Urban adaptation index: assessing cities readiness to deal with climate change

Author(s)

Neder, Eduardo Alves ^[1] ; Moreira, Fabiano de Araujo ^[1] ; Dalla Fontana, Michele ^[1] ; Torres, Roger Rodrigues ^[2] ; Lapola, David Montenegro ^[3] ; Costa Vasconcellos, Maria da Penha ^[1] ; Barbieri Bedran-Martins, Ana Maria ^[1] ; Philippi Jr, Arlindo ; Lemos, Maria Carmen ^[4] ; Di Giulio, Gabriela Marques ^[5]

Affiliation

^[1] Univ Sao Paulo, Sch Publ Hlth, Av Dr Arnaldo 715, BR-01246904 Sao Paulo, SP - Brazil

^[2] Univ Fed Itajuba, Nat Resources Inst, BR-37500903 Itajuba, MG - Brazil

^[3] Univ Estadual Campinas, Ctr Meteorol & Climat Res Appl Agr, BR-13083886 Campinas, SP - Brazil

^[4] Univ Michigan, Sch Environm & Sustainabil, 440 Church St, Ann Arbor, MI 48109 - USA

^[5] Philippi Jr, Jr., Arlindo, Univ Sao Paulo, Sch Publ Hlth, Av Dr Arnaldo 715, BR-01246904 Sao Paulo, SP - Brazil

• Document type: Journal article
• Source: Climatic Change; v. 166, n. 1-2 MAY 2021.
• Web of Science Citations: 1

Abstract

Worldwide cities are at the forefront of tackling climate change; however, it is not clear to what extent they are prepared for the challenge, particularly in the context of lower income countries, where the need for action is urgent. In this context, many of cities struggle to develop evidence-based approaches to assess their current and future capacity to deal with climate impacts and inform the design of policies to respond in the short/long term. Based both on extensive field research carried out in Brazilian cities and on urban adaptation literature, we develop and test the Urban Adaptation Index (UAI) that cities can use to assess their current adaptive capacity in a realistic/achievable way. The index includes 26 indicators and focuses on a set of public policies to support interventions connected to adaptation: housing, urban mobility, sustainable agriculture, environmental management, and climate impact response. To make the UAI more usable/accessible, we use empirical data that is publicly available, and develop an approach that can be implemented with resources already available in many Brazilian cities. We illustrate the UAI usability by applying the index to the 645 municipalities of the state of Sao Paulo. Results show that more than half of the municipalities present low UAI ratings; however, municipalities located in metropolitan regions, where the majority of the population live, tend to have higher ratings. Practitioners agreed on the value of the UAI as a tool to monitor the current situation and changes regarding local potential capacity to adapt to climate change. (AU)

• FAPESP's process: 17/50423-6 - Globally and LOCally-sustainable food-water-energy innovation in Urban Living Labs: GLOCULL
• Grantee: Tadeu Fabricio Malheiros
• Support Opportunities: Regular Research Grants
• FAPESP's process: 18/21362-1 - Globally and locally-sustainable food-water-energy innovation in Urban Living Labs, sustainable urbanisation global initiative - GLOCULL – project: local dynamics and conflicts around the multiple interests and uses in the Billings Reservoir from nexus approach
• Grantee: Michele Dalla Fontana
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Post-Doctoral
• FAPESP's process: 18/21249-0 - Globally and Locally-sustainable Food-Water-Energy innovation in urban living labs - GLOCULL - project indicators system for sustainability assessment in urban food/water and energy integrated projects
• Grantee: Fabiano de Araujo Moreira
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Post-Doctoral