Humans are nothing if not adaptive. Yet climate change poses substantial challenges, such as rising sea levels and increasing temperatures, especially in built-up urban areas where the majority of the global population live.

Jessica Hellmann, Institute on the Environment director and an expert in climate change adaptation, along with researchers from the University of Notre Dame and Carnegie Mellon University, has edited a special volume of the journal Environmental Science and Policy that examines the barriers to adaptation faced by cities. The collection of papers explores ways that cities can identify their climate change risks and track their adaptation progress. A summary of the collection was published October 7 in Science Direct; the collection will be published in a special issue in December.

The special issue will include 12 articles on a range of topics related to urban adaptation, examining both problems and solutions. For example, one article looks at ways for adapting urban forests; another explores strategies for building new buildings in the urban environment; and one measures the gap of urban adaptation in cities to show the adaptation work that is needed in urban areas.

The articles will “demonstrate significant advancements in the field as well as opportunities to advance knowledge in addressing urban climate impacts,” write the special issue editors.

Photo by Mohmed Althani (Flickr/Creative Commons)