Avoiding the avoidable: Towards a European heat waves risk governance

Abstract

The death toll of recent heat waves in developed countries has been remarkably high, contradicting the common assumption that high levels of economic and technological development automatically lead to lower vulnerability to weather extremes. Future climate change may further increase this vulnerability. In this article we examine some recent evidence of heat wave-related mortality and we conclude that while economic wealth and technological capacity might be a necessary condition for adequately coping with adverse climate change effects, they are not sufficient. Questions of awareness, preparedness, organizational issues, and actor networks have to be addressed in a proactive and focused manner in order to avoid future heat wave damages. We propose some practical consequences for heat wave adaptation measures by adopting a risk governance framework that can be universally applied, as it is sufficiently flexible to deal with the multi-level and often fragmented reality of existing coping measures.

Socio-economic Impacts—Urban Complexes

“…The heat waves across Europe in 2003 and 2010 indicate the vulnerability of urban populations. This is despite the high levels of development in Europe (Lass et al 2011).…”

Transforming adaptation. Authoritative knowledge for climate change governance

“…Consequently, debates among policy makers are focusing around the issue of how to maintain urban regions as attractive, productive and safe places in the future. These debates evolve in a direct relation with the governance of heat risks, an emerging policy field in Europe in the wake of the 2003 and 2006 heat waves which resulted in peaks in morbidity and mortality, and a sharp controversy across the continent (Boezeman, Ganzevoort, Lier & Louwers, 2014;Kovats & Hajat, 2008;Lass, Haas, Hinkel & Jaeger, 2011). The central question in these debates is whether and how urban warming should be a legitimate object for governance, and, if so, whether it should be a matter of social cohesion policy (Klinenberg, 2003;Poumadère, Mays, Le Mer & Blong, 2005), town planning (Hebbert & Mackillop, 2013), public health (Kovats & Hajat, 2008), or any other field of collective organisation.…”

Adaptation to the Impacts of Climate Extremes in Central Europe: A Case Study in a Rural Area in the Czech Republic

“…According to Heffernan [21], adaptation as a strategy of coping with climate change, in contrast to mitigation strategies, has not remained at the center of scientific focus to date. Recently, however, the reality of climate extremes in the form of events, such as floods, droughts or heat waves [22], has forced researchers and policy-makers to explore ways of handling these extremes and adaptation to climate change has become more topical and pertinent than ever before.…”