ghana climate change vulnerability and adaptation assessment

ABFigure 2.1 Two approaches to vulnerability analysis:(A) risk model of Sarewitz et al. (2003); (B) IPCC modelFigure 2.1 shows two approaches to assessing vulnerability to climate change. . The first approach is basedona risk model described by Sarewitz etal., (2003) where vulnerability is a systemcondition, shown here asconditionsof the natural and social sub-systems ina coupled model. In the second, vulnerability as defined bythe IPCC views vulnerability as the effects of climate change onn a biophysicall system (Carter et al., 2007;Schneider et al., 2007). Similarities and distinctionss are those suggested by Brooks (2003).The use of vulnerabilityby Sarewitz et al. (2003) encompasses both the vulnerability of social systems and theinherent vulnerability ofnatural systems. Many aspects of social vulnerability are generic inthat they arecommon across geographic scales; in contrast, aspects of inherent vulnerability are more location specific. AsBrooks (2003) emphasizes, vulnerability only makes sense in thee context of a specific systemand range ofhazards, that is, vulnerability is “placebased” in that the scale off vulnerability assessment should match thescale of the decision-making (Schröter, Polsky et al. 2005).Mitigationmeasures aredirected toward reducing drivers of climate change; that is, reducing emissions ofCO 2 and other green house gases (GHG) or enhancing CO 2 sequestration. We examine some mitigationpolicies (Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Degradation plus biodiversity or REDD+; CleanDevelopment Mechanism or CDM), strategies (conservation/low carbon agriculture, fire management, lowcarbon development), and practices (capturing andusing naturall gas instead of flaring, biofuels). Oneimplicationof our approach is that adaptation measures are directed toward reducing vulnerability, whetherinherent, social, or both(Sarewitz, Pielke Jr et al. 2003). We examine vulnerability reductionfor threeresource sectors (agriculture, forestry, and fisheries) and locally sustainable adaptation measures for reducingsocial vulnerability.GHANA CLIMATE CHANGE VULNERABILITY ANDADAPTATION ASSESSMENT19