Book Review: Risk and Resilience in the Era of Climate Change
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Bibliographic details
- Authors: SIMON SHARPE
- Published: December 1, 2023
Overview and central argument
- Reviewer: SIMON SHARPE.
- Publication: F&D Magazine, December 2023.
- Reviewed book: Vinod Thomas, Palgrave Macmillan, London, UK, 2023, 201 pp., $27.99.
- Core message: a systemic approach to building climate resilience is required—risk assessment must be thorough and continuous, and resilience should be integrated from the outset into buildings, infrastructure systems, and national development strategies.
Practical resilience measures emphasized
- Physical and infrastructure measures:
- Raising the base of a house and mixing cement into its earth foundation reduce collapse risk in floods.
- Backup generators and pumping systems reduce the risk of power and water supplies failing, supporting continued hospital operation.
- Disaster proofing adds less than a tenth to the cost of a new hospital.
- Systems and institutions:
- Investment is needed in early-warning systems, evacuation plans, and institutions that govern disaster preparedness and response.
- Robust health systems reduce the risk of disease following flooding.
- Education and communication systems help people know when to stay home and when to seek higher ground.
- Functioning public services increase social trust, improving disaster response implementation.
Relationship between mitigation and adaptation
- Thomas presents emissions reduction and adaptation as intrinsically interdependent.
- He describes decarbonization as an approach to building resilience, stressing time as central: slowing climate change gives more time to prepare for extreme events (parallel drawn with slowing disease spread during COVID-19 to avoid overwhelming ICUs).
Economic critique and prescriptions
- Thomas contends “the mainstream economics profession has not been on board in the campaign for climate action.”
- Criticisms:
- Leading economics journals are largely silent on the issue.
- Influential economic models fail to adequately integrate scientific knowledge.
- The profession promotes a “persistently false dichotomy” between sustainability and growth.
- Prescriptions:
- Recognize the value of natural capital.
- Think about growth in terms of quality rather than quantity.
- Revise the curricula of economics and business schools to teach how growth can be made regenerative instead of destructive.
Gaps and further discussion suggested by the reviewer
- The reviewer notes the book could have pursued more on the evolving economics of decarbonization:
- Shift from consensus on carbon pricing toward approaches centered on investing in new solutions.
- Advances in understanding complex systems, technology transition studies, and current observations suggest investment-led strategies can be more cost-effective in driving innovation and structural change.
- Exploration of applying this new understanding to transformational adaptation could have been valuable.
Evidence base and target audience
- The book draws on three decades of the author’s work at the World Bank and the Asian Development Bank and is underpinned by extensive academic research.
- Contains practical case studies and conceptual frameworks aimed at those working in the field of climate resilience and adaptation.
Source: F&D Magazine — "Risk and Resilience in the Era of Climate Change" review by SIMON SHARPE, December 2023.
Content in this bundle
- Book Reviews: Simon Sharpe Preparing for the Inevitable