Climate challenges, vulnerabilities, and food security

Margaret Nelson, Scott E. Ingram, Andrew J. Dugmore, Richard Streeter, Matthew Peeples, Thomas H. McGovern, Michelle Hegmon, Jette Arneborg, Keith Kintigh, Seth Brewington, Katherine A. Spielmann, Ian A. Simpson, Colleen Strawhacker, Laura E L Comeau, Andrea Torvinen, Christian K. Madsen, George Hambrecht, Konrad Smiarowski

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

118 Scopus citations

Abstract

This paper identifies rare climate challenges in the long-term history of seven areas, three in the subpolar North Atlantic Islands and four in the arid-to-semiarid deserts of the US Southwest. For each case, the vulnerability to food shortage before the climate challenge is quantified based on eight variables encompassing both environmental and social domains. These data are used to evaluate the relationship between the "weight" of vulnerability before a climate challenge and the nature of social change and food security following a challenge. The outcome of this work is directly applicable to debates about disaster management policy.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)298-303
Number of pages6
JournalProceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America
Volume113
Issue number2
DOIs
StatePublished - Jan 12 2016

Keywords

  • Climate challenge
  • Disaster management
  • History
  • Prehistory
  • Vulnerability

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • General

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