Climate change vulnerability, impact and adaptation assessment: Lessons from Latin America

Abstract

Purpose

This paper aims to present a new framework for climate change vulnerability, impact and adaptation (VIA) assessment. Greater attention has been given in recent years to the importance of conducting climate change VIA assessment prior to, or as part of, climate change adaptation strategies and projects. A VIA assessment provides decision-makers and project developers with information on the location and causes of vulnerability based on local knowledge and scientific data, so that effective adaptation responses that are targeted and site-specific can be designed. A challenge facing practitioners in this field is the lack of clear methodologies or agreed frameworks on how to conduct a VIA assessment.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper presents a VIA methodological framework that has been developed through three sub-regional pilot assessments on vulnerability and impacts of climate change, as part of the Regional Gateway for Technology Transfer and Action on Climate Change in Latin America and The Caribbean.

Findings

While it is recognized that methodologies and tools may differ depending on the unique local context of the study area and sector under analysis, there are key components that every assessment needs to consider.

Originality/value

The framework proposed can assist practitioners to deliver outputs from VIAs that are holistic, and provide the most appropriate type of information required for effective, context-specific adaptation responses.

Citation

Metternicht, G., Sabelli, A. and Spensley, J. (2014), "Climate change vulnerability, impact and adaptation assessment: Lessons from Latin America", International Journal of Climate Change Strategies and Management, Vol. 6 No. 4, pp. 442-476. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJCCSM-06-2013-0076