Combining Vulnerabilities to Assess Local Vulnerability This module explores how to combine the three sets of vulnerabilities, natural, socio-economic and institutional into a matrix of !total vulnerability" and apply this locally.

1. Online Training Resource: Climate Adaptation
Analysing Climate Vulnerability

2. Process Stage 1
Analysing Climate Vulnerability: Combining
Combining Vulnerabilities to Assess Local Vulnerability
This module explores how to combine the three sets of vulnerabilities, natural, socio-economic and
institutional into a matrix of !total vulnerability" and apply this locally.
Climate Adaptation
Online Training Resource

3. Process Stage 1
Analysing Climate Vulnerability: Combination
Combining Vulnerabilities
What are Combined Effects
Projections of possible effects of climate change are
often assessed separately from other possible changes
in nature and society.
But arguably, economic and cultural change, such as
rising levels of private wealth and a preference for
building houses on hilltops and along the shore for
aesthetic reasons, obviously contributes to increasing
climate vulnerability.
Climate Adaptation
Online Training Resource

4. Process Stage 1
Analysing Climate Vulnerability: Combination
The ‘one-dimensional’ Approach
Climate Adaptation
Online Training Resource

5. Process Stage 1
Analysing Climate Vulnerability: Combination
The ‘two-dimensional’ Approach
Climate Adaptation
Online Training Resource

6. Process Stage 1
Analysing Climate Vulnerability: Combination
What is Needed?
• Local climate change scenarios
-These could lead to a more informed understanding
of how probable changes in local climatic conditions
may affect nature and society.
• Local societal change scenarios (a combinations of
socio-economic and institutional vulnerability)
-These could lead to a more informed understanding
of how probable changes at a local societal level may
alter the exposure to negative or positive impacts of
climatic conditions.
Climate Adaptation
Online Training Resource

7. Process Stage 1
Analysing Climate Vulnerability: Combination
Combining the Two Approaches
Climate Adaptation
Online Training Resource

8. Process Stage 1
Analysing Climate Vulnerability: Combination
How to Assess the Total Climate Change Vulnerability
Climate Adaptation
Online Training Resource

9. Process Stage 1
Analysing Climate Vulnerability: Combination
Combining Vulnerabilities
Final Key Points:
Climate changes do not occur in isolation - there are an array
of synergies that can alleviate and exacerbate the problem.
Along with global environmental change, processes of
globalisation, or global social change, are affecting regions too.
For example, for many sub-Arctic communities the local
economic system is narrowly based on a few industries.
These communities are not only vulnerable to changes in the
local environment regime shifts, but also to global market
fluctuations and political interventions.
Climate Adaptation
Online Training Resource

10. Process Stage 1
Analysing Climate Vulnerability: Combination
Combining Vulnerabilities
Final Key Points:
• Excluding changes in nature and society is misleading
because society is far from static – and it is thus a
different society from that of today which, in a given year
in the future, will be exposed to the climate of that time
period.
• Thus climate change cannot/ should not be separated
from other drivers for change.
• In many cases socio-economic vulnerability may
compound issues of natural vulnerability e.g. population
changes, demographic changes, rich/ poor divides,
globalisation, and consumerism.
• Some drivers could be viewed as positive, e.g.
technology, localism, etc..
Climate Adaptation
Online Training Resource