The Palgrave Handbook of Climate Resilient Societies

1. How the Law Contributes to Protecting Energy Infrastructure from Extreme Weather Events: An Australian Case Study

   • Anne Kallies, Vanessa Johnston

2. Indoor Overheating, Climate Resilience, and Adaptation of Care Settings

   • Anna Mavrogianni, Eleni Oikonomou, Ioanna Tsoulou, Giorgos Petrou, Mike Davies, Alastair Howard et al.

3. Integrating Climate Change Considerations into Asset Management

   • Robert Kijak

4. Integrating Climate Change into Land Use and Urban Planning

   • Marta Pérez de Madrid Utrilla

5. Investing in Ecosystems for Water Security: The Case of the Kenya Water Towers

   • Tobias Schmitz, Fredrick Kihara

6. Issues in Developing and Implementing an Active Hazard Framework for Coastal Climate Resiliency Planning

   • Chad J. McGuire

7. Jal Swavlamban: Water Independence

   • Kanika Saxena, Urmila Brighu

8. Keeping Airports Open in Times of Climatic Extremes: Planning for Climate Resilient Airports

   • Nanco Dolman, Vivekanandhan Sindhamani, Peter Vorage

9. Key Aspects Supporting Resilient Economic Systems

   • Stefanie Beninger, Leila Rakib Ortega

10. Lessons from Climate Change Adaptation Actions in Bangladesh

    • Mohammad Mahbubur Rahman, Farzana Siddika, Tasnia Ahmed, Tahmina Hadi

11. Long-Term Resilience to Climate Change Risks in French Polynesian Community

    • Damien Serre, Charlotte Heinzlef

12. Looking Ahead: The Utility and Application of Climate Projections for Resiliency Planning

    • Katharine Hayhoe, Anne M. K. Stoner

13. Meaning and Purpose in Sustainability Transitions

    • Ruth Yeoman

14. Migration as Adaptation

    • Benjamin Schraven, Stephen Adaawen, Jan-Niklas Janoth

15. Nature-Based Solutions for Agricultural Water Management

    • Ben G. J. S. Sonneveld, Alfarra Amani, Max D. Merbis

16. Nature-Based Solutions in Latin American Cities

    • Diego Portugal Del Pino, Simone Borelli, Stephan Pauleit

17. Nature-Based Solutions to Promote Climate Change Adaptation and Disaster Risk Reduction Along the Coastal Belt of Bangladesh

    • Muhammad Abdur Rahaman, Mursheduzzaman, G. A. M. Ali Reza, Asif Moinur Chowdhury, Arifur Rahman Avi, Tapas Ranjan Chakraborty et al.

18. No Climate-Resilient Society Without a Resilient Transport System

    • Jan Peter Glock, Richard Hartl, Michael Krieg, Udo J. Becker

19. Ocean Climate Policy

    • Charles S. Colgan, Jason Scorse

20. Pathways for Mainstreaming Resilience-Thinking into Climate Change Adaptation and Planning in the City of Cape Town

    • Luanita Snyman-van der Walt, Greg Schreiner, Surina Laurie, Michelle Audouin, Paul Lochner, Rirhandzu Marivate et al.

The effects of climate change are beginning to be felt around the world with rising temperatures, changing precipitation levels, more frequent and severe storms and longer more intensive droughts threatening human life and livelihoods and damaging property and infrastructure. As such, society in all countries – both developing and developed – need to increase their resilience to the impacts of climate change, where resilience is the ability of a system to absorb stresses and adapt in ways that improve the overall sustainability of the system; enabling it to be better prepared for future climate change impacts.


In this context, a climate resilient society is one that is: reflective (learns from experiences); robust (both people and infrastructure can withstand the impacts of extreme conditions); forward-thinking (with plans made to ensure systems function during extreme events); flexible (so systems and plans can change, evolve or adopt alternative strategies); resourceful (to respond quickly to extreme events); inclusive (so all communities including the vulnerable are involved in planning); and integrated (so people, systems, decision-making and investments are mutually supportive of common goals).



The Climate Resilient Societies Major Reference Work includes chapters covering a range of themes that provide readers with an invaluable overview on how various levels of government have attempted to create climate resilient societies. In particular, each chapter, under its respective theme, will address how a government, or series of governments, at various levels in non-OECD and/or OECD countries, have implemented innovative climate resilient policies that seek synergies across strategies, choices and actions, in an attempt to build a climate resilient society. Each chapter will address one specific sub-theme out of the population of themes covered in the Major Reference Work: Water, Energy, Agricultureand Food Built environment and Infrastructure, Transport, Human health, Society, and Disaster.

• climate resilience
• climate resilient societies
• urban sustainability
• extreme water events
• extreme weather events
• climate policy
• smart agriculture
• food security
• green infrastructure

• Avonhead, Christchurch, New Zealand

  Robert C. Brears

Robert Brears is the author of several books focused on water security and the green economy. He is a Director on the International Board of the Indo Global Chamber of Commerce, Industries and Agriculture, and founder of Mitidaption & Mark and Focus. Previously he was a Visiting Scholar (non-resident) at the Center for Conflict Studies at MIIS, Monterey, United States. He is a contributing author for the World Bank's Water Blog, United Nations Industrial Development Organization's Making It Magazine, Green Growth Knowledge Platform’s Insight Blog, Johns Hopkins University’s Water Magazine, China Water Risk, Water Online and RepRisk. Robert has published widely on water security, water resources management, and related issues, and has conducted field research around the world, including Antarctica.

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