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UNU-EHS :: 2009 Summer Academy Recommends a “Hot System” Appr ...
2009 Summer Academy Recommends a “Hot System” Approach to Inform Decision-Makers on Intervention
The 2009 UNU-MRF Summer Academy on Social Vulnerability took place from 26 July to 1 August in Hohenkammer, Germany. Over twenty PhD researchers and experts from more than seventeen countries convened to address the potential of climate change triggered tipping points which could lead to humanitarian crises.
The Summer Academy intended to prepare an assessment plan for understanding the nature of tipping points of climate change related to forced migration and humanitarian crises, the potential vulnerability and impacts (including costing) and the range and effectiveness of adaptation strategies and measures. The participants produced a scoping paper to submit to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) prior to the meeting of the 2009 Conference of Parties (COP 15) United Nations Climate Change Conference and to inform the IPCC’s fifth report, due in 2012.
The scoping paper argues that a review and assessment of complex social and biophysical processes is necessary to identify “hot systems”. The hot systems approach focuses research on the relationship within and between biophysical and social processes to understand the manner in which a combination of events might result in a humanitarian crisis. This will enhance decision making and allow for more effective interventions.
Advancing the Science of Social Vulnerability
The Summer Academy on Social Vulnerability was established by the Munich Re Foundation (MRF) and the United Nations University Institute for Environment and Human Security (UNU-EHS). The long-term aim of the academy is to contribute in providing people with knowledge that they can use to reduce their vulnerability to environmental risks and improve their quality of life. The Summer Academy advances the science of social vulnerability in discussions of the “state of the art,” research needs, and strategies to address academic, policy, and practical knowledge gaps.
The Academy provides intensive interaction between PhD candidates, leading international experts and scholars in social vulnerability, as well as senior scientists from the United Nations University and Munich Re Foundation. The academy strives to overcome the limits of approaching social vulnerability from the confines of one academic discipline. This interdisciplinary approach allows participants to tap competency networks and comprehensive, practical approaches to vulnerability reduction.
For more information, papers, presentations, posters and pictures from the Summer Academy 2009, please refer to Presentations from Summer Academy 2009 for Download.