Bibliographic details:

Adger, W. N., Lorenzoni, I., & O'Brien, K. L. (Eds.). (2009). Adapting to climate change: Thresholds, values, governance. Cambridge University Press

Abstract:

Adapting to climate change is a critical problem facing humanity. This involves reconsidering our lifestyles, and is linked to our actions as individuals, societies and governments. This book presents the latest science and social science research on whether the world can adapt to climate change. Written by experts, both academics and practitioners, it examines the risks to ecosystems, demonstrating how values, culture and the constraining forces of governance act as barriers to action. As a state-of-the-art review of science and a holistic assessment of adaptation options, it is essential reading for those concerned with responses to climate change, especially researchers, policymakers, practitioners, and graduate students. Significant features include historical, contemporary, and future insights into adaptation to climate change; coverage of adaptation issues from different perspectives: climate science, hydrology, engineering, ecology, economics, human geography, anthropology and political science; and contributions from leading researchers and practitioners from around the world. An interview with Neil Adger on adapting to climate change: Covers adaptation issues from an interdisciplinary perspective, creating an understanding of the multifaceted nature of the topic Historical, contemporary, and future insights into the issue allow readers to examine how to implement adaptation actions at different timescales and contexts Contributions from leading scientists from around the world provide a holistic assessment of the subject and the adaptation options currently available.

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Adey, P., Anderson, B., & Graham, S.,[eds.] (2015). Governing Emergencies [Special Issue]. Theory, Culture & Society Volume 32, Issue 2. Retrieved from http://journals.sagepub.com/toc/tcsa/32/2

Abstract:

What characterizes emergency today is the proliferation of the term. Any event or situation supposedly has the potential to become an emergency. Emergencies may happen anywhere and at any time. They are not contained within one functional sector or one domain of life. The substantive focus of the articles collected in this special issue reflects this proliferation: they explore ways of governing in, by and through emergencies across different types of emergencies and different domains of life. In response to this proliferation, the issue opens up critical work on the politics of emergency beyond the ‘state of exception’ as dominant paradigm. Emergency is treated as a problem for government that calls for the invention of new techniques or the redeployment of existing techniques. Through this shift in emphasis, the articles in this issue disclose relations between modalities of power and emergency life that differ from the ‘lightening flash’ of a sovereign decision on the exception taken from outside of life, or the capacity to ‘mould’ an always-already emergent life from within life.

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Anderson, B., Adey, P., & Graham, S. (2015). Special issue: Governing emergencies. Theory, Culture & Society, 32(2), 3-175.

Abstract:

What characterizes emergency today is the proliferation of the term. Any event or situation supposedly has the potential to become an emergency. Emergencies may happen anywhere and at any time. They are not contained within one functional sector or one domain of life. The substantive focus of the articles collected in this special issue reflects this proliferation: they explore ways of governing in, by and through emergencies across different types of emergencies and different domains of life. In response to this proliferation, the issue opens up critical work on the politics of emergency beyond the ‘state of exception’ as dominant paradigm. Emergency is treated as a problem for government that calls for the invention of new techniques or the redeployment of existing techniques. Through this shift in emphasis, the articles in this issue disclose relations between modalities of power and emergency life that differ from the ‘lightening flash’ of a sovereign decision on the exception taken from outside of life, or the capacity to ‘mould’ an always-already emergent life from within life.

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Bergmans, H. A. N. S., van der Horst, J. A. S. P. E. R., Janssen, L. E. O. N., Pruyt, E. R. I. K., Veldheer, V., Wijnmalen, D. I. E. D. E. R. I. K., General Intelligence and Security Service, Bökkerink M., van Erve, P., & van de Leur, J. U. L. I. E. T. T. E. (2009). Working with scenarios, risk assessment and capabilities in the national safety and security strategy of the netherlands. The Hague: Ministry of the Interior and Kingdom Relations.‏

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Collins, A. (2018). The global risks report 2018. In World Economic Forum, Geneva.‏

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I this year Global Risks Report a global economic recovery is under way, offering new opportunities for progress that should not be squandered: the urgency of facing up to systemic challenges has, if anything, intensified amid proliferating indications of uncertainty, instability and fragility. We are much less competent when it comes to dealing with complex risks in the interconnected systems that underpin our world, such as organizations, economies, societies and the environment. There are signs of strain in many of these systems: our accelerating pace of change is testing the absorptive capacities of institutions, communities and individuals. When risk cascades through a complex system, the danger is not of incremental damage but of “runaway collapse” or an abrupt transition to a new, suboptimal status quo. 

Environmental risks have grown in prominence in recent years. A trend towards nation-state unilateralism may make it more difficult to sustain the long-term, multilateral responses that are required to counter global warming and the degradation of the global environment.

Cybersecurity risks are also growing, both in their prevalence and in their disruptive potential.

The global economy faces a mix of long-standing vulnerabilities and newer threats that have emerged or evolved in the years since the crisis.

The world has moved into a new and unsettling geopolitical phase. Multilateral rules-based approaches have been fraying. Re-establishing the state as the primary locus of power and legitimacy has become an increasingly attractive strategy for many countries, but one that leaves many smaller states squeezed as the geopolitical sands shift.

This year’s Global Risks Report introduces three new series: Future Shocks, Hindsight and Risk Reassessment. Our aim is to broaden the report’s analytical reach: each of these elements provides a new lens through which to view the increasingly complex world of global risks.

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Gal, R. (2014). Social resilience in times of protracted crises: An Israeli case study. Armed Forces & Society, 40(3), 452-475.‏

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This article starts with a broad discussion related to theoretical and conceptual aspects comprising the concept Social Resilience at the national level, as well as its multiple definitions, dimensions and measurements. This is followed by a unique case study – a longitudinal study conducted in Israel, during the critical period (with over 1000 terrorism-related deaths) of the Second/ Al-Aqsa Intifada (2000-2004), showing some unexpected findings related to community resilience, at the national, mass-behavioral level. These findings comprise both public behavioral indices as well as attitudinal measures. To the best of our knowledge, it is the first time such measures are used to assess social resilience. A critical discussion follows, in which the author presents several theoretical and practical challenges to students of the Social Resilience paradigm.

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Kahn, M. J., & Sachs, B. P. (2018). Crises and turnaround management: lessons learned from recovery of New Orleans and Tulane University following Hurricane Katrina. Rambam Maimonides medical journal, 9(4).‏

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By their very nature both man-made and natural disasters are unpredictable, and so we recommend that all health-care institutions be prepared. In this paper, the authors describe and make a number of recommendations, regarding the importance of crisis and turnaround management using as a model the New Orleans public health system and Tulane University Medical School post-Hurricane Katrina. Leadership skills, articulation of vision, nimble decision making, and teamwork are all crucial elements of a successful recovery from disaster. The leadership team demonstrated courage, integrity, entrepreneurship, and vision. As a result, it led to a different approach to public health and the introduction of new and innovative medical education and research programs.

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Keinert A. (2018)(ed.). Climate Change - A Global Security and Humanitarian Challenge. The European: Security and defence union ; independent review on European security & defence. Brussels ; Berlin: ProPress Publ. Group.‏

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The latest issue of the European Security and Defence Union Journal looks into the security challenges brought by climate-related impacts. The issue addresses climate change as a risk multiplier in fragile contexts. Environmental stress, the weaponization of water, monitoring technologies and the role of armed forces are some of the topics.

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Lee, D., Zhang, H., & Nguyen, C. (2018). The Economic Impact of Natural Disasters in Pacific Island Countries: Adaptation and Preparedness. International Monetary Fund. IMF Working Paper No. 18/108. Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=3221128

Abstract:

Pacific island countries are highly vulnerable to various natural disasters which are destructive, unpredictable and occur frequently. The frequency and scale of these shocks heightens the importance of medium-term economic and fiscal planning to minimize the adverse impact of disasters on economic development. This paper identifies the intensity of natural disasters for each country in the Pacific based on the distribution of damage and population affected by disasters, and estimates the impact of disasters on economic growth and international trade using a panel regression. The results show that “severe” disasters have a significant and negative impact on economic growth and lead to a deterioration of the fiscal and trade balance. We also find that the negative impact on growth is stronger for more intense disasters. Going further this paper proposes a simple and consistent method to adjust IMF staff’s economic projections and debt sustainability analysis for disaster shocks for the Pacific islands. Better incorporating the economic impact of natural disasters in the medium- and long-term economic planning would help policy makers improve fiscal policy decisions and to be better adapted and prepared for natural disasters.

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Lynn, B. H. (2017). The usefulness and economic value of total lightning forecasts made with a dynamic lightning scheme coupled with lightning data assimilation. Weather and Forecasting, 32(2), 645-663.‏

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Total lightning probability forecasts for 26 mostly springtime days and 27 summertime days were analyzed for their usefulness and economic value. The mostly springtime forecast days had a relatively high number of severe weather reports compared with the summertime forecast days. The lightning forecasts were made with a dynamic lightning forecast scheme (DLS), and each forecast dataset used lightning assimilation to hasten convective initiation and, in most cases, to improve short-term forecasts. A spatial smoothing parameter σ of 48 km yielded more skillful, reliable, and economically valuable hourly forecasts than other values of σ. Mostly springtime forecasts were more skillful and had more hours of useful skill than summertime forecasts, but the latter still demonstrated useful skill during the first two forecast hours. The DLS forecasts were compared to those obtained with the “McCaul” diagnostic scheme, which diagnoses lightning flash data. The DLS had significantly higher fractions skill scores than the McCaul scheme for or at least one event/flash (10 min)−1. Bias values of the forecast lightning fields with both schemes were overall small. Yet, DLS forecasts started in the early summer evening with RAP data did have positive bias, which was attributed to initial conditions within the RAP. Correlating fractions skill scores for lightning and precipitation indicated that more accurate forecasts of lightning were associated with more accurate precipitation forecasts for convection with a high, but not lower, number of severe weather reports.

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