Climate Change and Human Security – The Challenge to Local Governance under Rapid Coastal Urbanization

Citation

(2012), "Climate Change and Human Security – The Challenge to Local Governance under Rapid Coastal Urbanization", International Journal of Climate Change Strategies and Management, Vol. 4 No. 1. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJCCSM.41404aaa.011

Climate Change and Human Security – The Challenge to Local Governance under Rapid Coastal Urbanization

Article Type: Books and resources From: International Journal of Climate Change Strategies and Management, Volume 4, Issue 1

Michael R. Redclift, David Manuel-Navarrete, Mark Pelling

Edward Elgar

Cheltenhan, Glo

2011

192 pp.

£58.50

ISBN 9781848443723

The challenge presented by climate change is, by its nature, global. The populations of the Mexican Caribbean, the focus of this book, are faced by everyday decisions not unlike those in the urban North. The difference is that for the people of the Mexican Caribbean evidence of the effects of climate change, including hurricanes, is very familiar to them. This book documents the choices and risks of people who are powerless to change the economic development model which is itself forcing climate change.

The book examines the Mexican Caribbean coast and explores the wider issues of managing climate change in vulnerable areas of the tropics. It also points to the inability to integrate development thinking into climate change adaptation. The authors suggest that failures in local governance – the transparency of state actions and the lack of effective power of local populations – represents a greater threat to adaptation than the absence of technical capacity in vulnerable areas. Using local case studies of communities, fishing villages and tourist destinations, this well-researched book will appeal to international students and academics working on climate change and professionals in the development, conservation and tourism industries.

Committee on Climate Change – “Third Annual Progress Report”

The Third Annual Progress Report on meeting the UK’s climate change targets has been published by the Committee on Climate Change. Previous work from the Committee has already identified that the 10 per cent drop in emissions during 2009 was largely due to the recession, and this report shows that during 2010 emissions rose by 3 per cent; once this has been adjusted for weather and macro-economic conditions, there has been no real rise or drop in emissions during 2010. This means that the UK’s emissions continue to run significantly below the first budget “carbon cap”, but only mixed progress is being made on abatement measures. Therefore, acceleration in the pace of emissions reductions will be needed if the UK is going to meet the target of 80 per cent reduction in emissions by 2050, and the agreed interim targets from the 2020s to the 2030s. The report discusses measures needed to achieve this, with a particular focus on Electricity Market Reform and the Green Deal. For further information, please contact the web site: http://www.theccc.org.uk/reports/3rd-progress-report.