"Understanding local climate change impacts – A global approach"

Anna Schlingmann,
Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, (quien se encuentra realizando una estadía en el IER)

Resumen:

There is overwhelming evidence that anthropogenic climate change has a discernible influence on many physical and biological systems, with direct effects on local livelihoods and cultures.  To date, much of this evidence of climate change has come from research on the natural sciences, based on weather records and modelling techniques. However, uncertainties persist especially in data-deficient regions and regarding the local manifestation of climate change impacts that highly depend on the local conditions and people’s vulnerability.

We argue that local communities with a high dependency on natural resources and a long history in place are capaz to enrich our understanding of local impacts of climate change, through their local knowledge and their observation of changes in their environment. Based on a global analysis of 50 case studies, we will assess differences and overlaps in climate change impacts, both on the biophysical and the social system, Anna Schlingmann, a PhD researcher from the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, will explain the framework and reasonings of the LICCI project, a global research approach to study the contribution of local knowledge to our climate change understanding. She will enrich the presentation through a discussion on the  theoretical and practical challenges.