Climate challenges, vulnerabilities, and food security

Citation

Nelson MC, Ingram SE, Dugmore AJ, Streeter R, Peeples MA, McGovern TH, Hegmon M, Arneborg J, Kintigh KW, Brewington S, Spielmann KA, Simpson I, Strawhacker C, Comeau LEL, Torvinen A, Madsen CK, Hambrecht G & Smiarowski K (2016) Climate challenges, vulnerabilities, and food security. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 113 (2), pp. 298-303. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1506494113

Abstract
This paper identifies rare climate challenges in the long-term history of seven areas, three in the subpolar North Atlantic Islands and four in the arid-to-semiarid deserts of the US Southwest. For each case, the vulnerability to food shortage before the climate challenge is quantified based on eight variables encompassing both environmental and social domains. These data are used to evaluate the relationship between the “weight” of vulnerability before a climate challenge and the nature of social change and food security following a challenge. The outcome of this work is directly applicable to debates about disaster management policy.

Keywords
vulnerability; climate challenge; disaster management; prehistory; history

Journal
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences: Volume 113, Issue 2

People

Professor Ian Simpson

Professor, Biological and Environmental Sciences