title: Vulnerability to climate variability and change in East Timor.
abstract: This paper presents the results of a preliminary study of climate vulnerability in East Timor. It shows the results of projections of climate change in East Timor. The country's climate may become hotter, drier, and increasingly variable. Sea levels are likely to rise. The paper then considers the implications of these changes on three natural resources--water, soils, and the coastal zone--and finds all to be sensitive to changes in climate and sea level. Changes in the abundance and distribution of these resources is likely to cause a reduction in agricultural production and food security, and sea-level rise is likely to damage coastal areas, including Dili, the capital city.
authors.affiliation: School of Social and Environmental Enquiry, University of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. jbarn@unimelb.edu.au
authors.forename: Jon
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Barnett
authors.forename: Suraje
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Dessai
authors.forename: Roger N
authors.initials: RN
authors.lastname: Jones
mesh_terms: D002980:Climate; D003198:Computer Simulation; D003247:Conservation of Natural Resources; D004190:Disasters; D006801:Humans; D015233:Models, Statistical; D009791:Oceanography / Q000379:methods*; D011891:Rain; D012987:Soil; D049648:Timor-Leste; D014867:Water
chemical_list: D012987:Soil; D014867:Water