability.
Purpose of the Study:
- To analyze and compare local and institutional responses to climate change and disasters in a Southern city (San Salvador) and a Northern city (Manchester).
- To identify how lessons learned from these comparisons can inform an improved distributed governance system.
- To propose an 'integrated engagement model' where local and institutional responses are mutually supportive.
Main Methods:
- Comparative analysis of urban responses to climate change and disaster risk in San Salvador and Manchester.
- Assessment of local coping strategies and institutional support mechanisms in both cities.
- Evaluation of governance systems and their interaction with local adaptation efforts.
Main Results:
- Significant differences observed in the development and effectiveness of local coping strategies between the Southern and Northern cities.
- Evidence suggests that Northern institutions are increasingly challenged by climate extremes, highlighting a need for greater local involvement.
- Current interactions between local and institutional responses in both cities are often uncoordinated or conflicting.
Conclusions:
- An integrated engagement model is needed to align local and institutional efforts for effective climate change adaptation and disaster risk reduction.
- Translating lessons from Southern adaptation strategies can enhance resilience in Northern urban contexts.
- Improved distributed governance is essential for fostering synergistic relationships between community-level and institutional responses.
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