BASE

Bottom up Adaptation Strategies for a Sustainable Europe

Towards a Marginal Adaptation Cost Curve for Health: A critical synthesis

This presentation of a paper, by BASE partners Tim Taylor, Aline Chiabai, Anil Markandya, Philip Staddon and Francesco Bosello was given at the DCE Science for the Environment conference.

 
Abstract
The inclusion of health impacts in top down models requires estimation of the adaptation cost curve. To date such curves have been based largely on ad-hoc assumptions as to the costs of adaptation based on parameterisation within models. Here we attempt to synthesise the existing literature on adaptation to the health impacts of climate change in Europe, including a wider range of impacts, such as heat impacts, food and water borne disease, flooding risks to health, mental health impacts and allergies. The objective is to extend the coverage of empirical work on adaptation in health to be included in the models. The potential to develop marginal adaptation cost curves in this context is discussed, as are potential difficulties for integration of such “bottom-up” data into global models, building on the example of AD-WITCH. 
 
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