Climate Smart Disaster Risk Management ApproachAn Overview

Maggie IbrahimInstitute of Development Studiesm.ibrahim@ids.ac.uk

Outline

1. Why a Climate Smart Disaster Risk Management Approach?

2. Overview of the Development of the Approach

3. The Three Pillars of the Approach

4. Lessons from in-depth field research

1. Why a Climate Disaster Risk Management Approach?

Why a ‘Climate-Smart Approach to Disaster Risk Management’?

• The type, frequency and intensity of extreme events are expected to change as Earth’s climate changes (IPCC 2007)

• This is delivering a catalogue of disaster shocks and livelihoods stresses to the poorest and most vulnerable countries and communities.

• Development efforts at all scales must become resilient to climate change and disasters in ways that appreciate increasing uncertainty.

2. Overview of the Development of the Approach

Overview of the Development of the Approach• Development of the approach through: national and regional consultations with more than 500

practitioners, policy makers and academics in 10 at risk countries in South East Asia, South Asia and East Africa

3 cases studies (Mekong River Commission; Orissa State; Post-disaster housing reconstruction in Sri Lanka)

UK Consultation and Expert Review Meeting

• Together we identified 3 key pillars:

I. Tackle Changing Disaster Risk and Uncertainties

II.Enhance Adaptive Capacity

III.Address Poverty, Vulnerability and their Structural Causes

3. The Three Pillars of the Approach

Pillar I. Tackle Changing Disaster Risk and Uncertainties

Pillar I: Tackle Changing Disaster Risk and Uncertainties

1a: Strengthen collaboration and integration between diverse stakeholders working on disasters, climate and development

1b: Periodically assess the effects of climate change on current and future disaster risks and uncertainties

1c: Integrate knowledge of changing risks and uncertainties into planning, policy and programme design to reduce the vulnerability and exposure of people’s lives and livelihoods

1d: Increase access of all stakeholders to information and support services concerning changing disaster risks, uncertainties and broader climate impacts

Pillar II: Enhance Adaptive Capacity

• Adaptive capacity - our ability to manage and create sustainable change.

• Promoting adaptive capacity for social systems means that institutions and networks learn and use knowledge and experience, integrate uncertainty, accept non- equilibrium, create flexibility in problem solving and balance power among interest groups.

• From our literature review (Bahadur et al, 2010) we have identified 10 characteristics of resilience which promote adaptive capacity.

Pillar II: Enhance Adaptive Capacity Cont

High Levels of Diversity Flexible and Effective Institutions Cross Scalar Perspective Integrating Uncertainty Ensuring Community Involvement Promoting Equity Accepting Non- Equilibrium Promoting Learning Preparedness, Planning &

Readiness Social Values and Structures

2a: Strengthen the ability of people, organisations and networks to experiment and innovate

2b: Promote regular learning and reflection to improve the implementation of policies and practices

2c: Ensure policies and practices to tackle changing disaster risk are flexible, integrated across sectors and scale and have regular feedback loops

2d: Use tools and methods to plan for uncertainty and unexpected events

Pillar III: Address Poverty, Vulnerability and their Structural Causes • Turned to the MDGs which highlight agreed goals for

poverty reduction.• Sought to include key drivers of poverty: social, political,

economic &climatic processes.

• Incorporated notion ofcontinuum ofadaptation.

• Low greenhouse gases &Sustainability.

McGray et al. 2007

Pillar III: Address Poverty, Vulnerability and their Structural Causes

3a: Promote more socially just and equitable economic systems

3b: Forge partnerships to ensure the rights and entitlements of people to access basic services, productive assets and common property resources

3c: Empower communities and local authorities to influence the decisions of national governments, NGOs, international and private sector organisations and to promote accountability and transparency

3d: Promote environmentally sensitive and climate smart development

4. Lesson from in-depth field research

Lessons from in-depth field research – Integrating New Knowledge• Fieldwork in Cambodia, India and Sri Lanka

• Integrating climate scenarios requires access to climatological information and data. Independent intermediaries needed.

• Numerous entry points for a CSDRM approach. Building on existing programmes and policies offers opportunities to identify champions and to create tools and procedures that are grounded in local realities.

Lessons from in-depth field research – Ways of Working• Promoting the integration requires a range of ‘soft’

skill-sets. This way of working will require staff investment and must be understood in terms of building people’s capabilities to create change.

• A certain level of independence is required to be flexible and innovate. Donors, governments and business should support independence and ensure accountability measures are in place and maintained.

Lessons from in-depth field research - Part Rights and Access• Dialogue and access to decision making are critical at

all levels. Creating spaces for a range of stakeholders to access information and participate in decision making is needed if positive development outcomes are to be achieved despite a changing climate. This requires partnership and confidence between stakeholders.

 • Climate change can be a driver for greater integration

across sectors, intuitions, policies and programmes.

Current SCR Discussion Papers

• Climate Smart Disaster Risk Management. Mitchell, T.; Ibrahim, M.; Harris, K.; Hedger, M.; Polack, E.; Ahmed, A.; Hall, N.; Hawrylyshyn, K.; Nightingale, K.; Onyango, M.; Adow, M., and Sajjad Mohammed, S.

• The Resilience Renaissance? Unpacking Of Resilience for Tackling Climate Change and Disasters. Bahadur, A.; Ibrahim, M. and Tanner, T.

• Assessing Progress on the Convergence of Disaster Risk Reduction and Climate Change Adaptation. Mitchell, T., Van Aalst, M. and Villanueva, P.

• Greening Disaster Risk Management: Issues at the Interface of Disaster Risk Management and Low Carbon Development. Urban, F., Mitchell, T., and Villanueva, P.

• Integrating Climate Change into Regional Disaster Risk Management at the Mekong River Commission. Polack, E.

• Building Climate Resilience at State Level: DRM and Rural Livelihoods in Orissa. Hedger, M., Singha, A. and Reddy, M.

• Post-Disaster Housing Reconstruction in a Conflict-affected District, Batticaloa, Sri Lanka: Reflecting on the Climate Smart Disaster Risk Management Approach. Ibrahim, M.

Thank You from the SCR team!Maggie Ibrahim (m.ibrahim@ids.ac.uk) or

email: info@csdrm.org

Strengthening Climate Resilience (SCR) website:

www.csdrm.org