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Socio-economic information
 

Promoting the availability of information on the socio-economic aspects of climate change and improving the integration of socio-economic information into impact and vulnerability assessments.

For communities all over the world, socio-economic and natural conditions have changed over time, in some cases quite dramatically. As a result of these changes, vulnerability to climate change and the effectiveness of adaptation to it were affected as well. These shifts in the socio-economic structure of societies continue to pose risks and challenges to a great number of people. For example, increased population growth may place more people and property at risk from increased frequency or intensity of extreme climate events. On the other hand, economic growth and development may increase the wealth and the capacity of a community to withstand and adjust to future changes, thus reducing the measured impact compared to current circumstances.

Activities and deliverables under the second phase (2008-2010) include:

  • Technical paper reviewing the existing literature on the potential costs and benefits of adaptation options (FCCC/TP/2009/2) 
  • Submissions (available in document FCCC/SBSTA/2009/MISC.9/Rev.1) by Parties and organizations on efforts undertaken, including methods used to assess the costs and benefits of adaptation options, as well as their views on lessons learned, good practices, gaps and needs
  • Synthesis report on on efforts undertaken, including methods used to assess the costs and benefits of adaptation options based on the above submissions and other relevant sources (requested by the SBSTA before its thirty-second session, June 2010)
  • Technical workshop on costs and benefits of adaptation options (requested by the SBSTA before its thirty-second session, June 2010). Workshop report available in document FCCC/SBSTA/2010/9.

Activities and deliverables under the first phase (up to June 2008) included:

  • Submissions by Parties and relevant organizations
  • Expert meeting held in Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago, March 2008
 
Work in the area of socio-economic information can contribute to efforts by Parties and organizations to:
 
  1. Undertake stocktaking on what socio-economic information and approaches are available and in use;
  2. Consider what needs to be done to ensure better integration of socio-economic information into impact and vulnerability assessments.
 
 
Details of activities and deliverables under the first phase
Submissions

The SBSTA invited Parties and relevant organizations to submit to the secretariat, by 21 September 2007, information and views on matters relating to the availability of information on the socio-economic aspects of climate change and improving the integration of socio-economic information into impact and vulnerability assessments, including information on the development of socio-economic scenarios and for understanding adaptive capacity, including:

  • Existing approaches and available data
  • Needs, gaps, barriers and constraints
  • Ways and means to improve availability and access to relevant information, including information on costs and benefits, as well as its better integration into impact and vulnerability assessments

Submissions were received from seven Parties (Australia, Jamaica, Japan, Mexico, Portugal on behalf of the European Community and its Member States, the United States of America and Uzbekistan), two intergovernmental (ISDR and IPCC) and two non-governmental organizations (International Research Institute for Climate and Society and SustainUS). The submissions can be found below.

FCCC/SBSTA/2007/MISC.21 and Add.1
Information and views on socio-economic information. Submissions from Parties.

FCCC/SBSTA/2007/MISC.22
Information and views on socio-economic information. Submissions from relevant organizations.

Submissions from admitted non-governmental organizations

Expert meeting

The SBSTA requested the secretariat to organize, under the guidance of the Chair of SBSTA, an expert meeting, before its twenty-eighth session, on ways and means to improve the integration of socio-economic information into impact and vulnerability assessments, including as they relate to adaptation planning, taking into account the miscellaneous document mentioned above.

The expert meeting on socio-economic information took place in Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago from 10 to 12 March 2008. The agenda, presentations and results from the meeting are available on the Trinidad meeting page.

The meeting report is contained in document FCCC/SBSTA/2008/2.

 

 

Progress on implementation

Technical paper:  Potential costs and benefits of adaptation options: A review of existing literature.
FCCC/TP/2009/2

pdf-icon Spanish translation of the technical paper on costs and benefits (1239 kB)

Expert meeting on socio-economic information
Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago, 10-12 March 2008

Call for Action
on socio-economic information

pdf-icon Leaflet
on socio-economic information

 
Relevant resources

pdf-icon Background paper (1353 kB) on socio-economic scenarios based on the UNFCCC user manual

pdf-icon Spanish translation (268 kB) of background paper on socio-economic scenarios based on the UNFCCC user manual