Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
their socioeconomic conditions, their higher exposure to climate risks, a
lower preparedness, as well as a weaker recovery capacity. The range of
predicted impacts of climatic changes on fragile urban populations is
broad and includes an increase in the frequency of extreme weather
events (i.e., fl ooding, storms, droughts, sea-level rise), decreased water
availability and food security, infrastructural damage, spread of water-
and vector-borne diseases, biodiversity loss, and increased heat-related
mortality (IPCC 2007b).
At the community scale, the exposure of urban populations to climate
impacts is more deeply structured by the sociospatial segregation by
which poor communities in cities are less able to cope with disaster.
In fact, the urban poor face more diffi cult access to safe land, infrastruc-
ture, sustainable economic activity, and risk-management resources. For
instance, low-income communities tend to be more dependent on tradi-
tional farming activities in and around cities, which are severely impacted
by fl oods or droughts. Poor residents are also forced to live in areas
exposed to unstable climate, such as fl oodplains, fragile coastlines, or
hillsides, and they cannot easily change residence, activities, and ways of
life (Carmin, Roberts, and Anguelovski 2009). In short, the main victims
of climate disasters are those with the smallest roles in creating “climate
destabilization”—coastal communities, small islanders, farming and
pastoral communities (Shiva 2002). Poor populations have also histori-
cally been excluded from decision making on their land and lack oppor-
tunities for true engagement with policymakers (Pellow and Brulle 2005).
This absence of spaces for participation further entrenches relations of
domination between groups who have access to power and others who
remain marginalized. Eventually, poor communities are caught in a cycle
of deeper poverty and isolation while stronger and well-off communities
can more easily adapt to and recover from climatic impacts.
At the policy level, in the mid- and long term, climate injustices further
threaten the ability of developing countries to meet their broad sustain-
able development goals (Pettit 2004). Cities in particular are confronted
with climate risks, fragile infrastructure, and extreme weather events,
and have to push back long-term equity and sustainability goals in order
to tackle more immediate priorities. Here again, the victims are low-
income and fragile individuals and communities faced with structural
development problems and poverty alleviation needs. The inequities in
the impacts and benefi ts of carbon emissions have thus led many planners
and community organizations to advocate for an increase attention to
adaptation needs, rather than simply mitigation.
