Workshop on Climate Change Impacts, Adaptation, and Vulnerability (IAV) Community Coordination 8-9 January 2009, National Center of Atmospheric Research (NCAR), Boulder, CO, USA

Some thoughts on IAV community co-operation

Timothy CarterFinnish Environment Institute, SYKE

Research Programme for Global Change

Workshop on Climate Change Impacts, Adaptation, and Vulnerability (IAV) Community Coordination 8-9 January 2009, National Center of Atmospheric Research (NCAR), Boulder, CO, USA

Who are we in IAV? Empiricists

• Observed impacts (long-term/extreme events); observed adaptation

(reactive and anticipatory; to averages/extremes; maladaptation)

Impact modellers• Disciplinary/process focus (and ESMs); disciplinary/applied focus; inter-

disciplinary/applied focus; integrated assessment; global to local

Experimentalists• Gas enrichment; controlled climate; materials; land use management

Vulnerability assessors• Mapping indices/indicators; local (household) to global

Adaptation researchers• Adaptation processes; adaptation practices; management for adaptation

and mitigation; development of analytical methods, tools and metrics

Adaptation policy analysts• Governance; coherence; integration; mitigation/adaptation;

implementation

Well, that's just some of us!

Workshop on Climate Change Impacts, Adaptation, and Vulnerability (IAV) Community Coordination 8-9 January 2009, National Center of Atmospheric Research (NCAR), Boulder, CO, USA

Quite a diversity

Workshop on Climate Change Impacts, Adaptation, and Vulnerability (IAV) Community Coordination 8-9 January 2009, National Center of Atmospheric Research (NCAR), Boulder, CO, USA

What is the function of an IAV network?

To represent IAV interests in developing new scenarios?

To promote initiatives for IAV research co-ordination?

To develop structures for an international IAV research programme?

To link IAV to the wider, non-climate change research community?

Several or all of the above?

Workshop on Climate Change Impacts, Adaptation, and Vulnerability (IAV) Community Coordination 8-9 January 2009, National Center of Atmospheric Research (NCAR), Boulder, CO, USA

Network to represent IAV interests developing new scenarios

Original motivating force behind this initiative

Main issues:• Representing IAV needs in discussions about the new scenarios• Providing a reference point/organisation for interacting with the climate

modelling and integrated assessment modelling communities• Ensuring that new scenarios are delivered that are appropriate and timely

for IAV analysis and can be distributed to those researchers who require them – relationship to TGICA

2007 scenarios questionnaire to IPCC WG II LAs (response rate 15/39) – all supported new scenarios; stressed need for regional information and scenario "relevance" for stakeholders

Need for IAV co-ordination raised in Nordwijkerhout, Sep 2007

EC meeting on AR5 new scenarios, Brussels, Sep 2008• European research projects would benefit from co-ordination of scenario

development, interpretation and guidance (e.g. including this network)• But, unsuccessful request for supplementary EC funding for this meeting

Workshop on Climate Change Impacts, Adaptation, and Vulnerability (IAV) Community Coordination 8-9 January 2009, National Center of Atmospheric Research (NCAR), Boulder, CO, USA

Network to promote initiatives for IAV research co-ordination

Co-ordinate IAV research efforts, for example:• Basic research – process studies, empirical analysis, model development• Impact/adaptation model intercomparison studies (viz. IGBP/GCTE, 1990s)• Common issues (e.g. irreversibility; thresholds; costing; high impact events) • Collection and collation of new information and studies on observed

impacts/adaptations (incl. limits to adaptation, relationships to mitigation)• Provision of models, tools, data and scenarios• Development of guidance for IAV practitioners• Workshops and conferences to exchange information and design new

collaborative research• Organisation of training courses, mentorships, workshops, targeting e.g.

young researchers, developing country researchers, policy makers, planners

Enable more coherent and effective communication with other research communities and stakeholder groups?

Probably requires international steering and regional/sectoral representatives

Overlaps with IPCC TGICA (Task Group on Data and Scenario Support for Impacts and Climate Analysis)?

Workshop on Climate Change Impacts, Adaptation, and Vulnerability (IAV) Community Coordination 8-9 January 2009, National Center of Atmospheric Research (NCAR), Boulder, CO, USA

Network to develop structures for an international IAV research programme

Develop a structure for the international co-ordination and funding of IAV research comparable to WCRP and focused on climate change as distinct from related programmes?

Attempt to re-invigorate UNEP's World Climate Impacts and Responses Programme (WCIRP)

Other options: WMO leadership; researchers' consortium; nationally-led initiatives (e.g. UK DfID)

Other related initiatives, e.g. WCC3 Conference (Geneva, Sep 2009), will establish a world climate information network

Earlier programmes: Country Studies; AIACC

Funding: ideally by governments

Workshop on Climate Change Impacts, Adaptation, and Vulnerability (IAV) Community Coordination 8-9 January 2009, National Center of Atmospheric Research (NCAR), Boulder, CO, USA

Network to link IAV to the wider, non-climate change research community

Forge links to research communities outside the mainstream climate change research community (e.g. social vulnerability, sustainable development, governance, disaster management, natural hazards)?

Liaise with various user communities and stakeholders to co-ordinate effective IAV assessment and exchange tools, best practices, data and scenarios

Workshop on Climate Change Impacts, Adaptation, and Vulnerability (IAV) Community Coordination 8-9 January 2009, National Center of Atmospheric Research (NCAR), Boulder, CO, USA

Three final observations

A network should be research/science – based

Basic and applied/synthetic research – is there a bias?

A single network may not serve all of our needs