Transcript Harmonization of DRR and CCA_by Z Willison

Harmonization of DRR and
Climate Change Adaptation
Zenaida Delica-Willison
South-South Disaster Risk Reduction Advisor
Calabanga, Bicol, Philippines 23 November 2010
Number of disasters and people
affected increasing
Source: Thirty Years of Natural Disasters 1974-2003: The Numbers
Disasters:
Disasters are unmanaged risks, a development
issue. When a hazard hit a population with high
vulnerabilities and low capacities, then disaster
may occur. If the localities can not manage the
hazard by themselves and they need outside
assistance, disaster occurs
Natural hazards are potential disasters if they are
not managed locally
Disasters:
Climate change is one of the most important
challenges for social development and human
security of our time.
Climate change is a climate risk and one of the
biggest disaster risks.
Climate Change
What is climate change?
• The alterations of the earth’s atmosphere
-- climate warming
-- more frequent and intense extreme weather
events
Climate Change:
Where are we now?
• Our planet is warming:
--increase in global average air and ocean
temperature
--widespread melting of snow and ice
--rise in global mean sea levels
Emission of increased quantities of greenhouse
gases (GHG) have played a significant role in CC
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Climate Change:
What are the consequences?
--changes in precipitation
--more frequent and severe flooding
--rises in temperature and their effects – snow
melting, GLOF
--rising sea levels—salinisation
--more intense and prolong droughts
Climate Change:
Who are mostly affected?
-- the poorest – making livelihoods and living
condition more vulnerable to shocks and other
hazards.
-- the entire society
-- global
Climate Change:
What to do? How do we deal with CC?
CC Mitigation
CC Adaptation
Climate Change:
CC Mitigation refers to efforts to reduce or stabilize
GHG emissions.
CC Adaptation is about coping and dealing with the
consequences of changing climate Adjustment in
natural or human systems in response to actual
or expected climatic stimuli or their effects, which
moderates harm or exploits beneficial
opportunities. (IPCC)
Disaster Risk Reduction
• The conceptual framework to minimize or reduce
vulnerabilities throughout a society
-- to avoid (prevention) or to limit (mitigation and
preparedness) the adverse impacts of hazards, within
the broad context of sustainable development.
Climate change is one of the of the disaster risks and
therefore is a major concern for DRR
Why Harmonization of Climate
Adaptation and Disaster Risk
Reduction?
DRR and CCA are supported by two entirely different sets of
institutions, individuals, methodologies and policy frameworks.
In particular the rapidly emerging area of climate change
adaptation science come on the scene quite unrelated to the
ongoing work on disaster risk reduction.
Discrepancies range from the intellectual development of the
fields to implementation of risk reduction measures.
Global interest in the issue has exploded over the
last two decades, as consequences become
more discernable and science more certain.
It does not matter that climate change adaptation
and disaster risk reduction deal with two different
types of risk: it is reducing that risk that is a
common objective.
•
A global policy framework has been designed and
implemented under the auspices of the UN since the early
1990s to lay out rules for reducing greenhouse gas emissions
and monitoring this reduction
International Climate Change Processes
IPCC
Inter-governmental Panel on
Climate Change
• comprising 2500 scientists worldwide
• assessment report led to development
of the UNFCCC
Only GHG mitigation mechanism
for developing countries
UNFCCC
United Nations Framework
Convention on Climate Change
1992
mitigation and adaptation
KYOTO PROTOCOL
Signed 1997, took effect 2004
Creates 3 mechanisms for mitigation
CDM: Clean
Development
Mechanism
Joint
Implementation
Emissions
Trading
IPCC: Understanding the problem
2500+ scientists : human influence on climate
greenhouse gases (GHG) accumulated in
atmosphere since industrialization (1867) from
burning of fossil fuels and deforestation.
Projected:
• Temperature increase up to 6.4ºC
• Sea-level rise from 50 to 95 cm.
• Increase in extreme events: drought, storms,
floods
• Current is warmest period
IPCC
• 1979: First World Climate Conference
• 1988: Intergovernmental Panel on Climate change
(IPCC) was established by UNEP and WMO
• May 1992: United Nations Framework Convention on
Climate Change was signed by 154 countries
• December 1987: COP 3 adopted the Kyoto Protocol
• 2007: IPCC issues the Fourth Assessment Report
• December 2007: COP 13 called for enhanced action on
adaptation
The Bali Action Plan calls for:
“Disaster reduction strategies and means to address loss and
damage associated with climate change impacts in developing
countries that are particularly vulnerable to the adverse effects of
climate change”
The inclusion of disaster risk reduction reflects:
• Recognition that climate change adaptation should benefit from
experience in reducing disaster risk
• Opportunity to build synergies: e.g., disseminate existing tools, scaleup successful risk reduction efforts
• A shift in the climate negotiations to integrate the agendas on
mitigation, adaptation, technology transfer and funding
1990-1999: International Decade for
Natural Disasters Reduction
 Scientific understanding of natural disasters
 Assessment of their damage potential
 Mitigation and reduction of damage through
technical assistance, technology transfer,
education and training
2005-2015: Hyogo Framework for
Acton (HFA)
 Building the resilience of Nations and
Communities to disasters
 ISDR Secretariat: focal point with UN for
coordination and harmonization of policies
and strategies for DRR
For both CC and DR
• Risk is socially constructed.
• Poverty, inequality and disempowerment breed vulnerability
that increases disaster risk.
• Development that doesn’t consider environmental impacts in
the planning process can create or increase disaster risk, which
negates positive effects of development.
• Disasters can be seen as politically attractive as they sell an
image of efficiency in emergency response.
South-South Citizenry based
Development Academy



Designed for learning on how to make
communities resilient and resistant to disasters
and how to adapt to climate change
Sharing of experiences, tools and resources
by communities to communities and CBDRM
practitioners
Concept – all are teachers and students or all
are learners.
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DRR project reducing climate related risks
“Benenain River Cluster Project” in Indonesia
People depends
their livelihoods
on this river, but
more and more
risky.
Flash Floods
annually hit the
down stream
communities
Community Action Plan
 Construction of elevated
wells + latrines + hygiene
promotions
 Pilot: elevated pig barns
 Trees plantings (e.g.
bamboo, mangroves)
 River banks: rehabilitation
and village regulation
 Provide and re-promote
elevated houses
Adaptation project reducing disaster risks
Haor areas in Bangladesh
• Climate resilient land use
practices to cope with
climate-induced risks
(flashfloods)
– Adaptive cropping of short
cycled winter rice crops
and non-rice crops
– Farming system
development in sandy soil
rice suitable for the haor region of Bangladesh
LOCAL
PRACTICE
There is a significant
gap between national
and local level action
NATIONAL POLICY
Convergence of Adaptation and DRR
Goal:
– Resilient communities within the context of
sustainable development to achieve wellbeing
Strategy:
– Vulnerability reduction and climate risk
management
Common agenda:
climate risk management
 Hyogo Framework for Action in 2005: provided
guidance to the integration of adaptation and
DRR through:
– identification of climate related risks
– design of risk reduction measures
– improved use of climate risk information
Challenges
 Lack of synergy between Adaptation and DRR
– Terminology and definition of terms (vulnerability,
risks, adaptation and mitigation)
– Governance and institutional mechanisms (HFA,
Kyoto Protocol)
– Time horizon and formulation of interventions
– Lack of integrated framework and approaches to
manage climate risks
 Lack of capacity
 Lack of funds
Opportunities for harmonizing DRR and
adaptation
 Inclusion of DRR in the negotiating text
 Movement towards mainstreaming DRR and
adaptation in development agenda
 Movement towards creating synergy between
Adaptation and DRR, ie. Harbin Alliance
 Rich experiences of the DRR groups that
illustrate how a good disaster risk reduction
project can be used in adaptation
Recommendation:
• Coordination between ministries, platforms, policies and
processes at national and sub-national level
•
Agreement to ensure joined up approach to integrating
adaptation and DRR into development planning and
programming
•
On-going, systematic dialogue, information exchange
and joint working between climate change and disaster
reduction bodies, focal points and experts
The End