UNDERSTANDING VULNERABILITY: INCREASING ADAPTIVE CAPACITY AND

RESILIENCE AMONG THE MOST VULNERABLE TO CLIMATE CHANGE

EFFECTS AND DISASTERSby

Emma Porio, PhDProfessor of Sociology and Chairperson, Department of Sociology and

Anthropology, Ateneo de Manila University and Research Fellow, Manila Observatory. Discussion, Understanding Vulnerability Session, Adapting to Climate Change and Water Security in Asia, June 18-20,

2013, Kathmandu, Nepal

Studies: 1) Resurreccion: Adapting to Climate Change in Peri-Urban Southeast Asia (SEI (Phil, Thailand, Vietnam)coastal, flood plains, lakeside, delta2) Dr. K. Ghaus & N. Ahmed: Gender and Social Vulnerability to Climate Change (SPDC (Pakistan)3) Doch and Diepart: Vulnerabilities of Agricultural Production to Flood Cambodia Learning Institute (watershed,….)4) Anupriya: Gender, Security and Sanitation (Jagori and WICI, India)5) Loyzaga & Porio: Coastal Cities at Risk

URBANSYSTEMS

DISASTER RISKREDUCTION

CLIMATECHANGE

RURALSYSTEMS

VULNERABLEGROUPS Direct

Impact

1.How does the city work?

3. Who is least able to respond to shocks and

stresses?

2. What are the direct and

indirect impacts of climate change?URBAN

POVERTYREDUCTION

URBAN CLIMATE

CHANGE RISK

Climate impacts: a compound effect combining direct impacts, indirect impacts and pre-existing vulnerabilities.(Porio, 2013 modified from Jo da Silva, Sam Kernaghan & Andrés Luque, 2012)

PERI-URBANSYSTEMS

Approach: Vulnerability, Adaptation and Resilience

• Ecological-Environmental vulnerabilities intersect with

• Social-Pol-Eco. Vulnerabilities (meso/macro levels): peri-/urban growth/urbanization, poverty and inequality, governance/institutional

interact with• Social-Pol-Eco.Vulnerabilities(household, family-

community/commune levels): Age, socio-economic status (income, occupation, education, gender, health)

Vulnerability: Multi-dimensional/layer, cross-scale, socially differentiated, place-based, genderedApproach: multi-level analysis of vulnerability of socio-ecological systems (urban/peri-urban systems/watershed, community/commune, households) Data Sources/Methods/Analysis: Primary and Secondary; Quantitative/Qualitative; Scoping, Socio-eco profiling, infra-services inventory, gender analysis (impacts to services, livelihoods, income sources), multiple group dialogues, FGDs, KIIs, Vulnerability-Capacity Index

Drivers of climate change effects and vulnerability (flood, water shortage)Bio-physical/Spatial/Eco-environmental contextsSocial Political-EconomicImpacts: Interactions/Intersections ofAdaptive Factors/ResponsesSocial Poverty, Gender: crosscutting themes Political-Economic: shifts in distribution of eco resources, income sources and power relations Governance-Institutional (Infra-services deficit) Reconfigure vertical/horizontal Spatial-Social-Institutional Structures and Processes

Vulnerability and Adaptation Studies: 1) Richly textured, multiple layered methodologies and analysis of vulnerability;

2) capture the “mutually-reinforcing dynamics” of climate change effects and ecologically-socially- politically-gender differentiated vulnerabilities

3) Shaped patterns of adaptive options/responses and strategies

Understanding Vulnerability Increasing Adaptive Capacity and Resilience

• Calibrating the interconnectedness of drivers or forces: bio-physical and social (poverty/inequality, health, and political-economic variables)

• Bio-physical-Spatial-Social dimensions: policy, planning and programming

• Science-based/empirically driven: social, political, economic applications to reduce risks to the most vulnerable: peri-/urban poor (e.g.,women, young/old)

• Connecting diff levels of decision-making action frames integrated, coherent policies/programs

Maraming salamat po! Salamat kaayo sa inyong

tanan!

Thank you!

Drivers of climate change and vulnerability Bio-physical/Spatial: Social Political-EconomicImpacts: Multiple, Intersecting Layers of Adaptive Factors and ResponsesSocial: Gender, Poor,Political-Economic Governance-Institutional

Reconfigure:Spatial-Social-Institutional Structures and Processes

Climate impacts: a compound effect combining direct impacts, indirect impacts and pre-existing vulnerabilities.(Source: Jo da Silva, Sam Kernaghan & Andrés Luque, 2012)

URBANSYSTEMS

DISASTER RISKREDUCTION

CLIMATECHANGE

RURALSYSTEMS

VULNERABLEGROUPS

Direct Impact

1.How does the city work?

3. Who is least able to respond to shocks and stresses?

2. What are the direct and

indirect impacts of climate change?

URBAN POVERTY

REDUCTION

URBAN CLIMATECHANGE RISK