abstract: More than half of all accessible freshwater has been appropriated for human use, and a substantial portion of terrestrial ecosystems have been transformed by human action. These impacts are heaviest in urban ecosystems, where impervious surfaces increase runoff, water delivery and stormflows are managed heavily, and there are substantial anthropogenic sources of nitrogen (N). Urbanization also frequently results in creation of intentional novel ecosystems. These "designed" ecosystems are fashioned to fulfill particular needs of the residents, or ecosystem services. In the Phoenix, Arizona area, the augmentation and redistribution of water has resulted in numerous component ecosystems that are atypical for a desert environment. Because these systems combine N loading with the presence of water, they may be hot spots of biogeochemical activity. The research presented here illustrates the types of hydrological modifications typical of desert cities and documents the extent and distribution of common designed aquatic ecosystems in the Phoenix metropolitan area: artificial lakes and stormwater retention basins. While both ecosystems were designed for other purposes (recreation/aesthetics and flood abatement, respectively), they have the potential to provide the added ecosystem service of N removal via denitrification. However, denitrification in urban lakes is likely to be limited by the rate of diffusion of nitrate into the sediment. Retention basins export some nitrate to groundwater, but grassy basins have higher denitrification rates than xeriscaped ones, due to higher soil moisture and organic matter content. An economic valuation of environmental amenities demonstrates the importance of abundant vegetation, proximity to water, and lower summer temperatures throughout the region. These amenities all may be provided by designed, water-intensive ecosystems. Some ecosystems are specifically designed for multiple uses, but maximizing one ecosystem service often entails trade-offs with other services. Further investigation into the distribution, bundling, and tradeoffs among water-related ecosystem services shows that some types of services are constrained by the hydrogeomorphology of the area, while for others human engineering and the creation of designed ecosystems has enabled the delivery of hydrologic ecosystem services independent of natural constraints. / Dissertation/Thesis / Ph.D. Biology 2010

Comprehensive wildlife conservation strategies must include consideration of the agricultural matrix and its integration into the greater landscape. Bats are postulated to provide critical pest suppression services, but the effects of agricultural intensification on insectivorous bats are not clear. Few studies have thoroughly investigated the ecosystem services provided by bats due, in part, to limited understanding of species-specific habitat use in agricultural landscapes, difficulties in prey identification, and the challenge of quantifying the impact of bats on pest populations and crops. My dissertation integrates these components to describe ecological relationships between the insects and bats associated with a pecan agroecosystem in central Texas. Specifically, I focus on the predator-prey relationship between bats and the pecan nut casebearer moth (PNC), a devastating pest of pecans. I begin with a literature review of the ecosystem services of insectivorous bats and the data necessary to thoroughly evaluate these services. I then assess the potential factors influencing species composition and spatio-temporal distributions of bats within the pecan agroecosystem. My results demonstrate higher activity and diversity of bats within the pecan agroecosystem than in the surrounding landscape likely due to roosting opportunities, but species-specific and seasonal differences exist in the effects of management intensity. Next, I investigate direct interactions between bats and PNC by measuring prey consumption patterns. I found that five species of bats prey upon PNC moths during all three critical population peaks prior to insecticide application, but there is variability in consumption among species. Finally, I assess indirect interactions between bats and pecans, by evaluating the effect of bat predation risk on pecan damage by PNC larvae. A negative relationship between foraging activity by bats and both PNC moths and PNC larval damage to pecans provides evidence that bat predation has quantitative downstream effects. My results highlight the conservation value of the agricultural matrix for bats and the complexities of accurately documenting ecosystem services provided by free-ranging mobile organisms.

abstract: Urban sustainability is a critical component of sustainable human societies. Urban riparian parks are used here as a case study seeking to understand the social-ecological relationships between the subjective evaluation of ecosystem services and the vision and management of one kind of green infrastructure. This study explored attitudes towards ecosystem services, asking whether 1) the tripartite model is an effective framing to measure attitudes towards ecosystem services; 2) what the attitudes towards ecosystem services are and whether they differ between two types of park space; and 3) what the relationship is between management and the attitudinal assessment of ecosystem services by park users. A questionnaire was administered to 104 urban riparian park users in Phoenix, AZ evaluating their attitudes towards refugia, aesthetics, microclimate and stormwater regulation, and recreational and educational opportunities. The operationalization of the tripartite model was validated and found reliable, but may not be the whole story in determining attitudes towards ecosystem services. All components of attitude were positive, but attitudes were stronger in a habitat rehabilitation area with densely planted native species and low flows, than in a more classic park with mowed lawns and scattered vegetation, a mix of native and non-native species, and open water. Park users were more positive towards refugia, stormwater regulation, recreation, and educational opportunities in the habitat rehabilitation area. On the other hand, microclimate regulation and aesthetic qualities were valued similarly between the two parks. Most attitudes supported management goals, however park users valued stormwater regulation less than managers. Qualitative answers suggest that the quality of human interactions differ between the parks and park users consider both elements of society and the physical environment in their subjective evaluations. These findings reveal that park users highly value ecosystem services and that park design and management mediates social-ecological relationships, which should at least underlie the context of economic discussions of service value. This study supports the provision of ecosystem services through green infrastructure and suggests that an integration of park designs throughout urban areas could provide both necessary services as well as expand the platform for social-ecological interactions. / Dissertation/Thesis / M.S. Sustainability 2012

Master of Landscape Architecture / Department of Landscape Architecture and Regional & Community Planning / Jessica Canfield / Located eight miles from the heart of Dallas, The Dallas Air Naval Station is a 1045-acre decommissioned airfield site. Since its closure in 1998, it has predominantly sat idle, bringing little value to adjacent neighborhoods and the greater community. Due to prolonged site remediation and no formal redevelopment plan, the site’s full potential has yet to come to fruition. Current urban design models tend to primarily focus on achieving a singular, end-result. However, as cities and the environment become more complex and unpredictable, these types of models often lack the ability to respond to change. Adaptive design, on the other hand, allows for more exploration of innovative practices, tools, techniques and methods that are informed by ecological knowledge and research design. As means of illustrating how adaptive design can catalyze and benefit brownfield sites, this project proposes an urban design framework informed by ecosystem services. Ecosystem services are an essential component to human well-being and environmental health, and when used as a guiding principle in site design, can add resiliency and beneficial outcomes to a site. To inform the development of the Ecosystem Services Urban Design Framework, this project uses literature, a site analysis, an applicable ecosystem services analysis, and precedent analyses. The framework is then applied to an urban brownfield site, the Dallas Air Naval Station, to show its applicability for short-term and long-term adaptive design scenarios. Dallas’ current issues and needs are addressed by the short-term plan, whereas informed projections of future issues inform the long-term design scenarios. Collectively, this project illustrates the imperative for incorporating adaptability into urban design, and for the value of using ecosystems services as underlying foundation.

O objetivo principal desta dissertação é analisar como a mudança climática pode afetar o processo de desenvolvimento humano. Com esse objetivo, procurou-se identificar, caracterizar e sistematizar os impactos potenciais da mudança climática em dimensões relevantes do desenvolvimento humano, tais como: saúde, educação, meios de subsistência, segurança, valores culturais e relações sociais. O trabalho propõe uma estrutura analítica na qual se identificam relações diretas e indiretas entre os componentes climáticos e do bem-estar humano e definem-se mecanismos que interligam as duas áreas, sendo estes os recursos naturais de água, solo e biodiversidade, assim como os serviços dos ecossistemas. A análise realizada não foi restrita à realidade de um país, ao invés, foram associados elementos tendo em conta as evidências em nível global. O estudo foi baseado na abordagem de desenvolvimento humano fundamentada por Amartya Sen, a qual permitiu considerar um conjunto amplo de dimensões na avaliação do bem-estar, abrangendo as diversas formas em que as pessoas são e podem ser privadas de desfrutar uma vida que eles valoram devido à mudança climática. Através da estrutura analítica proposta neste trabalho e na investigação sistemática de dois corpos de literatura (respectivamente ambiental e de desenvolvimento humano), foi possível constatar que o processo de desenvolvimento humano está determinado pela expansão de aspectos multidimensionais, como funcionamento e capacitações, bem como meios e intitulamentos que podem aumentar ou diminuir dependendo a relação com os sistemas do meio ambiente, em especial, do sistema climático. As evidências analisadas demonstraram como as alterações do clima constituem um risco latente para o retrocesso do desenvolvimento humano e ampliação das privações humanas em todo o mundo, com desproporcionais efeitos em países pobres e em desenvolvimento. Por um lado, os choques climáticos ameaçam em diferentes caminhos (direta e indiretamente) os funcionamentos e capacitações das pessoas, como a saúde, a educação, os valores culturais e as relações sociais. Por outro lado, os choques climáticos restringem o desenvolvimento humano ao afetar e limitar os "meios e intitulamentos" necessários para o sustento das pessoas, através da redução da quantidade e qualidade da água, da produção agrícola, da alteração de atividades de pesca, redução de rendimentos econômicos, entre outras formas. Os maiores impactos são em áreas rurais, as quais concentram maior proporção de pobres. O exame de impactos levou em conta a interação com aspectos de vulnerabilidade pré-existente de cada país ou região, relacionados com a exposição definida pela localização geográfica, a sensibilidade de acordo com a dependência na agricultura e nos serviços dos ecossistemas e a capacidade de adaptação determinada por aspectos sociais, econômicos, institucionais, políticos e dotação dos recursos naturais. / The main aim of this dissertation is to examine how climate change can affect the process of human development. In particular, it tries to identify, characterize and classify the potential impacts of climate change on relevant dimensions of human development, such as health, education, livelihoods, security, cultural values and social relations. The dissertation proposes an analytical structure in which it delves into direct and indirect relations between the components of the climate and well being, and set up mechanisms that link the two areas, which are the natural resources of water, soil and biodiversity as well as the ecosystem services. The analysis was not restricted to the particular realities of a given country, in contrast, it focused on evidence at a global level. This study is based on the vision of human development as characterized by the work of Amartya Sen, which enabled us to consider a wide range of dimensions in the assessment of well being, covering the various ways in which people are and can be deprived of enjoying a life that they value due to climate change. Through the analytical framework proposed in this paper and the systematic investigation of two bodies of literature (the environmental and human development), it was possible to see that the process of human development is determined by the expansion of multidimensional aspects, such as functionings and capabilities, as well as means and entitlements that may increase or decrease depending on the relation with the environment, especially the climate system. The analysis showed evidence such as that climate change is a latent risk to the setback of human development and expansion of human deprivation in the world, with disproportionate effect on poor and developing countries. The climatic shocks threaten in different ways (directly and indirectly) the functionings and capabilities of individuals, such as health, education, cultural values and social relations. Moreover, the climatic shocks restrict human development to affect and limit the "means and entitlements" necessary for the sustenance of the people, by reducing the quantity and quality of water, agricultural production, modification of fishing activities, reduction income, among other ways. The largest impacts are in rural areas, which concentrate the largest proportion of poor people. An examination of impacts took into account the interaction with aspects of pre-existing vulnerability of each country or region, associated with exposure defined by geographic location, according to the sensitivity of the dependence on agriculture and ecosystems services and the capacity of adaptation certain by social, economic, institutional, political and status of natural resources.

With growing human pressures on the oceans and seas, the resulting decline of ecosystem health and biodiversity is increasingly limiting the ability of marine ecosystems to provide essential functions and resources for human wellbeing. To prevent further marine degradation, an ecosystem based approach to marine management is needed. An integral part of this is constructive stakeholder engagement. However, in a marine context, engagement is often difficult due to traditionally sectoral management and the complexity of marine issues. This thesis presents an interdisciplinary study that evaluates the potential of the ecosystem services approach to support and improve marine stakeholder engagement. First, opportunities and challenges of using the approach in participatory marine management processes were explored through interviews with 39 stakeholders who participated in the application of ecosystem service assessment to marine management in six French and UK case studies. The interviews revealed that the ecosystem services approach can facilitate participatory engagement by improving understanding of complex ecological-socioeconomic systems and fostering constructive dialogue. Second, the potential of the approach for communicating marine management decisions to marine users was tested with a scenario based survey. Responses to three versions of the survey, two with and one without ecosystem services content, were compared, showing that the ecosystem services information did not increase agreement with the management measures proposed in the scenario. An evaluation of the results in the context of environmental behaviour research suggests that the novelty and complexity of the ecosystem services approach might limit its usefulness for top down communication. In contrast, if the approach is integrated in participatory processes, it was concluded that this could have multiple benefits for ecosystem based marine management. From these findings, a conceptual model was developed that provides a normative framework for the effective use of the ecosystem services approach to support constructive participatory engagement in marine governance.

O meio ambiente caracteriza-se como elemento intrínseco à atividade econômica desenvolvida pelo Agronegócio. Práticas de uso da terra em imóveis rurais têm um grande impacto sobre o meio ambiente e, simultaneamente, dependem dele para manutenção da atividade produtiva. Assim, o imóvel rural deve compatibilizar produção agrícola e preservação do meio ambiente. Nessa via, o objetivo geral do presente trabalho é analisar o mecanismo de regularização de Reserva Legal por meio de Cota de Reserva Ambiental apresentado pelo Código Florestal, sob a perspectiva de compatibilização entre atividade econômica e proteção do meio ambiente em imóveis rurais brasileiros, conforme a teoria do Estado de Direito Ambiental (EDA) em face da sociedade de risco e o disposto na Constituição Federal de 1988 (CF/88). Para tanto, o estudo foi desenvolvido com base no método dedutivo, utilizando-se a pesquisa bibliográfico-documental. Assim, o mecanismo, como controle jurídico do recurso natural floresta (Reserva Legal - RL, Reserva Particular do Patrimônio Natural - RPPN, Unidade de Conservação - UC), deve, para atender os preceitos do EDA e da CF/88, efetivamente resultar na proteção dessas. Todavia, observam-se possíveis desequilíbrios ambientais que podem resultar desse mecanismo. Além disso, evidencia-se uma nova proposta - mercado de ativos ambientais – que almeja, por intermédio de fundamentos próprios do capitalismo, inserir um novo modelo para gerir a problemática ambiental. Com efeito, o caráter inovador se visualiza pela inserção do mercado financeiro no sistema de proteção do meio ambiente. Ademais, o mecanismo, de iniciativa do Estado, procura incentivar a participação dos produtores na garantia de um meio ambiente ecologicamente equilibrado ao prever a remuneração para aquele que preserva as florestas no seu imóvel rural. Ainda, ao não exigir o encerramento da produção, o mecanismo admite o risco como elemento essencial da atividade econômica e procura equilibrá-lo com a proteção ambiental ao prever a compensação em outra propriedade. Contudo, essa compensação merece atenção e requer regulamentação mais específica, a fim de garantir o meio ambiente ecologicamente equilibrado nos termos constitucionais. Ainda, da análise do disposto no Código Florestal no tocante ao mecanismo de regularização de reserva legal por meio de cota de reserva ambiental depreende-se a possível existência de mercados estaduais de cotas de reserva ambiental no Brasil. Portanto, muitos são os desafios para que tal mecanismo se concretize e reflita na compatibilização entre atividade econômica e proteção do meio ambiente em imóveis rurais brasileiros. Assim, resta aos estados brasileiros, em regulamentação, nos moldes do previsto pela teoria do Estado de Direito Ambiental em face da sociedade de risco e pela Constituição Federal de 1988 nos artigos 170, 186 e 225, estabelecer critérios para que nos imóveis rurais o domínio privado reflita efetivamente em frutos privados e sociais. / The environment is characterized as intrinsic element to economic activity developed by Agribusiness. Land use practices in rural properties have a big impact on the environment and simultaneously depend on it for maintenance of productive activity. Thus, the rural property must reconcile agricultural production and environmental preservation. In this way, the overall aim of this work is to analyze the mechanism of regularization of Legal Reserve through “Cota de Reserva Ambiental – CRA” presented by the Forest Code, from the perspective of compatibility between economic activity and environmental protection in rural properties in Brazil, according to the theory of the Environmental Rule of Law in the face of risk society and the provisions of the Federal Constitution of 1988. Therefore, the study was developed based on the deductive method, using the documentary library research. Thus, the mechanism as legal control of natural resource forest (Legal Reserve, Private Reserve of Natural Heritage, Conservation Unit), must, to meet the precepts of EDA and CF/88 effectively result in the protection of these. However, there are possible environmental imbalances that can result from this mechanism. Moreover, it is clear a new proposal - market environmental assets - which aims, through their own foundations of capitalism, insert a new model for managing environmental issues. Indeed, the innovative character is viewed by financial market integration in the system of protection of the environment. Moreover, the mechanism of state initiative, seeks to encourage the participation of producers in ensuring a ecologically balanced environment when predicts compensation for one who preserves the forests in their rural property. Still, by not requiring the closure of the production, the mechanism allows the risk as an essential element of economic activity and demand balance it with environmental protection by providing for compensation in another property. However, this compensation deserves attention and requires more specific rules in order to ensure a balanced environment in constitutional terms. Still, the analysis of the provisions of the Forest Code regarding the mechanism of regulation of legal reserves through “Cota de Reserva Ambiental” it appears that there may be markets state of CRA in Brazil. So many are the challenges that such a mechanism to be realized and reflected in the consistency between economic activity and environmental protection in rural properties in Brazil. Thus, complies to the Brazilian states, in regulation, according the predicted by the theory of the Environmental Rule of Law in the face of risk society and by the 1988 Federal Constitution in articles 170, 186 and 225, establish criteria for the private domain in the rural area effectively results in private and social benefits.

This aim of this thesis was to compare the value of ecological functions of two areas with different intensity of the agricultural management. The expert methods of Seják et al. (2003, 2010) were used for the calculation of the ecological value of the area and of the value of ecosystem services. The BVM (Biotope Valuation Method) was used for the calculation of the ecological value. The Replacement Cost method was used for the calculation of the value of ecosystem services. The following services were evaluated: the flood-protective, production of the above-ground biomass, retention of the nutrients, support of biodiversity, production of oxygen, climatical service, and support of small water cycle. The rate of tillage was used as the indicator of the intensity of the agricultural management (25 % for the area I and 83 % for the area II), which corresponded to the proportion of natural biotops (60 biotops with total area of 108 ha in area I and 35 biotops with total area of 34 ha in area II).

A growing number of Payments for Ecosystem Services (PES) schemes are being implemented in developing and developed countries alike in order to effect some internalisation of environmental costs. In China schemes under the name of ‘eco-compensation’ are often considered to be similar to PES. Neither the term eco-compensation itself, nor the projects that are supposedly examples of eco-compensation have been subject to scrutiny. This thesis therefore aims to investigate eco-compensation in China, with particular emphasis on water-related programmes. The thesis begins with a comprehensive review of PES literature in order to establish the definition and essential characteristics of such schemes, and to enable an examination of how China’s eco-compensation differs from PES. The analysis of PES provides a framework for focusing on eco-compensation by examining voluntariness, project types, payment, actors, and scales. A broad-scale analysis of 19 Chinese schemes is then undertaken, and this reveals that eco-compensation projects predominantly involve government agents, often with different levels of government as service sellers and buyers; in China individual land users are only directly involved in a few cases. Literature suggests that PES schemes are not simply technical solutions, but are inherently political. Having undertaken this general survey, the political dimension of eco-compensation is then examined in two case studies in great detail, based on semi-structured interviews and project documents. The first case study is of the Xin’an River eco-compensation scheme in which an upstream provincial government is paid to protect water quality to benefit the downstream province. Drawing from studies of “scale”, this case explores the power relationships of central-provincial governments and intra-provincial governments in transboundary river water quality management, especially in the negotiation process of the eco-compensation scheme. It finds that the upstream government mobilises the concept of “eco-compensation” to persuade the downstream government to share the costs of protecting the river and to gain favourable terms in setting the water quality target, using the narrative of “climate change”. The central government adopts a tough stance on the issue of environment protection by the upstream government by setting water quality targets and by introducing basin management planning. This case suggests that eco-compensation is shaped by struggles and conflicts among different actors concerning their strategies in defining eco-compensation rules, and that eco-compensation can also reconfigure power dynamics among these actors. The second case study is of the Miyun Reservoir watershed scheme, in which farmers in the upstream of the contributing watersheds are paid to convert from growing paddy rice to less water-intensive crops, and to reduce fertiliser use. The declared purpose is to increase the water supply to Beijing city, and improve water quality. Applying a political ecology approach, the case examines the history of water provision to China’s capital city, showing that Beijing has been extracting water from its territory and beyond by using its political power. This eco-compensation scheme is just a part of this story. The case also shows that the eco-compensation is justified by framing the upstream agricultural water consumption as the cause of decreasing water flow, while ignoring that large-scale afforestation has significantly contributed to water shortages through the excessive consumption of water. Meanwhile, Beijing has ignored its own huge environmental impact on water quality. This case provides useful insights into how eco-compensation is shaped and framed according to certain priorities and interests, and that it can lead to control over access to water resources amongst the less powerful farmers in order to support water uses in the politically-dominant urban centre. This thesis suggests that although eco-compensation in some instances can be similar to PES, more often than not it is a mechanism used to adjust the relationships between different governments. It includes both incentive-based and regulatory components. That makes it a potentially effective arrangement for river basin water quality management, in spite of contested negotiations. But caution must be exercised, as it can also be used under the market logic by powerful actors to control water resources.

O objetivo principal desta dissertação é analisar como a mudança climática pode afetar o processo de desenvolvimento humano. Com esse objetivo, procurou-se identificar, caracterizar e sistematizar os impactos potenciais da mudança climática em dimensões relevantes do desenvolvimento humano, tais como: saúde, educação, meios de subsistência, segurança, valores culturais e relações sociais. O trabalho propõe uma estrutura analítica na qual se identificam relações diretas e indiretas entre os componentes climáticos e do bem-estar humano e definem-se mecanismos que interligam as duas áreas, sendo estes os recursos naturais de água, solo e biodiversidade, assim como os serviços dos ecossistemas. A análise realizada não foi restrita à realidade de um país, ao invés, foram associados elementos tendo em conta as evidências em nível global. O estudo foi baseado na abordagem de desenvolvimento humano fundamentada por Amartya Sen, a qual permitiu considerar um conjunto amplo de dimensões na avaliação do bem-estar, abrangendo as diversas formas em que as pessoas são e podem ser privadas de desfrutar uma vida que eles valoram devido à mudança climática. Através da estrutura analítica proposta neste trabalho e na investigação sistemática de dois corpos de literatura (respectivamente ambiental e de desenvolvimento humano), foi possível constatar que o processo de desenvolvimento humano está determinado pela expansão de aspectos multidimensionais, como funcionamento e capacitações, bem como meios e intitulamentos que podem aumentar ou diminuir dependendo a relação com os sistemas do meio ambiente, em especial, do sistema climático. As evidências analisadas demonstraram como as alterações do clima constituem um risco latente para o retrocesso do desenvolvimento humano e ampliação das privações humanas em todo o mundo, com desproporcionais efeitos em países pobres e em desenvolvimento. Por um lado, os choques climáticos ameaçam em diferentes caminhos (direta e indiretamente) os funcionamentos e capacitações das pessoas, como a saúde, a educação, os valores culturais e as relações sociais. Por outro lado, os choques climáticos restringem o desenvolvimento humano ao afetar e limitar os "meios e intitulamentos" necessários para o sustento das pessoas, através da redução da quantidade e qualidade da água, da produção agrícola, da alteração de atividades de pesca, redução de rendimentos econômicos, entre outras formas. Os maiores impactos são em áreas rurais, as quais concentram maior proporção de pobres. O exame de impactos levou em conta a interação com aspectos de vulnerabilidade pré-existente de cada país ou região, relacionados com a exposição definida pela localização geográfica, a sensibilidade de acordo com a dependência na agricultura e nos serviços dos ecossistemas e a capacidade de adaptação determinada por aspectos sociais, econômicos, institucionais, políticos e dotação dos recursos naturais. / The main aim of this dissertation is to examine how climate change can affect the process of human development. In particular, it tries to identify, characterize and classify the potential impacts of climate change on relevant dimensions of human development, such as health, education, livelihoods, security, cultural values and social relations. The dissertation proposes an analytical structure in which it delves into direct and indirect relations between the components of the climate and well being, and set up mechanisms that link the two areas, which are the natural resources of water, soil and biodiversity as well as the ecosystem services. The analysis was not restricted to the particular realities of a given country, in contrast, it focused on evidence at a global level. This study is based on the vision of human development as characterized by the work of Amartya Sen, which enabled us to consider a wide range of dimensions in the assessment of well being, covering the various ways in which people are and can be deprived of enjoying a life that they value due to climate change. Through the analytical framework proposed in this paper and the systematic investigation of two bodies of literature (the environmental and human development), it was possible to see that the process of human development is determined by the expansion of multidimensional aspects, such as functionings and capabilities, as well as means and entitlements that may increase or decrease depending on the relation with the environment, especially the climate system. The analysis showed evidence such as that climate change is a latent risk to the setback of human development and expansion of human deprivation in the world, with disproportionate effect on poor and developing countries. The climatic shocks threaten in different ways (directly and indirectly) the functionings and capabilities of individuals, such as health, education, cultural values and social relations. Moreover, the climatic shocks restrict human development to affect and limit the "means and entitlements" necessary for the sustenance of the people, by reducing the quantity and quality of water, agricultural production, modification of fishing activities, reduction income, among other ways. The largest impacts are in rural areas, which concentrate the largest proportion of poor people. An examination of impacts took into account the interaction with aspects of pre-existing vulnerability of each country or region, associated with exposure defined by geographic location, according to the sensitivity of the dependence on agriculture and ecosystems services and the capacity of adaptation certain by social, economic, institutional, political and status of natural resources.