Climate Justice Dimensions: Approaching Loss and Damage and Adaptation towards a Just City

Source:
By:Pedro Henrique Campello Torres, Gabriel Pires de Araújo, Marcos Tavares de Arruda Filho, Isabela Carmo Cavaco, Beatriz Dunder

DOI: https://doi.org/10.30564/jgr.v6i4.5933

Abstract:

The escalating occurrence of severe climatic events over the past decade, with a projection for further intensification due to the climate emergency, underscores the critical role of urban and regional planning in climate action towards just cities. Municipalities and regions are both significant contributors to CO2 emissions and are vulnerable to the adverse impacts of climate change. This paper contends that urban and regional planning must undergo a paradigm shift to address this challenge. Climate justice, encompassing dimensions of inequality and environmental equity, is a pivotal dialogue in these contexts. Through a comprehensive review, this study contributes to the evolving landscape of climate justice planning and policy, offering insights that could resonate across the Global South and beyond. As an illustrative case, the authors delve into Brazil’s climate challenges, discussing adaptation planning and post-disaster response, and emphasizing the need for localized and community-driven initiatives. This article delves into the interplay between Loss and Damage, adaptation, and just cities, with a focus on the Global South. The authors scrutinize the emerging discourse on Loss and Damage, its associations with climate impacts, and the quest for a just and equitable approach. The work advances the understanding of the distinction between adaptation and Loss and Damage actions, highlighting the significance of a dedicated fund for addressing Loss and Damage in vulnerable countries.

References:

[1] Pihl, E., Alfredsson, E., Bengtsson, M., et al., 2021. Ten new insights in climate science 2020—a horizon scan. Global Sustainability. 4, 18. [2] Barton, J.R., 2013. Climate change adaptation and socio-ecological justice in Chile’s metropolitan areas: The role of spatial planning instruments. Urbanization and Sustainability: Linking Urban Ecology, Environmental Justice and Global Environmental Change. 137-157. [3] Davoudi, S., Crawford, J., Mehmood, A., 2009. Planning for climate change: Strategies for mitigation and adaptation for spatial planners. Earthscan: London. [4] Hurlimann, A.C., March, A.P., 2012. The role of spatial planning in adapting to climate change. Wiley Interdisciplinary Reviews: Climate Change. 3(5), 477-488. [5] Rickards, L., Ison, R., Fünfgeld, H., et al., 2014. Opening and closing the future: Climate change, adaptation, and scenario planning. Environment and Planning C: Government and Policy. 32(4), 587-602. [6] AR6 Synthesis Report Climate Change 2023 [Internet]. Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC); 2023. Available from: https://doi.org/10.59327/IPCC/AR6-9789291691647.001 [7] Bai, X., Dawson, R.J., Ürge-Vorsatz, D., et al., 2018. Six research priorities for cities and climate change. Nature. 555(7694), 23-25. [8] Simoes, E., de Sousa Junior, W.C., de Freitas, D.M., et al., 2017. Barriers and opportunities for adapting to climate change on the North Coast of São Paulo, Brazil. Regional Environmental Change. 17, 1739-1750. [9] Simkin, R.D., Seto, K.C., McDonald, R.I., et al., 2022. Biodiversity impacts and conservation implications of urban land expansion projected to 2050. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. 119(12), e2117297119. [10]Tian, Y., Tsendbazar, N.E., van Leeuwen, E., et al., 2022. A global analysis of multifaceted urbanization patterns using Earth Observation data from 1975 to 2015. Landscape and Urban Planning. 219, 104316. [11] Quay, R., 2010. Anticipatory governance: A tool for climate change adaptation. Journal of the American Planning Association. 76(4), 496-511. [12]Campello Torres, P.H., Jacobi, P.R., 2021. Towards a just climate change resilience. Spriner: Berlin. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-81622-3 [13]Travassos, L., Torres, P.H.C., Di Giulio, G., et al., 2021. Why do extreme events still kill in the São Paulo Macro Metropolis Region? Chronicle of a death foretold in the global south. International Journal of Urban Sustainable Development. 13(1), 1-16. [14]Shi, L., Chu, E., Anguelovski, I., et al., 2016. Roadmap towards justice in urban climate adaptation research. Nature Climate Change. 6(2), 131-137. [15]Torres, P.H.C., de Souza, D.T.P., Momm, S., et al., 2023. Just cities and nature-based solutions in the Global South: A diagnostic approach to move beyond panaceas in Brazil. Environmental Science & Policy. 143, 24-34. [16]Pelling, M., Garschagen, M., 2019. Put equity first in climate adaptation. Nature. 569(7756), 327-329. [17]Amaral, M.H., Benites-Lazaro, L.L., de Almeida Sinisgalli, P.A., et al., 2021. Environmental in justices on green and blue infrastructure: Urban nexus in a macrometropolitan territory. Journal of Cleaner Production. 289, 125829. [18]Torres, P.H.C., Leonel, A.L., Pires de Araújo, G., et al., 2020. Is the Brazilian national climate change adaptation plan addressing inequality? Climate and environmental justice in a global south perspective. Environmental Justice. 13(2), 42-46. [19]Porter, L., Rickards, L., Verlie, B., et al., 2020. Climate justice in a climate changed world. Planning Theory & Practice. 21(2), 293-321. [20]Torres, P.H.C., Cortes, P.L., Jacobi, P.R., 2020. Governing complexity and environmental justice: Lessons from the water crisis in Metropolitan São Paulo (2013-2015). Desenvolvimento e Meio Ambiente. 53, 61-77. [21]Holston, J., 2013. Cidadania insurgente: disjunções da democracia e da modernidade no Brasil (Portuguese) [Insurgent citizenship: Disjunctions of democracy and modernity in Brazil]. Companhia das Letras: São Paulo. [22]Miraftab, F., 2016. Insurgência, planejamento e a perspectiva de um urbanismo humano (Portuguese) [Insurgency, planning and the prospect of a humane urbanism]. Revista Brasileira de Estudos Urbanos e Regionais (RBEUR). 18(3), 363-377. [23]Swyngedouw, E., Kaïka, M., 2003. The making of ‘glocal’ urban modernities. City. 7(1), 5-21. [24]Adger, W.N., 2023. Loss and Damage from climate change: Legacies from Glasgow and Sharm el-Sheikh. Scottish Geographical Journal. 139(1-2), 142-149. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/14702541.2023.2194285 [25]Balzter, H., Macul, M., Delaney, B., et al., 2023. Loss and damage from climate change: Knowl edge gaps and interdisciplinary approaches. Sustainability. 15(15), 11864. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/su151511864 [26]Falzon, D., Shaia, F., Roberts, J.T., et al., 2023. Tactical opposition: Obstructing loss and damage finance in the United Nations climate negotiations. Global Environmental Politics. 23(3), 95-119. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1162/glep_a_00722 [27]Masood, E., Tollefson, J., Irwin, A., 2022. COP27 climate talks: What succeeded, what failed and what’s next. Nature. 612(7938), 16-17.