Civil Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
billion for extra electricity and new air conditioners, compared with almost $60
billion in reduced heating costs. The net result is that energy sector costs will be
$141 billion higher in 2100 due to global warming.
• Water costs: $950 billion to provide water to the driest and most water-stressed
parts of the United States as climate change exacerbates drought conditions and
disrupts existing patterns of water supply. The business-as-usual case forecasts
less rainfall in much of the United States—or, in some states, less rain at the
times of year when it is needed most. By 2100, providing the water we need
throughout the country will cost an estimated $950 billion more per year as a
result of climate change. Drought conditions, already a problem in Western
states and in the Southeast, will become more frequent and more severe.
3.1.2 Stakeholders
The Citizens' support for policies that aim to curb carbon emissions and energy
use is often seen as informed by their values, attitudes and perceptions of the
environmental problem in question. Fischer et al. (
2011
) argue that we also need to
understand how people conceptualise policies and the governance approaches
underpinning them to be able to judge the likely acceptance of policy change.
Fischer et al. (
2011
) draw on qualitative interviews (n = 202) from five European
countries to explore citizens' views on governance approaches to stimulate
behavioural change in the field of resource use, including regulations, price
changes, collective action, technological change and education. Fischer et al.
(
2011
) found that many of our interviewees referred to generalised characteristics
of humankind and contemporary society to back up their arguments for or against
specific governance approaches. In particular, many interviewees concurred that
people in general were so self-centred, driven by habit and money- and
consumption-oriented that only strict regulations, drastic price changes and tech-
nological innovation could possibly achieve widespread behavioural change. As a
consequence, such 'folk psychologies' can have substantial impact not only on
public acceptance, but also on the success of policy measures that aim to reduce
citizens' resource use (Fischer et al.
2011
).
Climate change has been identified as potentially the biggest health threat of the
twenty-first century. Canada in general has a well-developed public health system
and low burden of health which will moderate vulnerability. However, there is
significant heterogeneity in health outcomes, and health inequality is particularly
pronounced among Aboriginal Canadians. Intervention is needed to prevent,
prepare for, and manage climate change effects on Aboriginal health but is con-
strained by a limited understanding of vulnerability and its determinants. Despite
limited research on climate change and Aboriginal health, however, there is a well-
established literature on Aboriginal health outcomes, determinants, and trends in
Canada; characteristics that will determine vulnerability to climate change. In this
paper, Ford et al. (
2010
) systematically review this literature, using a vulnerability
