Climate Change 2014: Impacts, Adaptation, and Vulnerability

The IPCC has recently released a new report on climate change risks entitled, Climate Change 2014: Impacts, Adaptation, and Vulnerability. Below is a video pertaining to this work. The clip succinctly summarizes the idea of ‘climate risk’ as existing at the intersection of hazards, exposure, and vulnerability. Hazards refer to the how much the climate changes, and how this contributes to frequency of extreme weather events. Exposure refers to what sort of assets are damaged (such as property, agriculture, transportation routes, etc.), and how much impact these assets receive. Vulnerability looks at the potential a community has to be harmed in terms of the sensitivity of communities and ecosystems. Vulnerability also includes social justice considerations (such as disproportionate effects to marginalized groups, access to resources, and agency in decision-making process), illustrating the role of the social imperative in addressing climate change.