Research 483: Just Resilience and Adaptation in Ireland (JustAdapt)
Authors: Stefano Ceolotto, Niall Farrell, Pranav Kakkar and Anita Vollmer
Summary: Both the impacts of climate change and the policy responses to mitigate emissions affect different sections of society in different ways. The JustAdapt research project is the first national-level study to consider socioeconomic vulnerability alongside climate change impacts at a local level in Ireland. It includes modelling extreme weather events to identify where climate impacts and socioeconomic vulnerability coincide, assessing local economic impacts of climate policies, and developing guidelines for incorporating nature-based solutions, equity and justice into climate policy decision-making. Overall, the research offers policymakers, planners, and stakeholders’ insights to design fair, effective, and sustainable climate adaptation policies and strategies, while considering socio-economic vulnerabilities and promoting nature-based solutions for a resilient future.
Project highlights video
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Identifying pressures
Climate change has many impacts on society. Both the impacts of climate change and the policy responses to mitigate emissions affect different sections of society in different ways. The aim of the Just Resilience and Adaptation in Ireland (JustAdapt) project was to develop tools and procedures to better incorporate equity into climate policy decision-making.
Firstly, JustAdapt integrated a spatial microsimulation model with data on extreme weather events to identify hot spots of climate vulnerability, where climate impacts and socioeconomic vulnerability coincide.
Secondly, the project used this spatial microsimulation framework to assess the local economic impacts of climate policy, such as the impacts of fossil fuel plant shutdown.
Finally, JustAdapt identified guidelines for policy to better integrate nature-based solutions, equity and justice into climate policy decision-making.
Informing policy
The findings of JustAdapt may help policymakers incorporate equity into climate adaptation decisions. JustAdapt investigated the regional economic impacts of climate policies, such as fossil fuel plant shutdown. This may inform just transition policy.
Nature-based solutions present alternative ways to adapt to climate change that are often overlooked in policy decision-making. Through a comprehensive literature review, JustAdapt identifies barriers to adoption and proposes solutions that may overcome these barriers to aid their integration into policy decision-making processes.
Developing solutions
JustAdapt used a number of novel methodological approaches. The project linked climate impacts with spatial profiles of socioeconomic vulnerability. This enabled spatial coincidence of socioeconomic vulnerability and climate impacts at the electoral district level to be quantified. This is the first national-level study to consider socioeconomic vulnerability alongside climate change impacts at the electoral district level in Ireland. Should policymakers wish to incorporate equity in climate adaptation decision-making, this project has demonstrated how this may be carried out.
In addition, spatial microsimulation techniques were used to quantify the effects of climate policy, such as fossil fuel plant shutdown, on household and regional welfare. This has provided insight into the type of policy that may best facilitate a just transition.
Finally, this project developed a suite of recommendations to support policymakers in incorporating just transition measures and nature-based solutions into decision-making processes.
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