Linking climate change adaptation and disaster risk reduction

The climate change adaptation and disaster risk reduction communities have many similar aims and could benefit each other. But so far they have largely operated in isolation from each other. This situation must change to bring about a comprehensive risk management approach that can tackle global climate change.

As global climatechange escalates, the risk of extreme events such as floods, droughts andsevere storms increases. Changing climatic conditions can also create newhazards. A report from Tearfund,  and the Institute of Development Studies, bothin the UK, considers how the climate change adaptation and disaster riskreduction (DRR) communities can work together to respond to these challenges.

Climate changeadaptation is an adjustment in natural or human systems in response to actualor expected climatic changes or their effects. These adjustments can be to reduce harm or to exploit opportunities. DRR is thedevelopment and application of policies and practices that minimise the risks ofdisasters and reduce people’s vulnerabilities.

Adaptation and DRR havesimilar aims – to build people’s resilience in the face of hazards. There are alsoimportant differences to note; DRR includes non-climatic disasters such asearthquakes, and adaptation addresses the longer-term impacts of climaticchange, such as the loss of biodiversity.

Policymakers,experts and practitioners in thesetwo sectors can learn a lot from each other. DRR experts should considerclimate change when developing sustainable policies. The adaptation community candraw on the DRR community-based approach focusing on vulnerable poor people. Furtherbenefits of increased collaboration and communication include:

• reduced climate-relatedlosses through more widespread implementation of DRR measures linked withadaptation
• moreefficient use of financial, human and natural resources
• increasedeffectiveness and sustainability of both adaptation and DRR approaches.

A lack ofcoordination between adaptation and DRR communities has been evident ininternational policy processes to date, such as the negotiations under theUnited Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). The authorsrecommend closer collaboration when governments negotiateon adaptation in the post-2012 climate change UNFCCC framework – the second commitmentperiod of the Kyoto Protocol.

Both communities canincrease their mutual understanding through greater communication, informationsharing and collaboration. Recommendations specific to the adaptation community include:

• use theguidance of the Hyogo Framework for Action to assist a comprehensiverisk-reducing approach to climate change adaptation
• ensurethat there is a strong focus on DRR in adaptation policies under the post-2012framework, for example using DRR tools when dealing with weather-related events
• work with the DRRcommunity to focus on the socioeconomic and political dimensions of managingclimate risks, and to ensure that adaptation is informed by community-basedexperiences.

Specificrecommendations for the DRRcommunity include:

• demonstrateand promote the role of DRR in climate change adaptation policies and practiceat all levels, making information and tools accessible
• ensure that all DRRpolicies, measures and tools account for new risks and the aggravation ofexisting risks posed by climate change.