Adaptation to climate change has become one of the focal points of current development discussion. This article summarises the findings from a multidisciplinary research project looking at climate change impacts and adaptation in the Mekong River Basin in Southeast Asia. The research highlights the central role that the hydrological cycle has in mediating climate change impacts on ecosystems and societies. The findings indicate that climate change should not be studied in isolation, as there are several other factors that are affecting the hydrological cycle. In the Mekong, the most important such factor is the on-going hydropower development that is likely to induce changes at least as radical as climate change, but with shorter timescales. The article concludes that climate change adaptation should broaden its view to consider environmental changes likely to occur due to different factors at various spatial and temporal scales. It is also important to recognise that climate change adaptation is a dynamic, development-orientated process that should consider also broader socio-political context. To enable this, we propose that an area-based adaptation approach should be used more actively to complement the dominant sector-based approaches.
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Research Article|
June 01 2010
Climate change and water resources in the Lower Mekong River Basin: putting adaptation into the context
M. Keskinen;
1Water and Development Research Group, Aalto University, P.O. Box 15200, 00076 AALTO, Finland
Tel.: +358 50 3824626 Fax: +358 9 47023856; E-mail: [email protected]
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S. Chinvanno;
S. Chinvanno
1Water and Development Research Group, Aalto University, P.O. Box 15200, 00076 AALTO, Finland
2Southeast Asia START Regional Center, Chulalongkorn University, Chulawich 1 Building, Bangkok 10330, Thailand
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M. Kummu;
M. Kummu
1Water and Development Research Group, Aalto University, P.O. Box 15200, 00076 AALTO, Finland
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P. Nuorteva;
P. Nuorteva
1Water and Development Research Group, Aalto University, P.O. Box 15200, 00076 AALTO, Finland
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A. Snidvongs;
A. Snidvongs
1Water and Development Research Group, Aalto University, P.O. Box 15200, 00076 AALTO, Finland
2Southeast Asia START Regional Center, Chulalongkorn University, Chulawich 1 Building, Bangkok 10330, Thailand
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O. Varis;
O. Varis
1Water and Development Research Group, Aalto University, P.O. Box 15200, 00076 AALTO, Finland
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K. Västilä
K. Västilä
1Water and Development Research Group, Aalto University, P.O. Box 15200, 00076 AALTO, Finland
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Journal of Water and Climate Change (2010) 1 (2): 103–117.
Article history
Received:
July 15 2009
Accepted:
January 14 2010
Citation
M. Keskinen, S. Chinvanno, M. Kummu, P. Nuorteva, A. Snidvongs, O. Varis, K. Västilä; Climate change and water resources in the Lower Mekong River Basin: putting adaptation into the context. Journal of Water and Climate Change 1 June 2010; 1 (2): 103–117. doi: https://doi.org/10.2166/wcc.2010.009
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