Contributing Authors: Brenna Enright (Canada), Samuel Fankhauser (EBRD/Switzerland), James Ford (Canada), Simone Gigli (Germany), Simon Jetté-Nantel (Canada), Richard J.T. Klein (The Netherlands/Sweden), Irene Lorenzoni (UK), David C. Major (USA), Tristan D. Pearce (Canada), Arun Shreshtha (Nepal), Priyadarshi R. Shukla (India), Joel B. Smith (USA), Tim Reeder (UK), Cynthia Rosenzweig (USA), Katharine Vincent (UK), Johanna Wandel (Canada)

Assessment of adaptation practices, options, constraints and capacity

/pdf/mediterranean-water-resources-in-a-global-change-scenario-14eq62ys78.pdf

Mediterranean water resources in a global change scenario

Scientific findings forecast that one of the major consequences of human-induced climate change and global warming is a greater occurrence of extreme weather events with potentially catastrophic effects for organizations, industries, and society. Current management and adaptation approaches typically focus on economic factors of competition, such as technology and innovation. Although offering useful insights, these approaches are potentially ill equipped to deal with any increases in drastic changes in the natural environment. This article argues that discussions on organizational adaptation need to be broadened and that new conceptual and practical approaches are needed to incorporate the effects of climate change and a greater occurrence of weather extremes into corporate strategy and decision making. The authors advance the notion that a resilience framework might provide insights into dealing with new types of environmental change. They contend that by developing resilience, organizations can develop...

Beyond Adaptation: Resilience for Business in Light of Climate Change and Weather Extremes

Tourism is largely dependent on climatic and natural resources. For example, “warmer'' climates generally constitute preferred environments for recreation and leisure, and natural resources such as fresh water, biodiversity, beaches or landscapes are essential preconditions for tourism. Global environmental change threatens these foundations of tourism through climate change, modifications of global biogeochemical cycles, land alteration, the loss of non-renewable resources, unsustainable use of renewable resources and loss of biodiversity (Gossling and Hall, 2005). This has raised concerns that tourist flows will change to the advantage or disadvantage of destinations, which is of major concern to local and national economies, as tourism is one of the largest economic sectors of the world, and of great importance for many destinations. In consequence, an increasing number of publications have sought to analyse travel flows in relation to climatic and socio-economic parameters (e.g. Lise and Tol, 2001; Maddison, 2001; Christ et al., 2003; Hamilton et al., 2003; Hamilton and Tol, 2004). The ultimate goal has been to develop scenarios for future travel flows, possibly including “most at risk destinations'', both in economic and in environmental terms. Such scenarios are meant to help the tourist industry in planning future operations, and they are of importance in developing plans for adaptation.

/pdf/uncertainties-in-predicting-tourist-flows-under-scenarios-of-2buyvxp2ef.pdf

Uncertainties in predicting tourist flows under scenarios of climate change

Tourism is a major global economic sector that is undergoing tremendous growth in emerging economies and is often touted as salient for development and poverty alleviation in developing countries. Tourism is recognized as a highly climate-sensitive sector, one that is also strongly influenced by environmental and socioeconomic change influenced by climate change, and is also a growing contributor to anthropogenic climate change. This article outlines the complex interrelationships between climate change and the multiple components of the international tourism system. Five focal themes that have developed within the literature on the consequences of climate change for tourism are then critically reviewed: climatic change and temporal and geographic shifts in tourism demand, climate-induced environmental change and destination competitiveness within three major market segments (winter sports tourism, coastal tourism, and nature-based tourism), and mitigation policy developments and future tourist mobility. The review highlights the differential vulnerability of tourism destinations and that the resultant changes in competitiveness and sustainability will transform some international tourism markets. Feedbacks throughout the tourism system mean that all destinations will need to adapt to the risks and opportunities posed by climate change and climate policy. While notable progress has been made in the last decade, a number of important knowledge gaps in each of the major impact areas, key regional knowledge gaps, and both tourist and tourism operator perceptions of climate change risks and adaptive capacity indicate that the tourism sector is not currently well prepared for the challenges of climate change. WIREs Clim Change 2012. doi: 10.1002/wcc.165

This article is categorized under: 

Climate and Development > Decoupling Emissions from Development

International tourism and climate change

While corporate adaptation strategies in response to climate change have been characterized, the determinants of adaptation have not been comprehensively analyzed. Knowledge of these determinants is particularly useful for policy makers to provide favorable conditions in support of corporate adaptation measures. Based on unique data from a survey of Swiss ski lift operators, this paper empirically examines such determinants at the business level. Our econometric analysis with linear regression and count data models finds a positive influence of the awareness of possible climate change effects on the scope of corporate adaptation. Surprisingly, no significant influence of the vulnerability to climate change effects on the scope of adaptation could be found. Finally, the dependency on the affected business and the ability to adapt influence the specific strategic directions of corporate adaptation.

Determinants of corporate adaptation to climate change in winter tourism: An econometric analysis

Clearly, it should be emphasised that climate is only one of many factors influencing snow tourism. However, less snow threatens the winter tourism industry in mountain areas. Good snow conditions are a necessity, although that is not the only prerequisite for a financially viable mountain cable-way company. Without enough snow, however, profitable ski tourism will scarcely be possible. Mountains without snow are like summer without a sea. Apart from having sufficient snow at the right time and particularly during the Christmas/New Year holidays a key role is also played by the weather conditions (predominantly at the weekends). Since weekend and day guests are planning their trips at ever-shorter notice, it is not just the actual weather conditions that are a growing factor of influence, but the weather forecasts too.

Climate Change - Impacts on the Tourism Industry in Mountain Areas

Climate change and tourism in the Swiss Alps.

Mountain areas are sensitive to climate change. Implications of climate change can be seen, for example, in less snow, receding glaciers, melting permafrost and more extreme events like landslides. Furthermore, climate change will shift mountain flora and fauna. Second order impacts will occur in mountain agriculture, mountain hydropower and, of course, mountain tourism. However, climate change is a severe threat to snow related sports such as skiing, snowboarding and cross-country skiing. Lower earnings in winter tourism will reinforce economic disparities between urban areas and the less developed alpine regions. Additionally, the ski tourism industry will “climb” up the mountains to reach snow reliable areas at high altitude. This process will lead to a concentration of winter sport activities, and will put further pressure on the sensitive environment of high mountains.

/pdf/climate-change-and-winter-sports-environmental-and-economic-59qtt394bg.pdf

Climate change and winter sports: environmental and economic threats.

In einer reprasentativen Umfrage wird erstmals untersucht, wie die schweizerischen Seilbahnunternehmer den Klimawandel wahrnehmen, wie sie die moglichen Folgen einschatzen und wie sie gegebenenfalls darauf reagieren. Die Ergebnisse zeigen eindrucklich, dass die Seilbahnunternehmer die Herausforderung Klimaanderung ernst nehmen, dass gewisse Anpassungsmassnahmen langst umgesetzt wurden und viele weitere in Planung sind. Die Moglichkeiten, sich auf ein veranderndes Klima einzustellen, hangen nicht zuletzt von der Anpassungskapazitat ab und hierin konnen deutliche Unterschiede zwischen den kleineren und grosseren Unternehmen ausgemacht werden.

https://www.zora.uzh.ch/id/eprint/4987/3/Abegg_Kolb_Klimawandel_Seilbahnunternehmer_2008V.pdf

B Abegg

Papers

Determinants of corporate adaptation to climate change in winter tourism: An econometric analysis

Climate Change - Impacts on the Tourism Industry in Mountain Areas

Climate change and tourism in the Swiss Alps.

Climate change and winter sports: environmental and economic threats.

Klimawandel aus der Sicht der Schweizer Seilbahnunternehmer