Twelfth International Conference on Climate Change: Impacts & Responses

Abstract

This study is an exploratory analysis of the relationship between vulnerability and adaptation responses to climate change. The study utilizes analusis of variance (ANOVA) and multiple regression analysis with the web-based climate adaptation plans of forty-five coastal cities in developing countries as the primary data. Three primary findings emerge from this analysis. (1) A higher recognition of vulnerability does not guarantee translation into a higher number of adaptation responses. (2) Level of exposure to natural hazards is found to have a significant effect on the number of institutional measures planned by cities. (3) City size influences divergently on the vulnerability level and adaptive capacity. While the vulnerability level is not significantly different between groups of city size, the capacity for adaptation is notably different. These findings recommend for (1) an operational framework of vulnerability assessment to ensure the comparison between cities and the comprehensive inclusion of vulnerability dimensions, (2) advocacy for institutional measures in coastal adaptation to address rising exposure, and (3) a proportional resource distribution and assistance to small and large cities based on the adaptation needs that are determined by vulnerability level.