Abstracts
A Systems Approach to Climate Change
Alain Joseph1, and Larry Hughes
1Dalhousie University
aajoseph@dal.ca
Human activity is increasing atmospheric levels of greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide, resulting in higher atmospheric temperatures and changes to the global climate. These changes will be harmful to human infrastructure and economic activity. Extreme climate events such as storms, floods, or droughts can directly threaten human lives.
Adapting to climate change requires planning. People must be prepared to modify both the behavioral and structural aspects of their lives. Community, transportation, communication, and energy infrastructures are all vulnerable to the effects of climate change. Given our limited resources, we must determine the appropriate areas on which to focus our adaptation efforts.
This paper presents examples of successful adaptation strategies. Biological systems, for example, have both short-term and long-term adaptive strategies. Behavioral change and re-location are suitable short-term actions, but for long-term survival, adaptive capacity must be incorporated structurally. Unlike biological organisms, human beings have the additional physical and economic burden of managing adaptation for the objects that have been built to facilitate modern human life. We require adaptation strategies for our cities, towns, road networks, and power-grids.
Adaptation strategies can be developed by applying systems analysis tools, such as conceptual diagrams, to identify important system components, resources, and flows. Using Canada's Maritime Provinces as an example, this paper applies these tools to the energy and transportation sectors highlighting where additional adaptive capacity is needed. The linear arrangement of highways and electricity transmission lines between Maritime communities is one such problem area. Adaptive capacity can be added by improving secondary road networks and creating alternative routing for electricity transmission.
2005-04-05 |
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