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Anthropogenic climate change and glacier lake outburst flood risk: local and global drivers and responsibilities for the case of lake Palcacocha, Peru
- Source :
- Natural Hazards and Earth System Sciences, Vol 20, Pp 2175-2193 (2020)
- Publication Year :
- 2020
- Publisher :
- Copernicus Publications, 2020.
-
Abstract
- Evidence of observed negative impacts on natural and human systems from anthropogenic climate change is increasing. However, human systems in particular are dynamic and influenced by multiple drivers and hence identifying an anthropogenic climate signal is challenging. Here we analyze the case of lake Palcacocha in the Andes of Peru, which offers a representative model for other glacier lakes and related risks around the world because it features a dynamic evolution of flood risk driven by physical and socioeconomic factors and processes. Furthermore, it is the object of a prominent climate litigation case, wherein a local Peruvian citizen sued a large German energy producer over risk of flooding from lake Palcacocha. Adopting a conceptual model of cascading impacts and multiple drivers of risk, we first study climatic and other geophysical drivers of flood risk. We find that an anthropogenic signal from flood risk to greenhouse gas emissions is traceable. In parallel, flood risk has been strongly shaped (and increased) by interacting socioeconomic, institutional and cultural processes over the past few decades. The case raises important questions about the differentiation of responsibilities relating to flood risk of both global and local agents, which are, however, difficult to address in cases like Palcacocha, where we reveal a complex network of interlinked global, national and local drivers. Following from this, we outline a normative framework with a differentiated perspective on responsibility, implying that global emitters commit to support strengthening capacities in affected regions and localities and that local institutions and societies engage in local risk reduction measures and policies in collaboration with and driven by local communities.
- Subjects :
- Human systems engineering
010504 meteorology & atmospheric sciences
media_common.quotation_subject
0208 environmental biotechnology
02 engineering and technology
Outburst flood
010501 environmental sciences
01 natural sciences
Natural (archaeology)
lcsh:TD1-1066
11. Sustainability
910 Geography & travel
lcsh:Environmental technology. Sanitary engineering
lcsh:Environmental sciences
media_common
0105 earth and related environmental sciences
lcsh:GE1-350
Flood myth
business.industry
Flooding (psychology)
Global warming
Environmental resource management
1900 General Earth and Planetary Sciences
lcsh:QE1-996.5
lcsh:Geography. Anthropology. Recreation
020801 environmental engineering
lcsh:Geology
Geography
10122 Institute of Geography
lcsh:G
13. Climate action
Greenhouse gas
Conceptual model
General Earth and Planetary Sciences
business
Subjects
Details
- Language :
- English
- ISSN :
- 16849981 and 15618633
- Volume :
- 20
- Database :
- OpenAIRE
- Journal :
- Natural Hazards and Earth System Sciences
- Accession number :
- edsair.doi.dedup.....3e904bd0e0cb1f3203b6d014c738728a