Climate Change Adaptation Climate Adaptation and Bio Diversity

Climate Change Adaptation Climate, Adaptation and Bio Diversity Mihir Mathur International Workshop on Climate Change, Feb 2012 WOTR

Climate Change • Science of Climate Change is Complex to understand • We have a “Systems guide to Climate Change” • Understanding the Reinforcing Processes • 9 Positive Feedback Loops

Earth’s Climate Ice Age Warmer Planet

Global Warming 3 O C 0. 7 O C Ice Age Warmer Planet +10 OC

Variation and Change

Adaptive Capacity Mitigation Adaptation Global Local Gases Water WOTR

Adaptation Proactive Reactive Maladaptation Dovetail

Disaster Slow Onset Widespread Disaster Sudden Onset Localized Easily Detected Destroys the System Establish New System Difficult More Difficult Impossible Renovate the System

Risk Reduction • Risk = Hazard Vulnerability Exposure Capacity • Reducing Risk is a function of reducing any of the Numerators or increasing the Denominator • None of the numerators can become Zero • But they can be reduced

Culture of Risk Reduction • Culture of Risk Reduction – Top Down – Benefits only after Disaster • Culture of coping with Crises – Community Based Disaster Management – Immediate Benefits while reducing the Risk

Types of Risk Known Unknown Known ? ? Known Unknown ? ?

5 Capitals Physical Capital Financial Capital Human Capital Social Capital Natural Capital

Ultimate Means to Ultimate Ends Priceless: Its measurement is fraught with difficulties and vaguely perceived Intermediate Ends Goals that governments promise, that economies are expected to deliver Intermediate Means Inputs to the Economy: Built and Human Capital Ultimate Means Priceless: Natural Capital - Our Heritage Supporting Everything

Human Ecological Pyramid Vulnerable in the Long Term Resilient in the Short Term Resilient in the Long Run Vulnerable in the Short Term

Reducing Vulnerability Ecosystems Based Bio Diversity Ecosystems Dr. Ahluwaliah, Chairman of Planning Comission • Rs. 25 per day • We somewhat agree with him • •

Ecosystem Services • Rs. 2000 a day are available for free • But with a deteriorated Ecosystem the value is as low as Rs. 10 • Thus, our emphasis on Bio Diversity

Bio Diversity • Land Scape – Land – Water • Life Scape – All forms of Life • People Scape – Human Beings – Cultures

Bio Diversity and Environmentalism Adaptive Sustainable Development Ecosystem Centric Anthropocentric Conservation Well Being

Ecosystem Landscape Agrarian Ecosystem Urban Ecosystem Natural Ecosystem • Globalization • Climate Change

Daly’s Principle of Sustainability 1. Renewable Resources Rate of Extraction < Rate of Regeneration 2. Waste Generation < Capacity to Absorb Waste 3. Non Renewable Resources Rate of Consumption < Rate at which alternate technologies can be put in place

Participatory • Those who have a voice shall participate • Questions: – What about those who don’t have voice? – Who are they? – Nature – Yet to be Born

Temporal Boundaries of Equity • Intragenerational • Intergenerational • Transgenerational

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