Dates for the diary: Deadline for submission of abstract: 13 January 2012

Session: Adapting to Climate/Environmental Change: the Urban Challenge

Research Group Affiliation: Climate Change Research Group

Session Convenor(s):

David Simon (Royal Holloway, University of London)

Hayley Leck (Royal Holloway, University of London)

Mark Pelling (King's College London)

Abstract:

This jointly sponsored session seeks to focus attention on the challenges of adaptation to changing climates and environments in urban areas. Amid the burgeoning urban research literature, considerable attention is now being focused on mitigation, governance and future urban growth scenarios. Although we do not accept the UNFCCC position that mitigation is exclusively the duty of OECD countries because many Southern countries have heavy urban emissions concentrations, mitigation measures and emissions trading schemes are now relatively well understood. There is much talk about adaptation and a recent growth in adaptation based studies but we still lack nuanced and detailed research-based evidence on how to promote and achieve it in different contexts. This is not merely some distant future concern: clear evidence is already emerging of climate/environmental change impacts on some people in towns and cities around the world. Accordingly, we are seeking conceptually informed studies addressing adaptation policies and practices at household, community and urban levels in one or more urban areas in any part of the world, and on future directions for adaptation research. We specifically look forward to exploring the scope for mutual learning across urban areas of different sizes and in diverse geographical regions.

Instructions for Authors: Offers of papers or short interactive presentations, with title and an abstract of not more than 200 words, should be sent to Hayley Leck (Hayley.Leck2008@live.rhul.ac.uk) by 13 January 2012.