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Sorted by (Issue date descending, Date of update descending, Date of creation descending, Number of collection descending) Add the result to your favourites Refine your searchFlood risk management research in New Zealand
This discussion paper explores existing river flood risk management practices in New Zealand, including the national context for flood risk management and looks at regional practices. The document then provides a brief overview of research in areas that contribute to the better understanding of flood processes, briefly stepping through climate, flood flows and inundation research and considering complexities of coastal catchments, flood vulnerability studies and research around community awareness and preparedness for flood hazards. Finally, the document identifies gaps in flood research, and ...Post-hyogo framework for action discussion for increased disaster resilience
ACT, 2012This document outlines ACT Alliance's commitment to humanitarian principles, the Hyogo Framework for Action (HFA), how ACT aims to meet its disaster resilience commitments through the post-HFA framework, and how ACT members can get involved.Flood risk, insurance and emergency management in Australia
This paper is based on research being conducted with assistance from the Bushfire CRC on the role of insurance in responding to natural hazards. It identify some causes of underinsurance, with particular reference to floods, and consider steps that individuals, insurers and governments may take to both increase the uptake of insurance whilst also increasing community resilience. This paper reviews the lessons from the Queensland floods (December 2010 – February 2011) and identifies that two major issues are the cost and availability of flood cover. It is argued that if insurers assist with mit ...Adaptive governance and resilience: the role of multi-stakeholder platforms in disaster risk reduction+: In Natural Hazards Earth System Sciences, 12, 2923–2942
This study aims to provide an analysis of the spatial distribution of vulnerability of urban populations to extreme heat events in Australian capital cities at the present time, and to estimate future vulnerability in relation to projected climate changes.It provides a ‘tool’ to guide short-term, medium-term and longer-term heatwave adaptation policy.Climate change impacts, vulnerability and adaptation in Zimbabwe
IIED, 2012This working paper reviews impacts, vulnerability and adaptation to climate change in Zimbabwe, with the intention of providing a broad overview of the key issues related to climate change, including the mainstreaming of climate change adaptation and disaster risk reduction at the district, provincial and national levels. It draws on a set of background papers that were produced by the Policy and Advocacy for Climate Change in Zimbabwe project, examining climate trends, scenarios and projections for Zimbabwe and drawing upon a variety of case studies on adaptation projects.Strengthening disaster risk management capacities in Uzbekistan, issue 3: Summary of annual activities of 2012
UNDP, 2012This issue provides a summary of the disaster risk management activities activities, progress, achievements and efforts carried out by UNDP in Uzbekistan. I covers: (i) youth motivation for disaster risk reduction (DRR); (ii) the help provided to Uzbekistan by a new Disaster Preparedness and Response Group (UN DPRG) in case of a disaster; (iii) the development of practical guidelines for community preparedness for earthquake safety; (iv) the mainstreaming of DRR in schools and the involvement of kids; (v) the establishment of lessons learnt and knowledge exchange platform with the Russian Fede ...Flood preparedness in the Netherlands: a US perspective
This report discusses some aspects of Dutch crisis management for flooding and for the recovery period, and gives a description of what the American approach could mean for the Dutch situation. It contains a series of articles in which several aspects of the crisis are addressed: (i) flood response, an introduction; (ii) early warning, forecast, situational assessment and sense making; (iii) self reliance and community involvement in Dutch flood response; (iv) managing the response to large scale floods; (v) vertical evacuation: rethinking urban, rural and social space; (vi) public/private par ...Social strategies for prevention and adaptation = Estrategias sociales de prevención y adaptación
This document contains 13 case studies from Africa, Asia, Europe and Latin America and its objective is to recuperate ancestral and vernacular knowledge culturally developed and associated with risk prevention in face of recurrent hydro-meteorological hazards, like floods.
Societies have imagined, created, constructed, rejected and returned to imagine, create and construct diverse strategies that allow them to prevent the effects related to the imminent presence of a natural hazard. These processes are associated and are the result of the conditions in which a certain society d ...Potential of semi-structural and non-structural adaptation strategies to reduce future flood risk: case study for the Meuse: In Natural Hazards Earth System Sciences, 12, 2012
Copernicus Publications, 2012This study assesses how semi-structural and non-structural measures can decrease the flood risk beyond the local level, now and in the future, in the Meuse river basin, in the region of Limburg, in the southeast of the Netherlands. It is aimed: (i) to assess the sensitivity of riverine flood risk to changes in land use and climate; and (ii) to examine the potential of different adaptation strategies at the regional scale to reduce future flood damage and risk. This assessment is the first study of this kind carried out in the Netherlands.
It considers the independent contributi ...Comparative flood damage model assessment: towards a European approach: In Natural Hazards Earth System Sciences, 12, 2012
Copernicus Publications, 2012This study addresses the recognised gap between what climate science can currently provide and what end users of that information require in order to make robust adaptation decisions about their climate related risks. It identifies five key contributing factors to the gap: (i) uncertainty in climate science; (ii) cognitive bias and challenges of interdisciplinary research; (iii) (mis)understanding and (mis)use of key terminology; (iv) communication (or lack of); and (v) non-climatic influences.
The study aims to bridge this gap between end user needs and science capability by b ...Environmental legislation for disaster risk management: module 1
Gupta Anil K.; Nair Sreeja S.; Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ); et al. - India Government, 2012“Environmental Legislation for Disaster Risk Management”, training module is based on the analysis of global context of environmental laws, policies and approaches of integrating environment and disaster risk management. This module cites examples of legal and policy framework from across the world, along with special references to the Indian legal framework and disaster management.Geological hazard and risk assessment - Kabupaten Ende, Nusa Tenggara Timur
2012This document reports on a project intended to elaborate and test practical georisk analysis processes in Indonesia, primarily based on existing hazard and vulnerability data. It describes the methodology developed by the project at the local level (Kabupaten scale) and is aimed at delivering practical insight into the steps necessary to undertake 'natural' disaster risk assessment at Kabupaten level. It is intended to support Indonesian governmental authorities in coping with disaster risk management.Workshop on enhancing disaster resilience of education sector and communities
This report presents a two-day workshop conducted by the International Environment and Disaster Management (IEDM) Laboratory, Kyoto University, with the participation of officials from the Board of Education from three cities in Tohoku, other cities placing efforts in disaster risk reduction (DRR) activities, and researchers and practitioners endeavoring in DRR. A compilation of reports and discussions from the workshop, this publication analyses various issues concerning school centered community building and DRR education.2012 disasters in numbers in Asia
UN/ISDR, 2012An early view of disaster trends in 2012 across Asia, the world's most disaster-prone region, shows that mortality from flood events continues to decline but economic losses remain a major cause of concern.Resource manual on flash flood risk management - module 3: structural measures
This publication presents the concept of integrated flood management as a component of integrated water resource management. It emphasizes that structural measures are most effective and sustainable when implemented together with appropriate non-structural measures keeping in mind physical measures for slope stabilization and erosion control. The description are simple yet effective, they can be implemented using local and low-cost materials with a minimum of external materials and technical support and a low environmental impact.Coherent action by the UN System to reduce disaster risk and build resilience
This background note describes areas of work for the UN Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNISDR) to enhance the focus on disaster risk reduction and resilience across the UN system. areasMainstreaming of DRR into GoB schemes on water and sanitation: gap analysis and way forward
ActionAid International (ActionAid); Concern Universal ; Islamic Relief Worldwide ; et al. - European Commission, 2012The outcome of this study suggests a framework for mainstreaming of disaster risk reduction (DRR) into existing and new schemes / programme of water and sanitation (WatSan) of government of Bangladesh (GoB). The study outcome also suggest various tools and guidelines to provide necessary practical support to responsible officials of GoB involved in planning, decision making, implementing, monitoring etc. to ensure DRR mainstreaming into WatSan.City resilience in Africa: a ten essentials pilot
Permezel Melissa; Ebalu Oscar; United Nations International Strategy for Disaster Reduction (UN/ISDR) - UN/ISDR, 2012This publication reports on the outcomes of a pilot project to ‘operationalize’ the Making Cities Resilient Campaign in three cities in Africa – Narok and Kisumu in Kenya and Moshi in Tanzania, commenced in 2012 by the UNISDR regional office for Africa in Nairobi, Kenya. It also describes disaster prevention activities undertaken by pilot cities, and provides assessment and analysis of city resilience according to the Ten Essentials for Making Cities Resilient: 1. Institutional and administrative frameworks; 2. Financing and Resources; 3. Multi-Hazard Risk Assessment – Know Your Risk; 4. Infr ...Adaptation to climate change – are governments prepared? – a cooperative audit
This joint report presents a cooperative audit based on eight individual national audit reports from Austria, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Malta, the Netherlands, Norway, Russia and Ukraine, and a fact-finding study by the European Court of Auditors. It reveals that the eight countries are in an early stage in adapting to climate change, and, so far, adaptation activities are related to identifying risk and vulnerabilities and to some extent policy development.Nepal disaster report 2011: policies, practices and lessons
ActionAid International (ActionAid); Disaster Preparedness Network Nepal (DPNet-Nepal); National Society for Earthquake Technology (NSET); et al. - Nepal - Government, 2012This report is a compendium of understanding, concepts, experiences and lessons of disaster risk management (DRM), emergency response planning and capacity building in Nepal. It also provides a chronology of the development of DRM processes in the country including government's initiatives in creating suitable policy and legal environments for effective disaster risk reduction (DRR), creation of Disaster Cluster Groups, participation of Nepal in global initiatives in DRR including the International Decade for Natural Disaster Reduction (IDNDR) and the International Strategy for Disaster Reduct ...The demand for micro-insurance: a literature review
Why are demand and renewal rates for micro-insurance so low despite the important protection against disasters it may offer? To address the puzzle this paper provides a selective overview of the current state of research on demand from farmers for risk micro-insurance mostly associated to lack and excess of rainfall (drought and flood). It first looks at the theoretical research and then reviews the empirical evidence on the factors influencing risk attitude and demand for disaster insurance from low-income farmers.Tackling the limits to adaptation: An international framework to address 'loss and damage' from climate change impacts
ActionAid International (ActionAid); Cooperative for Assistance and Relief Everywhere - International Secretariat (CARE) ; World Wide Fund For Nature (WWF) - ActionAid, 2012This document argues that current and future scale of climate change implies serious loss and damage, especially to the lives and livelihoods of those who are poor, most vulnerable and least to blame.Flood risk and water management in the Netherlands: a 2012 update
Slomp Robert - Netherlands - Government, 2012This report describes Dutch context of flood risk management, institutions involved, disasters that influence flood risk policy and disaster management, flood protection standards for flood defenses, financial issues, urban planning and the choice not to insure against flood risk.Towards climate smart disaster risk reduction in Asia: In Southasiadisasters.net, issue no. 88 (November)
This white paper released by the National Development and Reform Commission of the People’s Republic of China provides an overview of the extreme weather and climate events of 2011 in China. Section two asserts addresses climate change and reports that during the 11th Five-Year Plan period, China strengthened scientific research in and impact evaluation of climate change, improved relevant laws and policies, and enhanced the capability of key sectors to adapt to climate change, so as to reduce the negative impact of climate change on economic and social development and people's lives. The sect ...
Regional Meeting for Strengthening Regional Cooperation in Meteorology, Hydrology and Climate Services for Disaster Risk Management : Final Meeting Report
World Meteorological Organization (WMO) ; United Nations Development Programme (UNDP); European Commission - WMO, 2012Turn down the heat: why a 4°C warmer world must be avoided
This report spells out what the world would be like if it warmed by 4 degrees Celsius, which is what scientists are nearly unanimously predicting by the end of the century, without serious policy changes. It provides a snapshot of recent scientific literature and new analyses of likely impacts and risks that would be associated with a 4° Celsius warming within this century, ranging from sea-level rise to increases in tropical cyclone intensity, unprecedented heat waves, severe drought, and major floods in many regions, with serious impacts on ecosystems and associated services.Disaster risk management and adaptation to climate change: experience from German development cooperation
German Government, 2012This publication aims to pinpoint commonalities between disaster risk management and adaptation to climate change. It describes the experience gathered from German development cooperation’s work in seven countries, which we see as a stimulus to aim for more effective and efficient interaction between the two fields and to work towards a significant reduction of risk in our partner countries by implementing risk management measures adapted to the respective conditions.GFDRR track I: Strengthening regional and global partnerships for disaster risk reduction - A five year retrospective, 2007-2011
Global Facility for Disaster Reduction and Recovery, the ; United Nations International Strategy for Disaster Reduction (UN/ISDR); World Bank the - GFDRR, 2012This report provides a five year retrospective on the experiences and successes of the Track I of the Global Facility for Disaster Reduction and Recovery (GFDRR), which 'provides the financial and technical support to the ISDR system through the ISDR secretariat,' and identifies some pointers for 2013 and beyond. This report focuses only on the period 2007-2011 and reviews in detail the programmatic activities of Track I, including: (i) strengthening the regional architecture for implementing the Hyogo Framework for Action 2005-2015 through regional platforms, ministerial meetings, regional st ...Adaptation to climate change with a focus on rural areas in India
The publication provides an overview of the main issues in current adaptation discussions and suggests adaptation options in six different fields related to rural areas: (i) agriculture; (ii) forests; (iii) biodiversity; (iv) water resources; (v) coastal zones; and (vi) disaster risk management. It describes concepts and approaches for adaptation and its integration into development planning using examples from India, as well as other parts of the world, to illustrate how existing theory can be put into practice.
TCP. WMO/ESCAP Panel on Tropical Cyclones - Thirty-ninth session : final report
World Meteorological Organization (WMO) ; Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) - WMO, 2012G20/OECD methodological framework on disaster risk assessment and risk financing
Group of Twenty, the (G20) ; Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD); Zoï Environment Network (Zoï) - ZOI Environment Network, 2012This framework is intended to help finance ministries and other governmental authorities in developing more effective disaster risk management strategies and, in particular, financial strategies, building on strengthened risk assessment and risk financing. While the framework does not specifically explore disaster risk reduction policies, it highlights the strong interconnections between disaster risk assessment, risk reduction and financial management, key building blocks for dynamic and continually evolving disaster risk management strategies.Central Asia mountains: sustainable mountain development from Rio 1992 to 2012 and beyond
Hughes G.; GRID-Arendal ; United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP); et al. - ZOI Environment Network, 2012This report is an illustrated overview of the trends and challenges in sustainable mountain development in Central Asia since 1992. It highlights selected achievements and lessons learned, and identifies opportunities for further progress. It also presents two case studies from Tajikistan addressing the issues of climate change adaptation and disaster risk reduction in mountain regions. The first is a study on the Pilot Program for Climate Resilience, and the second is a tree-planting project designed to stabilize hazardous mountain slopes.Climate change in Eastern Europe: Belarus, Moldova, Ukraine
This publication explores the impacts of climate change on Belarus, Moldova and Ukraine. The three countries of Eastern Europe will not be affected as strongly as many other parts of Eurasia, yet they will see more of severe floods and forest fires, decreasing water reserves in the south, and gradual changes in biodiversity, agriculture and food security.
Standardized Precipitation Index User Guide
Over the years, there has been much discussion on what drought indices should be used in a particular climate and for what application. Many drought definitions and indices have been developed and attempts have been made to provide some guidance on this issue.
We hope that this user guide on the Standardized Precipitation Index will help countries and institutions to understand how to calculate and use the SPI in order to develop or further enhance their own drought monitoring and early warning capabilities.Pounds of prevention, a disaster risk reduction story: focus on Brazil
This issue travels to Ceará State in northeastern Brazil, an area that faced increasingly frequent drought conditions, and the efforts of community organizations to develop strategies to minimize the negative impacts from droughts and adapt their livelihoods in such a way that makes families more resilient. It describes how the residents, using techniques to conserve water, enhance agricultural practices, and diversify income sources, have managed to mitigate the risk of drought.Pounds of prevention, a disaster risk reduction story: focus on Indonesia
This edition travels to Indonesia to look at how the country’s disaster management readiness has evolved in recent years. Against the backdrop of a powerful earthquake and aftershock recently occurring off the coast, it explains how the Indian Ocean tsunami early warning system is activated and what transpires. Meanwhile, it also highlights the importance of community-based education campaigns and the development of professional first responder groups. USAID has been a partner in these efforts for many years and is encouraged by all of the good work being done to prepare for the next big event ...Pounds of prevention, a disaster risk reduction story: focus on locusts
This issue examines the desert locust, a pest that affects the lives of millions of people in more than 65 countries throughout Africa, the Middle East, and Southwest Asia, an area that represents about 20 percent of the earth’s surface. It presents the case of Mauritania, one of several countries in West Africa, the Horn of Africa, and the Middle East to benefit from the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO)’s locust prevention system known as the EMPRES Program, to which USAID and other donors contribute.Green Water Defense for Flood Risk Management in East Asia
The purpose of the ‘Green Water Defense in East Asia’ study is to take stock of advances in management practices, institutional and technological innovations for managing water resources under changing climate. The focus of this note is on green water defense for flood risk management in deltas and other areas vulnerable to flooding.Nigeria national capacity assessment report on disaster risk reduction
Dia AliouMamadou; Capacity for Disaster Reduction Initiative (CADRI); Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO); et al. - United Nations, 2012This publication identifies gaps and challenges Nigeria is currently facing to fully engage in preventing, mitigating and reducing natural disaster risks. The assessment is also an opportunity to clearly identify existing capacities both at national and state levels, to understand desired capacities, and to propose recommendations on how they can be further developed and strengthened.
It focuses on national and state capacities for disaster risk reduction (DRR) using the indicators set for the implementation of the Hyogo Framework for Action. It looks into five technical areas o ...Recognise the strength of women and girls in reducing disaster risks: stories from Viet Nam
This publication aims to raise awareness on the importance of gender equality and women’s empowerment. It aims to tell the story behind the larger issues and show the visible force behind lasting change. For example, how a girl saved her father’s life from drowning; how a woman is devoting all her time and energy into teaching ethnic minority children how to better protect themselves; how girls express their concerns for an uncertain future in their own innovative way; how working with women in disaster preparedness and response can achieve better results, and through many more truly inspirati ...
Climate ExChange
Climate ExChange is a fully illustrated 250-page book with over 100 authors relating their work in weather, climate and water services at international, regional, national and local levels. The commentaries draw upon experiences around the world reflecting how people are using climate information to improve their lives. Climate ExChange reflects the progress and challenges in these fields, highlighting good practices in a wide variety of societies and disciplines.Children’s action for disaster risk reduction: views from children in Asia
This publication provides children and youth in Asia a platform to report on progress made towards "the need to protect women, children and other vulnerable groups from the disproportionate impacts of disaster and to empower them to promote resiliency within their communities and workplaces" (as recognized in the declaration adopted in Incheon by the Asia Ministerial Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction in 2010) from their own point of view. Previous surveys conducted with children globally show that their views on local governance for disaster risk reduction often tend to be less positive th ...Aid investments in disaster risk reduction: rhetoric to action
This report uses the latest available data, to analyse aid investments in disaster risk reduction (DRR) in the period immediately following the United Nations’ (UN) 2005 Hyogo Framework for Action (HFA), and looks in detail at the policies and investment profiles of 24 of the leading aid donors.Local flood early warning system (LFEWS)
This document reports on Philippines Region 8's accumulated experience and knowledge in the setting up and management of local flood early warning systems (LFEWS), which aims to reduce human vulnerability and suffering by monitoring sources of floods, predicting where and when floods could possibly happen, identifying who would be affected and strengthening the capacity of local disaster risk reduction and management institutions to make informed decisions. It describes the impacts observed in terms of saving lives and properties, improving institutional performance of local governments and in ...An exploration of the link between development, economic growth, and natural risk
This paper investigates the link between development, economic growth, and the economic losses from natural disasters in a general analytical framework, with an application to hurricane flood risks in New Orleans. It concludes that where capital accumulates through increased density of capital at risk in a given area, and the costs of protection therefore increase more slowly than capital at risk, (i) protection improves over time and the probability of disaster occurrence decreases; (ii) capital at risk -- and thus economic losses in case of disaster -- increases faster than economic growth; ...Report of the Adaptation Fund Board: note by the chair of the Adaptation Fund Board
This report responds to the decision requesting the Adaptation Fund Board to report on its activities at each session of the Conference of the Parties serving as the meeting of the Parties to the Kyoto Protocol (CMP), and covers the period from 30 November 2011 to 30 June 2012. It contains information on decisions and actions taken by the Adaptation Fund Board to be noted by the CMP. Disaster risk reduction is one of the sectors targeted in the 14 proposals approved for funding.Tortillas on the roaster: Central American maize-bean systems and the changing climate
This study predicts the potential impacts that climate change will have on the production of maize and beans, the two most important food crops in Central America. Using state-of-the-art climate models and GIS tools, agronomic research and socio-economic analyses, it makes recommendations to climate change adaptation strategies tailored to El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua. The results of the study are intended to fill a critical gap in the knowledge of the impacts of climate change on maize/bean production in Central America, in order for stakeholders to shift from a position of ...Reducing vulnerability and exposure to disasters: Asia-Pacific disaster report 2012
The primary conviction of this report is driven by a concern that people’s exposure and vulnerability, experienced individually and collectively, continue to be twin challenges for the Asia-Pacific region. Faced with growing economic losses and increasingly vulnerable populations, this report has analyzed the drivers of risks and the strategies that are in place to deal with the growing risks.
The report has pursued three primary questions that all dedicated collaborators in the region need to join, “How do they and the people with whom they work understand the disaster risks in ...Learning from megadisasters knowledge notes
This document includes a set of 32 notes grouped into six thematic clusters: (i) structural measures; (ii) non-structural measures; (iii) emergency response; (iv) reconstruction planning; (v) hazard and risk information and decision making; and (vi) economics of disaster risk, risk management, and risk financing. The notes are collecting and analyzing information, data, and evaluations performed by academic and research institutions, non-governmental organizations, government agencies, and the private sector—all with the objective of sharing Japan’s knowledge on disaster risk management (DRM) ...Disaster prevention and reconstruction from a gender equal society perspective: Lessons from the Great East Japan Earthquake
This special section of the annual white paper on gender equality 2012 provides an analysis and proposal under the theme of disaster prevention and reconstruction from a gender equal society perspective. It addresses the need to improve and strengthen disaster prevention and mitigation measures in anticipation of large-scale events similar to the Great East Japan Earthquake and subsequent tsunami in the future. It examines the Great East Japan Earthquake as it happened as well as the government’s response to the event from the perspective of a gender equal society. It also clarifies any lesson ...Gender equality in emergencies programme insights
To mark International day for Disaster Risk reduction (IDDR) 2012, Oxfam has published a new collection of programme insights papers bringing together experiences, lessons and good practice from Oxfam and its partners work in emergencies and on disaster risk reduction (DRR). As the number and complexity of hazards and disasters are increasing rapidly, and with the ample evidence that women and girls are often more vulnerable to disasters than men and boys, the series features five case studies on gender and DRR or humanitarian programming in DR Congo, Pakistan, Indonesia, Vietnam and Kenya. Th ...Extreme weather events and crop price spikes in a changing climate: illustrative global simulation scenarios
Willenbockel D. - Oxfam, 2012Agriculture is highly sensitive to climate variability and weather extremes. Various impact studies have considered the effects of projected long-run trends in temperature, precipitation and carbon dioxide concentrations caused by climate change on global food production and prices. However, according to this study, an area that remains underexplored is the food price impacts that may result from an expected increase in the frequency and intensity of extreme weather events. The study uses a global dynamic multi-region computable general equilibrium (CGE) model to explore the potential food pri ...Climate change, water stress, conflict and migration
UNESCO, 2012This collection of papers, presented at the symposium ‘Climate change, water stress, conflict and migration’ held on 21 September 2011 in the Netherlands, highlight how climate change, water stress and other environmental problems threaten human security. For example, the paper by Muniruzzaman ilustrates how water ignores political and community boundaries, and how decisions in one place can significantly affect water use elsewhere. India’s plans to build more dams could, for instance, have devastating affects for Pakistan’s agricultural productivity which is highly dependent on water supply f ...Options for including disaster resilience in post-2015 development goals
ODI, 2012This Background Note discusses potential indicators and targets for including a specific goal on disaster resilience in the post-2015 development framework, as well as considering the opportunities for building disaster resilience into indicators for other sector goals, and what these might be.
It looks at how to measure these, what baselines exist and whether data are available. It also examines some of the opportunities and challenges, such as options for including humanitarian assistance within a new framework.
It concludes by setting out criteria that can be u ...
Storm surges and coastal erosion in Bangladesh - State of the system, climate change impacts and 'low regret' adaptation measures
The effects of global environmental change, including coastal flooding stemming from storm surges as well as reduced rainfall in drylands and water scarcity, have detrimental effects on countries and megacities in the costal regions worldwide. Among these, Bangladesh with its capital Dhaka is today widely recognised to be one of the regions most vulnerable to climate change and its triggered associated impacts. Natural hazards that come from increased rainfall, rising sea levels, and tropical cyclones are expected to increase as climate changes, each seriously affecting agriculture, water & fo ...Building urban resilience: principles, tools and practice
World Bank, 2012This report is divided into three major sections designed to give urban planners and practitioners an intuitive and easy way to build elements of resilience into their urban governance and city planning. It includes case studies and tables providing good practice examples and further details.Learning Lessons: ADB’s Response to Natural Disasters and Disaster Risks
ADB, 2012Natural disasters triggered by extreme hazards have increased sharply worldwide since the 1980s, as measured in lives lost, displaced people, and financial cost. Asia and the Pacific have borne the brunt of the physical and economic damage. This brief highlights lessons and recommendations from an independent evaluation report that assessed ADB support for disaster prevention and recovery programs during 1995–2011. The evaluation finds that disaster recovery projects have been much more successful than ADB-supported projects overall. Nonetheless, it also finds that most ADB country programs ha ...Commonwealth finance ministers report 2012-2013
Henley Media Group, 2012This book considers building financial resilience against 'natural' disasters and climate change through an article from Francis Ghesquiere and Olivier Mahul, from the Global Facility for Disaster Reduction and Recovery (GFDRR). The article discusses the challenges created by 'natural' disasters and climate change to fiscal account management and outline steps that governments should take to overcome them. The article is featured on page 185.
The overall publication includes over 40 articles aimed to foster debate and collaboration in the weeks preceding the Commonwealth Financ ...CMDRR forum bulletin, 7th issue, August 2012
DAM, 2012This bulletin gives an account of some important events and initiatives of the CMDRR Forum, Bangladesh. This issue captures: (i) the observance of Environment day, National Disaster Preparedness Day (NDPD) 2012 and the organizing of Climate Change Fair 2012; (ii) 'Capacity building of the community', a workshop on climate change impact and coping mechanism for the sustainable livelihood of people living in Haor; (iii) a seminar on climate change vulnerability and coastal people’s livelihood organized by ADD International; and (iv) District level sharing meetings on disaster risk reduction and ...Feeling the heat: the human cost of poor preparation for disasters
Islamic Relief Worldwide, 2012This report shows the positive difference Islamic Relief Worldwide is beginning to make in the area of disaster risk reduction (DRR) by highlighting how village disaster committees and earthworks to raise people’s houses have reduced the impact of seasonal flooding in north-western Bangladesh. It shows how irrigated vegetable growing and microfinance loans for small businesses are helping former pastoralists to build new livelihoods in north-eastern Kenya that are less vulnerable to drought. It provides evidence that being better prepared can save money as well as lives and shows that it can b ...
Bivariate analysis and synthesis of flood events for the design of hydraulic structures – a case study for Argentina
A bibliographic review of the state of art of flood estimation techniques shows the importance of studying floods as multivariate events. The aim of this work is to discuss whether a multivariate analysis is necessary for designing dams or for assessing the adequacy of spillways belonging to existing dams. A multivariate approach offers a range of possible events associated to a joint return period, which can be used in a design stage. The multivariate criterion includes information related with the dependence structure linking the flood variables. This dependence is involved in the generation ...Building urban resilience to climate change: what works where, and why
This document reports on a resilience-building curriculum that includes laying the groundwork for addressing climate change and climate resilience, conducting a climate change vulnerability and risk assessment, and using this assessment and other materials to prepare an initial resilience strategy, developed in 15 cities in 5 countries — Vietnam, Indonesia, India, Thailand and the United States.All risks are local: making district disaster management plan in India: In Southasiadisasters.net, issue no. 86, July 2012
This issue addresses local actions in disaster risk reduction, asserting that all risks are reduced locally in the end. It presents articles covering different aspects of the development of district disaster management plan, focusing on Bihar, India. the content includes: (i) making district disaster management plan pro poor: local experience; (ii) a human rights-based approach and district disaster management plans; (iii) placing community first; (iv) a change of mind is needed; (v) embankment legacies and their effects on social systems; (vi) resilience and the district disaster management p ...The global partnership for development: making rhetoric a reality - MDG Gap Task Force report 2012
United Nations (UN); United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UN DESA) - United Nations, 2012As a pressing priority, this report calls for affordable access to new technologies for climate change mitigation and adaptation and disaster risk management, recalling the commitment of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) at the conference held in Durban from 28 November to 11 December 2011 and the need to make sure the Green Climate Fund and the Technology Mechanism become operational in 2012.Coastal communities and climate change: maintaining future insurability
Lloyd's, 2012This report looks at the impact of climate change on flood risk at a number of coastal locations around the world, considering sea-level rise, the effect of wind speed on storm surges and, at one location, changes in land use. It investigates the impact on: (i) an unprotected property with no flood defences on a Caribbean island, the coasts of which are exposed to hurricanes and their associated storm surges; (ii) a building on the coast of a northern European country protected by flood defences against up to a 1-in-100 year storm surge event; (iii) a property on the coast of a northern Europe ...State of the world’s cities 2012/2013: the prosperity of cities
This Report focuses on the notion of prosperity and its realisation in urban areas. It calls for a new type of city – one that: (i) is more 'people-centred;' (ii) includes vital dimensions such as quality of life, adequate infrastructures, equity and environmental sustainability; (iii) reduces disaster risks and vulnerabilities for the poor; (iv) builds resilience; (v) creates harmony; and (vi) promotes prosperity; and stimulates local job creation and social diversity. It recommends that those engaged in development work need to explore a more inclusive notion of prosperity and development.Emerging DRR needs in the changing context of Myanmar
Asian Disaster Preparedness Center (ADPC); French Red Cross (CRF) ; Myanmar Red Cross Society (MRCS); et al. - MRCS, 2012This document reports on a consultation intended to discuss the future disaster risk reduction (DRR) needs in Myanmar at national and local (field) levels in the changing context of Myanmar. It aimed to identify emerging issues, which needs to be further deliberated, and suitable actions to be identified to contribute towards a resilient development and a realignment of the DRR strategy and interventions by Governmental Bodies, UN Agencies, the Red Cross, NGOs and CBOs in Myanmar.Post disaster governance, complexity and network theory: evidence from Aceh, Indonesia after the Indian Ocean Tsunami 2004
This research aims to understand the inter-organizational network typology of large scale disaster intervention in developing countries and to understand complexity of post disaster intervention through the use of network theory based on empirical data from post tsunami reconstruction in Aceh, Indonesia, during 2005-2007. It addresses the ‘poly-centric’ features of emergency and reconstruction management, which promotes the notion that there are many overlapping centers of authority and responsibility for disaster risk reduction and post disaster intervention.Managing drought risk on the ranch: a planning guide for great plains ranchers
National Drought Mitigation Center ; United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) - University of Nebraska-Lincoln (UNL), 2012This guide is designed to help rangeland managers to better prepare for and manage drought. For ranchers in the United States, drought can be defined as too little soil moisture to meet the needs of dominant forage species during their rapid growth windows. The longer you wait to make decisions, the fewer options you will have available to you and producers who focus on increasing flexibility and maximizing the health of resources are more likely to find solutions during drought that minimize painful decisions with limited resources. Accordingly, having a plan will help producers get through a ...Multi-hazard business continuity management guide : Guide for small and medium enterprises
ILO, 2012This document is intended to contribute to increase constituents’ resilience, mitigate risks and enhance preparedness for crisis and business recovery. The scope covers different types of major-scale, natural hazards, i.e. geophysical, hydrological, meteorological, climate and biological, including earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, tsunamis, tropical storms, over-floods, flash flows, mud flows, droughts, desertification and landslides. It aims to inform and guide decision makers and technical service providers on how to manage business continuity vis-à-vis the multiple hazards that may threat t ...Food Security: Near future projections of the impact of drought in Asia
This analysis suggests that climate change will affect us all sooner than we expected. The aim of the report is to encourage further debate and instigate action among policy makers and business leaders.FONDEN: Mexico’s natural disaster fund – A review
This report aims to share Mexico’s considerable achievements on financial management of natural disasters with other governments. The report outlines the evolution of FONDEN to date and highlights aspects of particular bearing and applicability to other disaster-prone countries. The report is of particular relevance to middle-income countries but also contains important messages for both high- and low-income countries. It is hoped that this report will contribute to the dialogue on financial disaster risk management and inspire innovation elsewhere, leading to the improved financial management ...Making cities resilient report 2012
UN/ISDR, 2012This report provides a snapshot of resilience building activities at the local level and identifies trends in the perceptions and approaches of local governments toward disaster risk reduction. It examines factors that enable urban disaster risk reduction activities, including how the global campaign Making Cities Resilient – “My City is Getting Ready!” founded by the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNISDR) in conjunction with over twenty partners has helped improve local knowledge of disaster risk and support capacity building.Knowledge Centre on Cities and Climate Change
This Knowledge Centre on Cities and Climate Change (in short: K4C) helps you to keep track of what is happening in the field of cities and climate change, by serving as a platform for sharing experiences and best practices, as well as facilitating exchange of innovative initiatives.
K4C provides you with access to hundreds of publications and reports and a world map provides you with an overview of cities, countries and regions for which good practice examples and documents are available. Moreover, through K4C you can get in touch directly with institutions and communities that are prom ...Climate Change and Price Volatility: Can We Count on the ASEAN Plus Three Emergency Rice Reserve?
ADB, 2012On 12 July 2012, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Plus Three intergovernmental agreement establishing the ASEAN Plus Three Emergency Rice Reserve (APTERR) entered into force. In this paper, lead author Roehlano Briones, a senior research fellow at the Philippine Institute for Development Studies, assesses the effectiveness of APTERR as a mechanism for addressing food security in light of the rising challenges of climate change and price volatility. Using Riceflow, a model of the global rice economy, he studies the possible impacts of APTERR releases on the rice market by simu ...Impact of climate change on children in Nepal : research report
Plan International, 2012This study assesses children and key stakeholders' perception of the impact of climate change on children's well-being and evaluates children's access to disaster risk management and climate change adaptation information. It also records the current adaptation practices and suggests ways to address some key climate change issues. The study addresses the existing dearth of research in demonstrating the best way to reduce the adverse effects of changing climate, particularly on the most marginalised and vulnerable people in South Asian countries, including Nepal. It is intended to policy makers ...
Building resilience to disasters in the Western Balkans and Turkey
WMO, 2012This brochure describes; (i) UNISDR and WMO's joint programme Building resilience to disasters in the Western Balkans and Turkey; (ii) its objectives, in line with the priorities set by the Hyogo Framework for Action 2005-2015 - Building resilience of nations and communities to disasters; (iii) the project activities, which focus on disaster risk reduction capacity building, knowledge management and disaster risk transfer and community based disaster management for UNISDR, and on risk assessment, meteorological and hydrological forecast, enabling climate risk management in decision-making, and ...Republic of Rwanda: disaster high risk zones on floods and landslides
MIDIMAR, 2012This document identifies all areas prone to floods and landslides in Rwanda for effective prevention, mitigation and preparedness planning mechanisms. It is intended to: (i) identify and map all areas prone to floods and landslides; (ii) increase knowledge on areas at risk in the country for effective Disaster Risk Reduction in Rwanda; (iii) create scientifically driven explanations on the main causes of vulnerability caused by floods and landslides; and (iv) help the local community to understand the natural phenomena/hazards that they are exposed to and raise their awareness for disaster ris ...Green Accounting and Data Improvement for Water Resources
Winpenny James; United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) - UNESCO, 2012 (UNESCO Side publications series-No. 02)Water makes a critical contribution to all aspects of personal welfare and economic life. However, global water resources are coming under increasing pressure. It is widely recognized that over the next few decades global drivers such as climate change, population growth and improving living standards will increase pressure on the availability, quality and distribution of water resources. Managing the impacts of these drivers to maximize social and economic welfare will require intelligent policy and management responses at all levels of collection, production and distribution of water. The go ...Crop yield response to water
Steduto Pasquale; Hsiao Theodore C.; Fereres Elias; et al. - FAO, 2012 (FAO irrigation and drainage paper-No. 66)Food production and water use are inextricably linked. Water has always been the main factor limiting crop production in much of the world where rainfall is insufficient to meet crop demand. With the ever-increasing competition for finite water resources worldwide and the steadily rising demand for agricultural commodities, the call to improve the efficiency and productivity of water use for crop production, to ensure future food security and address the uncertainties associated with climate change, has never been more urgent.Together we march: leveraging local funds through strategic alliances for disaster risk reduction
Rahman Mizanur; Islamic Relief Worldwide ; National Alliance for Risk Reduction and Response Initiatives (NARRI) - NARRI, 2012This document reports on a project titled 'A Disaster Resilient Future: Mobilising Communities and Institutions for Effective Risk Reduction', which aims to support and complement strategies that enable local communities to better prepare for, mitigate and respond adequately to natural hazards by enhancing their capacities to cope and respond, thereby increasing their resilience and reducing vulnerability. It describes the processes and learning in mainstreaming of disaster risk reduction and adaptation adopted by the three Union Disaster Management Committees supported under the project. It a ...Feeding a thirsty world: challenges and opportunities for a water and food secure future
This report provides input into the discussions at the 2012 World Water Week in Stockholm and its special focus on water and food security. This report presents the latest thinking and new approaches to emerging and persistent challenges to achieve food security in the 21st century, including the use of early warning systems to bolster food security by reducing damages caused to agriculture by water scarcity and drought. It focuses on critical issues that have received less attention in the literature to date, such as: food waste, land acquisitions, gender aspects of agriculture, and early war ...Flood Risk Management in the People's Republic of China: Learning to Live with Flood Risk
ADB, 2012This publication presents a shift in the People’s Republic of China from flood control depending on structural measures to integrated flood management using both structural and non-structural measures. The core of the new concept of integrated flood management is flood risk management. Flood risk management is based on an analysis of flood hazard, exposure to flood hazard, and vulnerability of people and property to danger. It is recommended that people learn to live with flood risks, gaining and promoting a clear understanding of flood risks, quantifying and modifying the flood hazard, regula ...Community managed disaster risk reduction in high altitude regions: In Southasiadisasters.net issue no. 85, June 2012
AIDMI, 2012This document evaluates the design of the eight missions of India's National Action Plan on Climate Change (NAPCC), which were created to advance India's development and define its approach to climate mitigation and adaptation: (i) National Mission for Sustainable Agriculture; (ii) National Mission for Enhanced Energy Efficiency; (iii) National Mission for a Green India; (iv) National Mission on Sustainable Habitat; (v) National Mission for Sustaining the Himalayan Ecosystem; (vi) National Mission on Strategic Knowledge for Climate Change; (vii) National Solar Mission; and (viii) National Wate ...The connection between climate change and recent extreme weather events
What do we know about the connection between climate change and recent extreme weather events, such as the heat waves, drought, and fires? This fact sheet summarizes scientists' statements that climate change has already primed the pump for extreme weather events.Perspectivas de investigación y acción frente al cambio climático en Latinoamérica
Briones Fernando; Red de Estudios Sociales en Prevención de Desastres en América (LA RED) - LA RED, 2012This report explores practical approaches to building urban resilience, focusing on tools and methodologies that can facilitate the use of risk information in public infrastructure investment and urban management decisions as integral elements of reducing disaster and climate risks. It demonstrates that risk-based methodology focused on building urban resilience can be implemented within a range of contexts, with risk assessments as crucial tools for decision-makers. It encourages national, local and city level governments to invest in geospatial risk information, as well as making risk inform ...Mitigation of urban vulnerability through a spatial multicriteria approach: In Disaster Advance, Vol. 5 (3), July 2012
This study aims to address seismic risk management and how it is generally carried out through strategies aiming to reduce seismic vulnerability in buildings, to enhance structural features, and to reduce vulnerabilities in the whole urban system. It also addresses how resilience becomes strategic in preparing for post-emergency phases and how resilience is strategic to managing seismic risk and reducing urban vulnerability. It presents results from tests conducted in southern Italy which considered closeness to urban centers, map of seismic hazard, and seismic vulnerability of buildings.
Explaining extreme events of 2011 from a climate perspective
Peterson Thomas C.; Stott Peter A.; Herring Stephanie; et al. - U.S. Government printing office, 2012This report focuses on a way to foster the growth of explaining the causes of specific extreme disaster events in near-real time. It provides an assessment on causes of historical changes in temperature and precipitation extremes worldwide to provide a long-term perspective for the events discussed in 2011. It encourages the development of an objective criteria for defining extreme weather and climate events ahead of time, and applying predetermined methodologies to minimize risk. This report should help develop the means of communicating assessments of the extent to which natural and anthropo ...Disaster risk reduction in Pakistan: the contribution of DEC member agencies, 2010-2012
This study reveals that while the Pakistani government has instituted a comprehensive disaster risk reduction (DRR) governance system, the system actually suffers from a lack of political commitment, funding, skilled human resources, and coordination and suffers from fragmentation, and overlapping and unclear mandates among government agencies horizontally and vertically. Issues addressed: (i) DRR governance; (ii) multi-hazard disaster risk analysis and early warning systems; (iii) DRR: prevention and mitigation; (iv) DRR: avoidance and response; (v) policy, advocating, and networking; (vi) co ...In-depth study on the role of the United Nations contribution to the implementation of the HFA
von Oelreich Eva; United Nations International Strategy for Disaster Reduction (UN/ISDR) - United Nations, 2012This in-depth study on the United Nations contribution to the implementation of the Hyogo Framework for Action 2005-2015 (HFA) is one of a series undertaken within the Mid-Term Review of the HFA.Horn of Africa Risk Transfer for Adaptation (HARITA) quarterly report: October 2011–December 2011
Swiss Re, 2012This report discusses the Horn of Africa Risk Transfer for Adaptation (HARITA) project, which is an integrated risk management framework to enable poor farmers in drought-prone areas of Ethiopia to strengthen their food and income security through a combination of improved resource management (risk reduction), insurance (risk transfer), and microcredit (prudent risk taking). It addresses the critical need to build rural resilience for climate change adaptation to address global poverty, focusing on farmers who depend on agriculture for their livelihoods. It specifically demonstrates how cash-p ...Disaster risk and poverty trends in Jordan, Syria, Yemen: key findings and policy recommendations
UN/ISDR, 2012This paper discusses a project in the Arab region aimed at enabling national and regional institutions to develop system wide capacities to monitor, archive and disseminate data on key hazards and vulnerabilities, and periodically assess emerging risk such as national poverty trends. It shows that systematically recording data on disaster loss represents a low cost, high impact strategy for visualizing risk patterns and trends over space and time. This paper focuses on the findings of national disaster loss databases in three of the project's pilot countries: Jordan, Syria, and Yemen.
Crisis response and disaster resilience 2030: forging strategic action in an age of uncertainty
This progress report addresses the Strategic Foresight Initiative (SFI), which is a transformative, community-wide effort in the United States to create an enduring foresight capability intended to advance strategic planning and thinking about the future. SFI also seeks to prepare the community for emerging challenges and for the key opportunities presented by the world's changing environment. This report is concerned about a future which is highly uncertain, noting that the complexity of this uncertainty will test the ability of the emergency management community to execute its mission. It is ...DRR in emergency response: learning needs assessment report
RedR, 2012This report attempts to map existing disaster risk reduction (DRR) resources and tools and to establish the essential components of a 5-day training workshop for humanitarian workers. It uses a learning needs assessment to map exercises in order to identify the existing DRR resources and an Internet survey which was completed by 146 respondents, and 20 semi-structured interviews, including donors, national NGOs, governments, and UN agencies.Disaster risk reduction in school curricula: case studies from thirty countries
Selby David; Kagawa Fumiyo; United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO); et al. - UNESCO, 2012This publication captures key national experiences in the integration of disaster risk reduction (DRR) in the curriculum, identifying good practice, noting issues addressed or still lacking, and reviewing learning outcomes. The study researched DRR related curriculum development and integration, pedagogy, student assessment, teacher professional development and guidance, learning outcomes and policy development, planning and implementation aspects covering thirty countries.Annual disaster statistical review 2011: the numbers and trends
In 2011, 332 natural disasters1 were registered, less than the average annual disaster frequency observed from 2001 to 2010 (384). However, the human and economic impacts of the disasters in 2011 were massive. Natural disasters killed a total of 30 773 people and caused 244.7 million victims worldwide (see Figure 1). Economic damages from natural disasters were the highest ever registered, with an estimated US$ 366.1 billion [...]Tohoku research 1 (post-disaster recovery)
This research report is concerned with the purpose of disseminating experience and lessons learned from the East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami (EJET) to help strengthen disaster resilience of disaster prone regions in Japan and the world. It focuses on different aspects of disaster risk reduction (DRR) and environmental management. Some issues addressed: (i) developing record of school experiences from the EJET; (ii) study on building school centered disaster resilient community, which includes a review of past DRR activities; (iii) building disaster resilient community through healthcare netwo ...State of Arab cities 2012
UN-Habitat, 2012This report, the first report in the UN-Habitat series on the state of cities to focus on the Arab world, highlights issues of environmental and natural disasters, risk and vulnerability, within a collective picture of urban conditions and trends in each of four Arab regions - Maghreb, Mashreq, Gulf Cooperative Council (GCC) and Southern Tier. It provides a discussion of the similarities, differences and linkages between these countries in the context of a larger Arab region.Putting resilience at the heart of development: investing in prevention and resilient recovery
UNDP, 2012This brochure illustrates lessons and challenges learned from UNDP activities in disaster risk reduction (DRR), recovery and reconstruction. Its goal is to further the understanding of the role of UN agencies, including the UNDP, and the role of the international community in DRR. It also discusses the government of Japan's role as a strong partner with UNDP in DRR and provides other country examples. Issues addressed: (i) reducing the impact of disaster through prevention measures; (ii) emergency response and recovery from disasters; (iii) gender equality and the empowerment of women in disas ...Evaluation of PreventionWeb and related UNISDR information services for disaster risk reduction, final report
This report presents the findings on the effectiveness and impact of PreventionWeb (PW) and other UNISDR information services, and their ability to meet current and evolving information needs of existing and new disaster risk reduction (DRR) stakeholders, of the external evaluation undertaken by ITAD.
The evaluation and corresponding report aim to answer the following key questions: Is PW reaching the right people? Is PW meeting their needs? Is PW providing the optimum user experience? What impact is PW having? How effective and efficient is the management of PW?
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