Transcript Disaster risk reduction

Integrating climate change adaptation in
disaster risk reduction
Module 1
Concepts in disaster risk reduction and
climate change adaptation
Welcome to e-Learning on integrating climate change
adaptation in disaster risk reduction!
This module is part of an e-Learning package on integrating climate change adaptation in
disaster risk reduction.
The package includes five modules:
1. Concepts in disaster risk reduction and climate change adaptation
2. Understanding vulnerability
3. Introduction to disaster risk reduction
4. Introduction to climate change adaptation
5. Guiding principles for integrating adaptation in disaster risk reduction
We recommend that you work through the modules in the specified order.
To access the other e-Learning modules, please visit the:
e-Learning Center - Integrating climate change adaptation in disaster risk reduction
NOTE: You will need a user name and password to access the e-Learning Center.
If you do not have an account, please contact: [email protected]
Who are the e-Learning modules for?
How were they developed?
The e-Learning modules are designed for disaster risk reduction (DRR) practitioners. This
includes practitioners within CARE, as well as our civil society and government partner
organizations.
They were developed by Raks Thai Foundation and CARE, with significant inputs from CARE
experts on climate change adaptation and disaster risk reduction, and most importantly from
practitioners engaged in DRR initiatives in Country Offices across the Asia Pacific Region, as
well as in Raks Thai Foundation.
Practitioner perspectives were gathered through two workshops. An initial workshop was
conducted to develop the overall framework and brainstorm on key content. In the second
workshop, the draft modules were tested and feedback was gathered. The current version
reflects inputs from both workshops.
The modules reflect CARE’s current thinking on integrating adaptation in DRR initiatives. They
should be considered as working versions. Our approach will be tested and refined as we
develop more experience in this area.
Please send any feedback on these modules to Bruce Ravesloot:
[email protected]
Introduction
You can move through the module at your own pace.
Climate change
We estimate that this module will take you approximately 1
hour to complete.
However, everyone learns at a different speed, so you should
feel comfortable moving at your own pace.
The map on the right helps you to track your progress through
the module. Where you are will be highlighted in orange.
We recommend that you go through the module in sequence,
however you will have the option of jumping forwards or
backwards by clicking on the map.
At any point, you can go back to
the previous slide by clicking the
back arrow.
Disaster risk
Disaster risk
reduction
Adaptation to
climate change
Vulnerability
Capacity
Resilience
Knowledge
Review
Use the forward arrow to move
through the module.
Throughout the module, you’ll find links to
key definitions and documents.
This e-Learning module is designed to be as clear and user-friendly as possible. So,
as we introduce different concepts, we’ll use simple language and examples to
promote understanding.
However, we will also provide links to ‘official’ definitions for those who prefer this
approach, as well as to documents that provide a more comprehensive overview.
Any time you see underlined text in the module, you can click to access the official
definition.
Links to documents will be indicated by an orange box:
Name of Document
Clicking on the document boxes will take you to an external website, so you’ll need to
be online to access these documents.
Are you ready?
Then let’s get started!
e-Learning Module 1:
Concepts in disaster risk reduction
and climate change adaptation
Introduction
Learning Objective for Module 1
Climate change
Disaster risk
The learning objective for this module is to build
understanding of concepts important to both DRR and climate
change adaptation.
Understanding these concepts is a key foundation for the
modules that follow.
The main concepts covered in this module are shown in the
map.
Disaster risk
reduction
Adaptation to
climate change
Vulnerability
Capacity
Resilience
Knowledge
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Introduction
What is climate change?
Climate change
Climate change is the term we use to describe a long-term
change in the climate, occurring due to natural variability
or as a result of human activity.
It’s important to understand the distinction between the
weather and the climate:
•
•
Weather is the conditions you experience (rain,
humidity, temperature). Weather can change on a
timeline of minutes, hours, days or seasons.
Climate is the average weather over the longer
term.
When we talk about climate change, we are talking
about changes in the average weather over a timeline
of decades or more.
Disaster risk
Disaster risk
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Vulnerability
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Resilience
Knowledge
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Introduction
Why is climate change happening?
Climate change
There is broad scientific consensus that the climate change
we are experiencing now is the result of human activities,
not natural climate variability.
The changes are caused by an increase in greenhouse gas
concentrations in the atmosphere.
Greenhouse gases include carbon dioxide and methane.
They occur naturally in the atmosphere and they are
important to maintaining the earth’s temperature.
However, in recent decades, with increasing
industrialization, human activities are releasing large
amounts of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere, which
is causing an overall increase in the earth’s average
temperature.
Disaster risk
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Here is a visual representation of the enhanced greenhouse
effect, which is causing climate change.
Introduction
Climate change
Disaster risk
Disaster risk
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Adaptation to
climate change
Vulnerability
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Resilience
Knowledge
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Images from: environment.act.gov.au
So the earth is getting warmer.
Why is this such a bad thing?
Introduction
Climate change
While the overall changes in the earth’s average temperature
may seem small, there are two major concerns.
The first is the rate of change – the global average
temperature is rising faster than at any other time in the
history of human civilization. This means it is very difficult to
predict how the global climate system will react. A lot of
scientists are working very hard to come up with models for
future climate scenarios, but we are facing an unprecedented
situation.
The second major concern is that a small change in average
global temperature has major consequences, including rising
sea levels, changing temperature and rainfall patterns and an
increase in the frequency and intensity of extreme weather
events.
The bottom line is that climate change is happening and it's
happening now. It's not a distant phenomenon that will
happen in some unknown future.
Climate in Peril:
A popular guide to the latest IPCC reports
Disaster risk
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Introduction
What does this mean for our work in disaster risk reduction?
Climate change
The impacts of climate change mean that climate-related
hazard events such as droughts, floods and cyclones are likely
to become more frequent and more severe.
This has direct and significant implications for many
dimensions of sustainable development, including food
security, access to water and health. As a result of these
challenges, there is potential for increased poverty, conflict
and migration.
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All of this leads to a situation where people, particularly poor
and marginalized groups, will be increasingly vulnerable to
shocks and stresses.
Resilience
This means that climate change increases both the probability
of hazard events and people’s vulnerability.
Knowledge
Review
Climate change makes disaster risk reduction even
more important.
Introduction
What do we mean by disaster risk?
Climate change
Disaster risk refers to the potential for losses due to disasters
over a specific period of time. These losses may include:
•
Injury, illness or loss of life
•
Destruction of property or assets
•
Interruption in services
•
Harm to or loss of livelihoods
•
Damage to ecosystems
•
Psycho-social impacts
The more likely a hazard event is to happen, the higher the
disaster risk.
Similarly, the more negative consequences a hazard event has,
the more risk it poses.
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Introduction
What kind of hazards are we concerned with?
Climate change
Hazards may occur due to natural causes or they may be the
result of human activities.
While recognizing the importance of conflict and other humaninduced hazards, we will focus here on natural hazards.
There are five types of natural hazards:
•
Geophysical, such as earthquakes and volcanic eruptions
•
Meteorological, such as tropical cyclones and other storms
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Hydrological, including different types of flooding
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Climatological, such as drought and extreme temperatures
•
Biological, such as epidemics or pest infestations
With the exception of geophysical, all of these types of
hazards are either directly or indirectly affected by
climate change.
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Vulnerability
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Knowledge
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Let’s consider disaster risk reduction,
which is the core of this learning process.
Introduction
Climate change
Disaster risk reduction (DRR) is an approach to reduce disaster
risks caused by hazard events. It refers to the practical actions
that society, communities or other stakeholders take to reduce
the risk of disasters.
DRR aims to reduce exposure to hazard events, to reduce
vulnerability, and to improve preparedness.
DRR actions may include:
•Reducing exposure to hazards
•Reducing vulnerability of people and property
•Improving land and environmental management
•Improving preparedness for hazard events
We will learn more about DRR in Module 3.
Disaster risk
Disaster risk
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Vulnerability
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Knowledge
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So disaster risk REDUCTION is an approach to reducing
disaster risks.
Where does disaster risk MANAGEMENT fit in?
Disaster risk management (DRM) is a strategic approach to
managing all types of disaster risks.
DRM looks at disasters from the perspective of organizations –
governments, NGOs or communities – and provides a
framework and strategy for managing the risk of disasters.
A disaster risk management policy, plan or strategy describes
HOW a particular organization will deal with disasters - before,
during and after a disaster occurs.
In the CARE context, Emergency Preparedness Plans are one
approach to DRM. We also work with local and national
governments and other stakeholders to support the
development of DRM plans.
Introduction
Climate change
Disaster risk
Disaster risk
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Adaptation to
climate change
Vulnerability
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Resilience
Knowledge
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Introduction
Let’s look at an example to make this relationship clearer.
Climate change
A local government authority has a disaster risk management
plan. This plan outlines how the authority will deal with
disasters, including how it will prepare for and respond to
hazards. It also describes how the authority will work with
others, including higher levels of government, NGOs and
community-based organizations.
As part of the preparedness component of the plan, the
authority identifies disaster risk reduction actions that may be
implemented by the authority, by local NGOs or by the
communities governed by the authority.
We’ll look at DRR in more detail in Module 3.
Disaster risk
Disaster risk
reduction
Adaptation to
climate change
Vulnerability
Capacity
Resilience
Knowledge
Review
Now that we’ve got a good grasp of DRR concepts,
let’s consider adaptation to climate change.
Introduction
Climate change
Adaptation to climate change is a process of reducing
vulnerability to the current and future impacts of climate
change.
The negative impacts of climate change exhibit themselves as
hazards. However, in some cases, climate change impacts may
also present opportunities, and so adaptation can also involve
taking advantage of these opportunities.
Unfortunately, in vulnerable communities in developing
countries, the impacts of climate change are largely negative.
This means that adaptation is often about managing the
impacts of hazards.
We’ll discuss climate change adaptation in more detail in
Module 4.
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Disaster risk
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climate change
Vulnerability
Capacity
Resilience
Knowledge
Review
If both adaptation and DRR are about managing hazards,
are they the same thing?
Introduction
Climate change
There are a lot of synergies between DRR and adaptation, but
they have different entry points.
DRR addresses all types of hazards, and focuses on reducing the
risk of disaster caused by hazard events.
Adaptation is focused on climate-related hazards. This includes
events such as droughts, floods and cyclones. It also includes
changing conditions, such as changes in temperature over time or
shifts in the timing of the rainy season.
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Vulnerability
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We’ll explore the synergies and differences between adaptation
and DRR in more detail in Module 5.
REFLECTION
What kinds of hazards affect the communities you work
with?
Are they climate-related?
Resilience
Knowledge
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Introduction
Let’s look at the very important concept of vulnerability.
Climate change
Vulnerability can be defined simply as the propensity or
predisposition to be adversely affected.
DRR is focused on reducing vulnerability to disasters.
The degree of vulnerability determines the extent of
negative effects a hazard event has on a community, an
asset or an ecosystem.
From a DRR perspective, vulnerability is considered in
terms of the human, social, financial, natural and
political factors that may increase the potential
negative effects caused by hazard events.
Disaster risk
Disaster risk
reduction
Adaptation to
climate change
Vulnerability
Capacity
Resilience
Knowledge
Review
Adaptation also focuses on reducing vulnerability, but in this
approach the concern is vulnerability to climate change.
Introduction
Climate change
Adaptation focuses on reducing vulnerability to climate
change.
From this perspective, vulnerability is determined by:
 The degree of exposure to climate change impacts
 Sensitivity to those impacts
 Capacity to take advantage of any opportunities
presented, and to manage the negative impacts –
this is called adaptive capacity
We’ll explore the concept of vulnerability in more
depth in Module 2.
Disaster risk
Disaster risk
reduction
Adaptation to
climate change
Vulnerability
Capacity
Resilience
Knowledge
Review
Introduction
One way to reduce vulnerability is by increasing capacity.
Climate change
Capacity refers to the combination of all the strengths,
attributes and resources available within a community,
organization or society that can be used to achieve agreed
goals.
Like vulnerability, capacity has a range of different dimensions,
including human, social, financial, natural and political
elements.
A significant element of climate change adaptation is focused
on increasing adaptive capacity, which can be understood
simply as the ability to adjust to climate change. Adaptive
capacity also has human, social, financial, natural and political
dimensions. The higher people’s adaptive capacity, the more
able they are to manage the negative impacts of climate
change. This implies an ability to manage uncertainty.
More capacity means less vulnerability.
Disaster risk
Disaster risk
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Vulnerability
Capacity
Resilience
Knowledge
Review
Resilience is another important concept in
both DRR and adaptation.
Introduction
Climate change
Disaster risk
In the context of climate change and disasters, resilience
refers to the ability of a household, community or society
to cope with the effects of a hazard.
If a household is resilient, it means it can recover from the
effects of a hazard in a timely and efficient way. This could
mean a recovery in terms of health, quality of life or
finances, for example.
Disaster risk
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Vulnerability
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The concept of resilience implies that the household can
return to the state it was in before the hazard event
occurred. However, the concept is increasingly understood
to have a greater scope, to promote the idea of “bouncing
back better”.
Resilience
Knowledge
Review
We have already discussed adaptive capacity.
Is this the same thing as resilience?
Introduction
Climate change
Resilience and adaptive capacity are similar concepts, and
they are sometimes used interchangeably.
Resilience is about coping with the effects of hazards. It is
about bouncing back, ideally in a way that enhances the
ability to manage future hazards.
Adaptive capacity is about adapting – managing the effects of
the hazard. Adaptation implies not just bouncing back, but
managing uncertain and dynamic hazards in a way that allows
improvement in well-being over time.
We can think of this as a kind of continuum.
Vulnerability
Adaptive capacity
Resilience
Disaster risk
Disaster risk
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Adaptation to
climate change
Vulnerability
Capacity
Resilience
Knowledge
Review
Introduction
Let’s review the key learning points for this module.
Climate change
• Climate change makes disaster risk reduction even more
important.
• With the exception of geophysical hazards, climate change
affects all types of natural hazards.
Disaster risk
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Adaptation to
climate change
• Vulnerability to climate change and disasters:
• Depends on exposure to hazards.
• Is determined by human, social, physical, natural,
political and financial factors.
• Varies within communities and even within households.
• More capacity means less vulnerability.
Vulnerability
Capacity
Resilience
Knowledge
Review
Introduction
Ready to review your knowledge?
Climate change
In this module, we’ve explored a number of important
concepts and the relationships between them.
Next, you’ll have a chance to review your knowledge
before moving on to the next module.
Disaster risk
Disaster risk
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climate change
Ready?
If you feel you’re ready for the knowledge review, click on
the forward arrow.
Vulnerability
Capacity
Not quite there yet?
If you’d like to go through any of the concepts again before
moving on to the knowledge review, click on the
appropriate box in the map.
Resilience
Knowledge
Review
Introduction
Knowledge Review
Question 1
Climate change
Are adaptation and disaster risk reduction the same
thing?
YES,
they are
the same
thing
NO,
they are
similar, but
there are
important
differences
Disaster risk
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Adaptation to
climate change
I’m still not
clear on
how they
fit together
Vulnerability
Capacity
Resilience
Click on the appropriate box to indicate your answer.
Knowledge
Review
Knowledge Review
Question 2
Introduction
Climate change
Disaster risk
TRUE OR FALSE?
Exposure to hazards is the main determinant of
vulnerability to climate change and disasters.
Disaster risk
reduction
Adaptation to
climate change
Vulnerability
TRUE
FALSE
Capacity
Resilience
Knowledge
Review
Click on the appropriate box to indicate your answer.
Congratulations! You’ve completed Module 1.
We hope that you have found this to be a useful learning
experience.
To access the other e-Learning modules, please visit the:
e-Learning Center - Integrating climate change adaptation
in disaster risk reduction
NOTE: You will need a user name and password to access
the e-Learning Center.
If you do not have an account, please contact:
[email protected]
Thank you for your participation!
You can exit the module by pressing the Esc key.