One of the most important impacts of global warming is what climate scientists refer to as "an intensification of the hydrological cycle". Loosely translated, this means shorter periods of more intense rainfall, and longer warmer dry periods. This report provides a wealth of information about climate change and variability. It also offers a first ever compendium of specific adaptation strategies for water managers and decision-makers to draw upon and a first overview of international support initiatives on water and climate

The portending process of climate change, induced by the anthropogenic accumulations of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, is likely to generate effects that will cascade through the biosphere, impacting all life on earth and bearing upon human endeavors. Of special concern is the potential effect on agriculture and global food security.Anticipating these effects demands that scientists widen their field of vision and cooperate across disciplines to encompass increasingly complex interactions. Trans-disciplinary cooperation should aim to generate effective responses to the evolving risks, including actions to mitigate the emissions of greenhouse gases and to adapt to those climate changes that cannot be avoided.This handbook presents an exposition of current research on the impacts, adaptation, and mitigation of climate change in relation to agroecosystems. It is offered as the first volume in what is intended to be an ongoing series dedicated to elucidating the interactions of climate change with a broad range of sectors and systems, and to developing and spurring effective responses to this global challenge. As the collective scientific and practical knowledge of the processes and responses involved continues to grow, future volumes in the series will address important aspects of the topic periodically over the coming years.

This book comprehensively describes essential research and projects on climate change and biodiversity. Moreover, it includes contributions on how to promote the climate agenda and biodiversity conservation at the local level. Climate change as a whole and global warming in particular are known to have a negative impact on biodiversity in three main ways. Firstly, increases in temperatures are detrimental to a number of organisms, especially those in sensitive habitats such as coral reefs and rainforests. Secondly, the pressures posed by a changing climate may lead to sets of responses in areas as varied as phenology, range and physiology of living organisms, often leading to changes in their lifecycles (especially but not only in reproduction), losses in productivity or even death. In some cases, the very survival of very sensitive species may be endangered. Thirdly, the impacts of climate change on biodiversity will be felt in the short term with regard to some species and ecosystems, but also in the medium and long term in many biomes. Indeed, if left unchecked, some of these impacts may be irreversible. Many individual governments, financial institutes and international donors are currently spending billions of dollars on projects addressing climate change and biodiversity, but with little coordination. Quite often, the emphasis is on adaptation efforts, with little emphasis on the connections between physio-ecological changes and the lifecycles and metabolisms of fauna and flora, or the influence of poor governance on biodiversity. As such, there is a recognized need to not only better understand the impacts of climate change on biodiversity, but to also identify, test and implement measures aimed at managing the many risks that climate change poses to fauna, flora and micro-organisms. In particular, the question of how to restore and protect ecosystems from the impact of climate change also has to be urgently addressed. This book was written to address this need. The respective papers explore matters related to the use of an ecosystem-based approach to increase local adaptation capacity, consider the significance of a protected areas network in preserving biodiversity in a changing northern European climate, and assess the impacts of climate change on specific species, including wild terrestrial animals. The book also presents a variety of case studies such as the Yellowstone to Yukon Conservation Initiative, the effects of climate change on the biodiversity of Aleppo pine forest in Senalba (Algeria), climate change and biodiversity response in the Niger Delta region, and the effects of forest fires on the biodiversity and the soil characteristics of tropical peatlands in Indonesia. This is a truly interdisciplinary publication, and will benefit all scholars, social movements, practitioners and members of governmental agencies engaged in research and/or executing projects on climate change and biodiversity around the world.

This technical report examines the connection between climate change and livestock, focusing on the impacts on livestock production systems. The study explores various methodologies from the literature and analyses their application in a practical test case in the Lao People's Democratic Republic. The assessment estimates direct and indirect effects of climate change on the livestock sector by focusing on three main methodologies retrieved from the scientific literature and applied to the specific case of Lao People's Democratic Republic. The results reveal significant effects of climate change on cattle and buffaloes, the main ruminant species in the country. The findings showed significant losses in Lao People's Democratic Republic production due to heat stress affecting dry matter intake. For instance, under the representative concentration pathway 2.6 scenario, the analysis estimated a 19 percent loss in meat production and a 18 percent loss in milk production by 2085. The thermal-humidity index, used as a proxy for milk production estimation, yielded similar results. On a positive note, the study revealed that the carrying capacity and the number of potential livestock units are expected to increase from 2020 to 2080, counteracting some of the negative effects of climate change induced by heat stress. The proposed methodologies can be combined to provide a comprehensive understanding of the current and future state of the livestock population and production. While the effects may vary in different regions and production systems, the report emphasizes the importance of implementing strategies to mitigate climate change impacts. Overall, this report provides crucial information for policymakers and agencies involved with the livestock sector to guide interventions and address the challenges posed by climate change.

This latest Fifth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) will again form the standard reference for all those concerned with climate change and its consequences, including students, researchers and policy makers in environmental science, meteorology, climatology, biology, ecology, atmospheric chemistry and environmental policy.

This book presents climate change as a global phenomenon which affects the entire food chain. Many studies analyzing environmental impacts of food systems confirm significant effects of food production on climate change. Most of them associate primary production with emission of greenhouse gasses identified as one of the causes resulting in warming the atmosphere and global climate effects. A wider perspective shows that the food chains start at farms with consumers being at the end of the pipeline. This approach emphasizes the role of the entire food chain highlighting different kinds of environmental impacts affecting climate change. On the other side, temperature changes and variations of precipitation patterns, together with extreme weather events and water reduction, are recognized as predictors for producing less food, decreased food quality, new food safety risks, biodiversity losses, and depletion of resources associated with food production in modified circumstances. Last but not least, these effects introduce new threats known as food security where some assumptions stress that almost one billion of people are hungry not receiving enough food as a result of climate changes. As a result, the UN highlights the need for combating climate change and promotes sustainable (food) consumption and production. Based on the perceived need to promote and disseminate information on climate change related to food system, the “Handbook of Climate change across the food supply chain” is being produced. The publication compiles information, experiences, practical initiatives, and projects around the subject matter and makes it available to a wide audience. It is expected that the “Handbook of Climate change across the food supply chain” makes many benefits of climate service clearer and, inter alia, leads to an increase in the demand for such important services.

The third volume of Sustainable Soil and Land Management and Climate Change presents a complete overview of plant soil interactions in a climate affected by greenhouse gas emissions and organic carbon. It presents approaches and managements strategies for the stabilization of soil organic matter. The latest in the respected Footprints of Climate Variability on Plant Diversity series, this book enhances the reader’s knowledge of the preservation of organic matter through microbial approaches as well as through soil and plant interactions. Written by teams of specialist scientists, it presents research outcomes, practical applications and future challenges for this important field. Features: Presents microbial tactics for the alleviation of potentially toxic elements in agricultural soils and for reclaiming saline soil. Provides an overview of scientific investigations into greenhouse gas emissions. Outlines priming techniques developed in response to a changing climate. This book is written for students of agronomy, soil science and the environmental sciences as well as researchers interested in management technologies to improve soil fertility.

Climate change and its impact on society is considered one of the most important factors in understanding social and economic variables. Changing patterns in ecosystems, populations, and economic sectors form a perfect system for the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals. In order to understand how these goals can be addressed, further study on the current tactics and initiatives is required. Climate Change, World Consequences, and the Sustainable Development Goals for 2030 discusses the impact of climate change on the environment and the prospects for citizens, cities, and industry. The book also conducts an analysis of climate change to understand how society is coping and its effect on economic sectors. Moreover, it examines current strategies for achieving the Sustainable Development Goals and mitigating the negative impact on the environment. Covering a range of topics such as energy, global warming, and smart cities, this reference work is ideal for policymakers, environmentalists, government officials, practitioners, academicians, scholars, researchers, instructors, and students.

This book provides an overview of the large and interdisciplinary literature on the substance and process of urban climate change planning and design, using the most important articles from the last 15 years to engage readers in understanding problems and finding solutions to this increasingly critical issue. The Reader’s particular focus is how the impacts of climate change can be addressed in urban and suburban environments—what actions can be taken, as well as the need for and the process of climate planning. Both reducing greenhouse gas emissions as well as adapting to future climate are explored. Many of the emerging best practices in this field involve improving the green infrastructure of the city and region—providing better on-site stormwater management, more urban greening to address excess heat, zoning for regional patterns of open space and public transportation corridors, and similar actions. These actions may also improve current public health and livability in cities, bringing benefits now and into the future. This Reader is innovative in bringing climate adaptation and green infrastructure together, encouraging a more hopeful perspective on the great challenge of climate change by exploring both the problems of climate change and local solutions.

The first comprehensive review of the current and future effects of climate change on the world’s fisheries and aquaculture operations The first book of its kind, Climate Change Impacts on Fisheries and Aquaculture explores the impacts of climate change on global fisheries resources and on marine aquaculture. It also offers expert suggestions on possible adaptations to reduce those impacts. The world's climate is changing more rapidly than scientists had envisioned just a few years ago, and the potential impact of climate change on world food production is quite alarming. Nowhere is the sense of alarm more keenly felt than among those who study the warming of the world's oceans. Evidence of the dire effects of climate change on fisheries and fish farming has now mounted to such an extent that the need for a book such as this has become urgent. A landmark publication devoted exclusively to how climate change is affecting and is likely to affect commercially vital fisheries and aquaculture operations globally, Climate Change Impacts on Fisheries and Aquaculture provides scientists and fishery managers with a summary of and reference point for information on the subject which has been gathered thus far. Covers an array of critical topics and assesses reviews of climate change impacts on fisheries and aquaculture from many countries, including Japan, Mexico, South Africa, Australia, Chile, US, UK, New Zealand, Pacific Islands, India and others Features chapters on the effects of climate change on pelagic species, cod, lobsters, plankton, macroalgae, seagrasses and coral reefs Reviews the spread of diseases, economic and social impacts, marine aquaculture and adaptation in aquaculture under climate change Includes special reports on the Antarctic Ocean, the Caribbean Sea, the Arctic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea Extensive references throughout the book make this volume both a comprehensive text for general study and a reference/guide to further research for fisheries scientists, fisheries managers, aquaculture personnel, climate change specialists, aquatic invertebrate and vertebrate biologists, physiologists, marine biologists, economists, environmentalist biologists and planners.