Climate Adaptation: theory and practice
During October’s GC Skeptics in the Pub, Dr Johanna Nalau talked about her research on climate adaptation and her work with the Climate Change Response Program and the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, implementing climate adaptation strategies around the world.
Dr Nalau’s research focuses on mitigating and adapting to the increasing environmental consequences of climate change, from heatwaves to flooding, through triage, or prioritising the impacts and necessary funding since needs currently exceed resources. Triaging climate change involves categorising these impacts by whether they can be managed with minimal or greater intervention, or are unavoidable, with strategic consideration of technical feasibility and social practicality. This triaging can be enabled through valuing assets at risk, identifying viable strategies, investing in accordance with priorities, and implementing frameworks to evaluate progress.
Dr Nalau also discussed the division of responsibility for climate adaptation decisions and implementation among societies and governments, and recent applications of these strategies. Intragovernmental planning allows for more comprehensive and efficacious methods, including ecosystem-based adaptation (such as new, more resilient plant species), infrastructural approaches (such as seawall construction and changing building designs), and provision of health and safety services.
Listen to Johanna's talk: click here
Slides: click here
About the speaker:
Dr Johanna Nalau is an ARC Discovery Early Career Research Fellow at the Griffith Climate Change Response Program (GCCRP) and Research Theme Leader on Adaptation Science, Cities Research Institute (CRI), School of Environment and Science, Griffith University and holds a PhD in climate change adaptation.
Dr Nalau focuses on understanding the core principles of climate change adaptation, and how adaptation science can play a positive role in evidence-based decision-making.
Her research is focused on understanding how, why and when people make decisions to adapt to climate change, and what role science can and should play in that process. That includes issues such as decision-making, policy development and implementation, limits to adaptation, and the gap that we often see between academic theory and real-world practical actions.
She was also a Lead Author for the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report, an Australian Research Council DECRA Fellow (2019-2021), and a Managing Editor for the Journal of Climate Risk Management, and leads the Adaptation Science Research Theme at Cities Research Institute.
Email: j.nalau@griffith.edu.au
Twitter: @DrJNalau
