Transcript Climate Change Adaptation and Disaster Risk Reduction

CCA & DRR
Some Myths, Assumptions, Realities&Challenges
Launch of GOJ/EU/UNEP Climate Change Adaptation
and Disaster Risk Reduction Project & Communication
and Public Education Campaign
Remarks
FJMcDonald, Visiting Scholar,YorkU
WORLD MET DAY 2012
''Climate Change: We have to change''
"Climate change is expected to cause more
severe and more frequent natural hazards.
As our cities and coasts grow more
vulnerable, these hazards can lead to
disasters that are far worse than those we
have seen to date. We have a moral, social
and economic obligation to build resilience
by 2015. Implementing the Hyogo
Framework for Action will also help us
reach the Millennium Development Goals."
Ban Ki-moon, Secretary-General of the United Nations,
2007
Overview. DRR and CCA
• There is significant convergence and synergy
between current initiatives to address disaster
related capacity including risk reduction, the
sustainability challenges and climate change
adaptation.
• Managing risk, coping with disasters and shifting
to sustainable (low carbon or carbon neutral)
paths to development are significant societal,
economic and cultural challenges by themselves,
• Climate change risks complicate the planning &
implementation of risk, crisis focussed and
sustainability agendas and active awareness
building and facilitation at all levels is required.
• “Natural Hazard / Risk Reduction” networks exist
predating the emergence of CC as a global
threat.
• DRR / ISDR stakeholders have sought to expand
the knowledge base into human behaviour /
societal responses to risk and to both coping
and adaptation mechanisms. Research,
innovative knowledge networks, capacity
building is required at all levels
• Human coping with risks go beyond the range of
climate change!
• Jamaica is exposed to a range of significant
threats from NON HYDROMET (incl seismic)
hazards!!
• The CCA/DRR actors and stakeholders therefore
need to recognize that focusing only on
Hydromet events is RISKY.
CCA and DRR overlap on Hydrometeorological
Events?
4
Jan 2010 Quake
Regional Setting + UN Capacity Challenge
Natural hazards in the Caribbean
From: Munich Re, 2002.
Myth No 1
Risk Reduction is an area of total SUCCESS?
Systems and Capacities for addressing
UNCERTAINTY and RISK are not yet
fully or adequately developed.
INDIAN OCEAN TSUNAMI 2004
Hurricane KATRINA 2006
Financial System 2008
Iceland Volcanic Episode / Civil Aviation
2010
Great Tohoku Earthquake,Tsunami, &
Nuclear Crisis 2011
Hurricane IVAN 2004 / Haiti Quake 2010
Myth No 2
DRR/HFA Targets will be attained by 2015
The UNISDR HFA Framework / Process has
seen the strengthening of many ongoing
initiatives, and much new work.
National and Regional Platforms which have
the potential to create Resilience across
exposed communities + vulnerable sectors
remain low priorities in many jurisdictions.
The Caribbean National and Regional
Platforms
Myth No 3
Climate Change may not be a fact or as
serious a threat as forecast

The Global Scientific Community /
IPCC has continued to accrete
evidence to support the CC
projections and today's proceedings
will elaborate on their implications for
Jamaica, the Caribbean and human
society?
Managing the risks: Sea Level Rise (SLR) in tropical
Small Island Developing States
Risk Factors

Wetland and
Ecosystem change,
shoreline erosion

Risk
Management/
Adaptation

Early warning
systems (Met)
Coastal Inundation


Salt water Intrusion

Coastal
Populations
Maintenance of
Drainage (Parishes
/ Works)

Protection of
assets / lifelines
Insurance +
Regional risk
pooling)

Retreat
/relocation

Tourism
Economies
Myth No 4
CC, Mitigation, Adaptation , and DRR can be left to the
scientists or public sector or the next generation?
Resilience and capacity building related to
these challenges require complex, joined up
actions, innovative approaches, based on
SOUND SCIENCE, and foresighting to
change human, corporate and societal
behavior.
 Just as war is said to be too important to be
left to generals it has been suggested that
CCA is far too important to be left to
scientists & DRR is too important to be left
to Emergency + Civil Defence entities and
Humanitarian organisations ?

Prof Ian Davis.. A Societal “Safety” Chain could include ..
The strategies that can help manage disaster risk now and also help
improve people’s livelihoods and well-being are outside of the
traditional remit of Emergency offices?
The
most effective strategies offer development benefits in the relatively near
term and reduce vulnerability over the longer term
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“Capacity Development”
Enable Supportive
Policy, Legal &
Institutional
Frameworks
Complexity
Society
Organization
Improve Structures,
Mechanisms &
Procedures
Increase Skills &
Knowledge
Individual
Time
• The traditional Disaster/Emergency management agenda is
influenced by a “response / relief” focus and is regarded by
many as too REACTIVE
• Risk reduction / climate change adaptation and resilience
building require a PROACTIVE culture , the ability to engage
the planning / development community; effective narrow and
broadcasting of sensitively designed and packaged
information. Bridging / uniting these cultures requires
sensitive joined up action and structured plans.
• The partners in this activity cluster, UNEP, the EU the GOJ
agencies will have taken a challenge and deserve all the
support possible from citizens, civil society and the private
sector!
• The services of ‘’translators’’, champions, cultural icons,
trusted / honest brokers from the media and other
professional backgrounds will also facilitate the change
implied in the Theme for World Met Day
Thank you
Gracias
Merci
[email protected]
5/20/2011