<p>On-going and future climate change is universally acknowledged. Climate changeincorporating global mean temperature rise, impacts on global hydrology and ecosystems willaffect human society and global economy. Corporations will encounter a changing world,most likely including negative effects on business and the global markets, influencingdevelopment and economic growth. Some companies will likely face increasing threats, whileothers may be less affected or may even benefit from direct or indirect change.Affected by climate change interruptions to every-day-business may come as a result or evenbe unavoidable in some regions. Business as usual may therefore not be an option. CorporateClimate Change Adaptation offers companies a solution for responding to climate change andthe interconnected uncertainties, adjusting to noticed or expected climate change effects,focusing on avoiding negative consequences and/or possibly taking advantage of newopportunities.With the aim of studying corporate awareness and understanding of climate change as well ason-going Corporate Climate Change Adaptation a case study including interviews with eightSwedish fashion and textile companies was conducted, supplemented by a literature reviewand discussions with line-of-business and monitoring organizations.Presented in this master’s thesis, the study established that Swedish fashion and textilecompanies show awareness and acceptance of the climate change issue, agreeing to thatclimate change will have ecological and social consequences. However, Swedish fashion andtextile companies, portraying a greatly varying focus on climate change issues, seem only toshow limited understanding of climate change effects regarding natural resources, and docommonly not connect climate change to their own status, to their business activities,processes, supply chains or corporate needs. Displaying low proactivity none of theinvestigated eight Swedish fashion and textile companies had started to adapt to on-going orfuture climate change or plan for future adaptation. The Swedish fashion and textilecompanies, it seems, will need an alarum for the process of Corporate Climate ChangeAdaptation to start.</p>

<p>The study aims to give a description of the conditions in which matters is prepared within</p><p>Swedish Government`s offices, to describe the adaptive capacity in the agency`s internal</p><p>processes by investigating the experiences of some civil servants restricted to the Ministry of</p><p>Enterprise and the Ministry of Environment in their work with the EU Maritime Policy Green</p><p>Paper. The results have been analyzed against the basis of eight identified criteria of building</p><p>adaptive capacity in socially dominated systems. The criteria are comprised of both individual</p><p>and organizational abilities. Only two of them were fully met; the criteria about diversity in</p><p>experiences and knowledge and the criteria about information and how the information has</p><p>been applied. However, the process has traces of all the identified criteria. Hence, there are</p><p>elements of adaptive capacity in the Governments office internal processes and this ability</p><p>exists mainly on individual scale. The two most crucial factors that limit the ability to build</p><p>adaptive capacity are the scarcity of time and the work overload experienced by the</p><p>employees.</p>

This research focuses on how conservation authorities create organizational knowledge to enhance adaptive capacity to improve environmental policy. Organizational knowledge creation refers to the ability to create, disseminate and embody knowledge to improve products, services and systems (Nonaka and Takeuchi 1995). Organizational knowledge is required for building adaptive capacity, which is defined as the ability to anticipate, respond to and learn from disturbance and change. Highly adaptive organizations can anticipate, respond to and learn from disturbances to adjust management practices and overcome weaknesses in policy created by changing circumstances (Ascher 2001). As quasi-government agencies responsible for water management in Ontario, conservation authorities need to respond to change if they are to learn from past experiences and develop innovative water resource policy that adequately addresses increasingly complex social-ecological problems. A broad multidisciplinary literature review was conducted to develop a theoretical framework of conditions that potentially facilitate organizational knowledge creation and adaptive capacity. A case study analysis was conducted using five conservation authorities to acquire insight into the circumstances under which these conditions facilitate knowledge creation and adaptive capacity based on practical water resource management experience in three programs areas: flood damage reduction, low water response and source water protection. The case studies include Credit Valley Conservation, Grand River Conservation Authority, Maitland Valley Conservation Authority, Nottawasaga Valley Conservation Authority and Toronto Region Conservation Authorities and were chosen because they reflect a cross section of institutional attributes in terms of budget, staff, rate of growth and population. A qualitative, exploratory research methodology was employed to undertake analysis of empirical evidence from 64 semi-structured interviews with water resource practitioners. Analysis of interview transcripts was conducted with QSR NVivo, a computer-assisted qualitative data analysis software, to provide insight into the role facilitating conditions played in water resource management. Findings from the analysis suggest there are twelve facilitating conditions for creating organizational knowledge to enhance adaptive capacity in conservation authorities. A conceptual model illustrates the relative importance of the facilitating conditions to conservation authorities and highlights three core conditions: values of trust and respect, social capital and accountability. The other nine conditions include leadership, surveillance of the environment, social memory, autonomy, motivation, conditions for social interaction, dialogue, shared vision and adaptive mental models. The conceptual model identifies and operationalizes theoretical facilitating conditions in water resource management. The model has a strong theoretical underpinning developed through a consolidation of insights from various fields of study including social-ecological systems, knowledge management, organizational learning and collaborative planning. The model’s structure is derived from the observations and experiences of practitioners in managing water resources and can in turn, provide practitioners with an opportunity to recognize how their daily activities and decisions can influence organizational knowledge creation processes and adaptive capacity. From a planning perspective, this research highlights the importance of creating organizational knowledge and building adaptive capacity in planning institutions to improve their ability to develop informed and adaptive public policy.

This research focuses on how conservation authorities create organizational knowledge to enhance adaptive capacity to improve environmental policy. Organizational knowledge creation refers to the ability to create, disseminate and embody knowledge to improve products, services and systems (Nonaka and Takeuchi 1995). Organizational knowledge is required for building adaptive capacity, which is defined as the ability to anticipate, respond to and learn from disturbance and change. Highly adaptive organizations can anticipate, respond to and learn from disturbances to adjust management practices and overcome weaknesses in policy created by changing circumstances (Ascher 2001). As quasi-government agencies responsible for water management in Ontario, conservation authorities need to respond to change if they are to learn from past experiences and develop innovative water resource policy that adequately addresses increasingly complex social-ecological problems. A broad multidisciplinary literature review was conducted to develop a theoretical framework of conditions that potentially facilitate organizational knowledge creation and adaptive capacity. A case study analysis was conducted using five conservation authorities to acquire insight into the circumstances under which these conditions facilitate knowledge creation and adaptive capacity based on practical water resource management experience in three programs areas: flood damage reduction, low water response and source water protection. The case studies include Credit Valley Conservation, Grand River Conservation Authority, Maitland Valley Conservation Authority, Nottawasaga Valley Conservation Authority and Toronto Region Conservation Authorities and were chosen because they reflect a cross section of institutional attributes in terms of budget, staff, rate of growth and population. A qualitative, exploratory research methodology was employed to undertake analysis of empirical evidence from 64 semi-structured interviews with water resource practitioners. Analysis of interview transcripts was conducted with QSR NVivo, a computer-assisted qualitative data analysis software, to provide insight into the role facilitating conditions played in water resource management. Findings from the analysis suggest there are twelve facilitating conditions for creating organizational knowledge to enhance adaptive capacity in conservation authorities. A conceptual model illustrates the relative importance of the facilitating conditions to conservation authorities and highlights three core conditions: values of trust and respect, social capital and accountability. The other nine conditions include leadership, surveillance of the environment, social memory, autonomy, motivation, conditions for social interaction, dialogue, shared vision and adaptive mental models. The conceptual model identifies and operationalizes theoretical facilitating conditions in water resource management. The model has a strong theoretical underpinning developed through a consolidation of insights from various fields of study including social-ecological systems, knowledge management, organizational learning and collaborative planning. The model’s structure is derived from the observations and experiences of practitioners in managing water resources and can in turn, provide practitioners with an opportunity to recognize how their daily activities and decisions can influence organizational knowledge creation processes and adaptive capacity. From a planning perspective, this research highlights the importance of creating organizational knowledge and building adaptive capacity in planning institutions to improve their ability to develop informed and adaptive public policy.

The purpose of this study is to explore, compare, and analyze the process of learning and the importance of adaptation and resilience in a continuously evolving environment amidst natural disasters as seen in two earthquake-prone communities located in southern Peru. The framework of complex adaptive systems offers insight into understanding human limitations to control an environment that is constantly far from equilibrium. Complexity science theory supports the study and the self-organization of communities in the process of coping with a disaster. Reports generated from informal interviews and participatory techniques further support all evidential findings. The co-evolution process given by the participation of diverse agents may include the collaboration and involvement of victims as well as local, state, and national organizations. Results from the co-evolution process may derive from previous experiences, preparedness, education, the development of previous relationships, and the capacity of improvisation. Furthermore, solidarity, self-organization and adaptation of agents in a community may further influence the ability to deal effectively with unexpected adversity. / text

No description available.

Objective: The primary goal of this research is to identify social vulnerability and resilience to earthquake hazards within the Capital Regional District (CRD) and to generate recommendations for how the provincial health system and various local and regional government agencies can support the continued enhancement of disaster-resilient communities. Methods: Both quantitative and qualitative research methods were employed to evaluate social vulnerability and resilience. Quantitatively, the methodology developed by Cutter et al., was replicated to create a Social Vulnerability Index (SoVI). These data were supported by qualitative data obtained from focus group interviews in three communities in the CRD. Together, this mixed methods approach provided additional insights into the dimensions of social vulnerability, and resilience within the CRD. Results. From the SoVI, twenty-five census tracts (CTs) within the CRD exhibited ‘high social vulnerability’. These highly vulnerable CTs were most likely to be in more densely populated areas, whether they were in inner city neighbourhoods or suburbs of the City. The qualitative results suggest that a large scale seismic hazard will present substantial challenges for the CRD. The smaller, rural and remote communities of Sooke and Port Renfrew appeared to be more interested in emergency preparation than those in the City of Victoria, if judged by their participation rates. Conclusion. The information collected from research participants and the generation of the SoVI complements existing hazard maps and local knowledge well. Both have their place as tools for enhancing understanding of risk-assessment for the area. / Graduate

The collection of articles in this Special Feature is part of a larger project on "Forecasting Societies" Adaptive Capacity to Climate Change (an Advanced Grant of the European Research Council to Wolfgang Lutz). In investigating how global change will affect population vulnerability to climate variability and extremes, the project aims to help develop strategies that enable societies to better cope with the consequences of climate change. In doing so, the basic hypothesis being tested is that societies can develop the most effective long-term defense against the dangers of climate change by strengthening human capacity, primarily through education. Education can directly influence risk perception, skills and knowledge and indirectly reduce poverty, improve health and promote access to information and resources. Hence, when facing natural hazards or climate risks, educated individuals, households and societies are assumed to be more empowered and more adaptive in their response to, preparation for, and recovery from disasters. Indeed the findings from eleven original empirical studies set in diverse geographic, socioeconomic, cultural and hazard contexts provide consistent and robust evidence on the positive impact of formal education on vulnerability reduction. Highly educated individuals and societies are reported to have better preparedness and response to the disasters, suffered lower negative impacts, and are able to recover faster. This suggests that public investment in empowering people and enhancing human capacity through education can have a positive externality in reducing vulnerability and strengthening adaptive capacity amidst the challenges of a changing climate.

abstract: Adaptation and transformation have emerged as a key themes for human-environment research, especially in the context of rapid social-ecological changes. The 2008 global financial crisis constitutes a major driver of change with social-ecological ramifications that have yet to be fully explored. Using Greece, the poster child of the euro-crisis as a case-study, this dissertation examines how adaptive capacity is mobilized and even enhanced in times of crisis, paying particular attention to the role played by natural capital. To do so, I focus on the back-to-land trend whereby urbanites seek to engage in food production post-crisis (2008-onwards). In-depth qualitative analysis of back-to-landers’ motivations, experiences, and challenges is integrated with quantitative data about household demographics, incomes and assets, and land management characteristics. The dissertation is organized in three main result papers (chapters). The first seeks to understand why people turn to the land in times of crisis, and the role played by agency. The second analyzes the various assets that people mobilize in order to go back to the land, paying particular attention to the different mobilities necessary for their livelihood transformation. The third examines environmental safety nets in terms of material and non-material benefits that ecosystems provide to people. This research contributes to a wider social-ecological scholarship that seeks to understand how people adapt and transform when confronted with crises, focusing on how land and associated ecosystem services contribute to the resilience of these households, and the role played by agency in this process. / Dissertation/Thesis / Doctoral Dissertation Geography 2018

The study aims to give a description of the conditions in which matters is prepared within Swedish Government`s offices, to describe the adaptive capacity in the agency`s internal processes by investigating the experiences of some civil servants restricted to the Ministry of Enterprise and the Ministry of Environment in their work with the EU Maritime Policy Green Paper. The results have been analyzed against the basis of eight identified criteria of building adaptive capacity in socially dominated systems. The criteria are comprised of both individual and organizational abilities. Only two of them were fully met; the criteria about diversity in experiences and knowledge and the criteria about information and how the information has been applied. However, the process has traces of all the identified criteria. Hence, there are elements of adaptive capacity in the Governments office internal processes and this ability exists mainly on individual scale. The two most crucial factors that limit the ability to build adaptive capacity are the scarcity of time and the work overload experienced by the employees.