Changes in Impacts of Climate Extremes: Human Systems and Ecosystems
Year: 2012
Type: book-chapter
Abstract: Chapter 3 evaluates observed and projected changes in the frequency, intensity, spatial extent, and duration of extreme weather and climate events. This physical basis provides a picture of climate change and extreme events. But it does not by itself indicate the impacts experienced by humans or ecosystems. For example, for some sectors and groups of people, severe impacts may result from relatively minor weather and climate events. To understand impacts triggered by weather and climate events, the exposure and vulnerability of humans and ecological systems need to be examined. The emphasis of this chapter is on negative impacts, in line with this report's focus on managing the risks of extreme events and disasters. Weather and climate events, however, can and often do have positive impacts for some people and ecosystems. In this chapter, two different types of impacts on human and ecological systems are examined: (i) impacts of extreme weather and climate events; and (ii) extreme impacts triggered by less-than-extreme weather or climate events (in combination with non-climatic factors, such as high exposure and/or vulnerability). Where data are available, impacts are examined from sectoral and regional perspectives. Throughout this chapter, the term 'climate extremes' will be used to refer in brief to 'extreme weather and extreme climate events' as defined in the Glossary and discussed more extensively in Section 3.1.2.
Authors: John Handmer, Yasushi Honda, Zbigniew W. Kundzewicz, Nigel Arnell, Gerardo Benito, Jerry Hatfield, Ismail Fadl Mohamed, Pascal Peduzzi, Shaohong Wu, Boris Sherstyukov, Kiyoshi Takahashi, Zheng Yan, Sebastian Vicuna, Avelino Suarez, Amjad Abdulla, Laurens M. Bouwer, John Campbell, Masahiro Hashizume, Fred Hattermann, Robert Heilmayr, Adriana Keating, Monique Ladds, Katharine J. Mach, Michael D. Mastrandrea, Reinhard Mechler, Carlos Nobre, Apurva Sanghi, James Screen, Joel Smith, Adonis Velegrakis, Walter Vergara, Anya M. Waite, Jason Westrich, Joshua Whittaker, Yin Yunhe, Hiroya Yamano
Institutions: RMIT Europe, RMIT University, University of Tsukuba, Polish Academy of Sciences, University of Reading, United States Department of Agriculture, Université Abdou Moumouni, United Nations Environment Programme, Chinese Academy of Sciences, All Russian Research Institute of Hydrometeorological information World Data Center, National Institute for Environmental Studies, Institute for Urban and Environmental Studies, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, University of Waikato, Nagasaki University, Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research, Stanford University, Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, University of Vienna, World Bank, The University of Melbourne, University of the Aegean, Inter-American Development Bank, The University of Western Australia, University of Georgia
Language: English
Subfield: Global and Planetary Change
Field: Environmental Science
Domain: Physical Sciences
SDG: Climate action
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W61223327