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Accepted Paper:

A Vulnerability/Resilience Framework with a Special Focus on Small Island States  
Lino Briguglio (University of Malta) Stefano Moncada (University of Malta)

Paper short abstract:

We propose a framework which is built on the distinction between inherent factors that are associated with exposure of an inhabited territory to the harmful climate change and policy induced factors that reduce or exacerbate the harmful effects of climate change, with a focus on small island states

Paper long abstract:

Vulnerability, as used in this study, refers to the inherent predisposition of a community that render it susceptible to the harmful effects of climate change. Referring to small island states, the study identifies one such factor as the relatively high ratio of the coastal area to the land mass. Apart from sea-level, rise, small island states are likely to experience various other harmful effects of climate change including extreme weather events, water issues and increased health risks from air borne diseases. These will also impact larger territories, but the high population dynamics of many small islands and their limited resources endowments are likely to result in higher impacts on small islands and higher per capita costs, when compared to larger territories.

The resilience side of the argument relates to what can be done, policy-wise, to strengthen the ability of a community to cope with or withstand the effects of climate change, enabling it to survive, recover from, and even possibly improve their condition (Agard et al., 2014). A number of such policy responses mentioned by Nurse et al. (2014) include:

• Facilitating adaptation and avoiding maladaptation, which includes technical and financial support;

• Integration of adaptation into development plans and policies;

• Encouragement of participatory stakeholder involvement in adaptation measures;

• Improving risk knowledge within communities.

The paper proposes a methodology which juxtaposes vulnerability and resilience to classify communities in terms of the risk they face of being harmed by climate change.

Panel P05
Health and climate change: Connecting sectors and interventions
  Session 1