Now that climate change is causing severe damages to many cities and communities around the world, the concepts of resilience, vulnerability and adaptation are more important than ever. Many organizations are working in helping people in dealing with these threats.
The most disturbing thing is that climate change is already causing severe damage to poor and vulnerable people, who have the fewest resources to prepare and plan for the impacts, and have very few resources to respond and adapt. Several of them are already climate refugees.
Here in Canada, we have no idea how fortunate we are in this perspective. Our main environmental worries seem so trivial when we compare them against the impacts on those poor countries.
There are many groups and organizations reporting on how climate change is already affecting critical areas like agriculture, food security, health, housing around the world. The main focus for respond to climate change is now adaptation.
For instance, check this news on what is happening in Bangladesh:
http://www.nature.com/climate/2009/0902/full/climate.2009.3.html
And check these groups working on these matters:
The Rockefeller Foundation : Climate Changer Resilience:
http://www.rockfound.org/initiatives/climate/climate_change.shtml
Climate Resilient Cities:
http://web.worldbank.org/WBSITE/EXTERNAL/COUNTRIES/EASTASIAPACIFICEXT/0,,contentMDK:21845641~pagePK:146736~piPK:226340~theSitePK:226301,00.html"
Resilience Alliance, Resilience Assessment:
http://www.resalliance.org/3871.php
The Coastal Community Resilience Guide (particularly important !)
http://www.crc.uri.edu/download/CCRGuide/lowres.pdf
Community and Regional Resilience Institute:
http://www.resilientus.org/publications/reports.html
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