Reducing hazard vulnerability: towards a common approach between disaster risk reduction and climate adaptation

Abstract

Over the past few decades, four distinct and largely independent research and policy communities--disaster risk reduction, climate change adaptation, environmental management and poverty reduction--have been actively engaged in reducing socio-economic vulnerability to natural hazards. However, despite the significant efforts of these communities, the vulnerability of many individuals and communities to natural hazards continues to increase considerably. In particular, it is hydro-meteorological hazards that affect an increasing number of people and cause increasingly large economic losses. Arising from the realisation that these four communities have been largely working in isolation and enjoyed only limited success in reducing vulnerability, there is an emerging perceived need to strengthen significantly collaboration and to facilitate learning and information exchange between them. This article examines key communalities and differences between the climate change adaptation and disaster risk reduction communities, and proposes three exercises that would help to structure a multi-community dialogue and learning process.

Navigating complexity through knowledge coproduction: Mainstreaming ecosystem services into disaster risk reduction

“…In many of these responses, enhancements of regulating services were a priority. Such responses are often referred to as ecosystembased adaptation approaches to climate change (7,52).…”

“…However, the complexities inherent in regulating services and disaster risk reduction limit progress in the mainstreaming of ecosystem services. These complexities include the multiple and dynamic ecosystem features, processes, and crossscale interactions associated with regulating services, as well as the social-ecological drivers, vulnerabilities, consequences, and actions involved in reducing the risk of disasters (40,51,52).…”

Impact of Integrating Disaster Risk Reduction Philosophies Into Infrastructure Reconstruction Projects in Sri Lanka

“…Accordingly, it is imperative that our future paradigm incorporates a broad scope of variables and considers the importance of vulnerability reduction through development and disaster management activities alike (McEntire et al 2002). Thomalla et al (2006) identify DRR as one of the four ways of reduction of vulnerability to natural hazards. Thus, it is evident that DRR should be aimed at vulnerability reduction.…”

VuWiki: An Ontology-Based Semantic Wiki for Vulnerability Assessments

“…They have been integrated as a key concept in central documents of global efforts and action plans to reduce disaster risk, such as the Hyogo Framework for Action (UNISDR 2005), and climate change impacts, such as the IPCC's Special Report on Managing the Risks of Extreme Events and Disasters to Advance Climate Change Adaptation (SREX) (IPCC 2012). Moreover, the assessment of vulnerability has increasingly become the touchpoint in the debate between research communities in climate change and disaster risk reduction (for example, Bohle et al 1994;Adger 1999;Kelly and Adger 2000;Thomalla et al 2006;Kienberger et al 2009;Birkmann et al 2013).…”