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Urban disaster risk management in Latin American cities
Watanabe Eiji - ELLA, 2013Complex interactions between urban population dynamics, social processes and a wide variety of natural hazards are increasing the vulnerability of Latin American cities to disaster risk. So how are cities in the region aiming to strengthen disaster risk management?
This Guide begins by describing the complex interaction between processes of urbanisation and natural hazards that generate and intensify disaster risk in Latin America. It then provides a panorama of the evolution of urban disaster risk management in the region, including examples of key achievements towards building ...
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Available online: http://ella.practicalaction.org/sites/default/files/130617_ENV_DisRisManCit_GUID [...]
Published by: ELLA ; 2013
Complex interactions between urban population dynamics, social processes and a wide variety of natural hazards are increasing the vulnerability of Latin American cities to disaster risk. So how are cities in the region aiming to strengthen disaster risk management?
This Guide begins by describing the complex interaction between processes of urbanisation and natural hazards that generate and intensify disaster risk in Latin America. It then provides a panorama of the evolution of urban disaster risk management in the region, including examples of key achievements towards building more resilient cities. The Guide assesses which contextual factors have enabled these successes and draws out the main lessons to be considered in other regions. Finally, it presents key publications and organisations to link readers to additional resources to learn more.Language(s): English
Format: Digital (Free)Tags: Multi-hazard Early Warning Systems (MHEWS) ; Disaster Risk Management (DRM) ; Urban zone ; Latin America
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Capitalising on public transport: reducing GHG emissions in Latin American cities
Green Short Baptista V. - ELLA, 2013The transport sector is one of the largest contributors to global GHG emissions, both worldwide and in the Latin America region. In response, some cities in Latin America are taking steps to revamp their transport sectors as part of a strategy to mitigate GHG emissions. This Brief begins by discussing the environmental impacts of the transport sector before turning to three key Latin American transportation innovations: Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) systems; bicycle lanes; and electric taxis. While stronger monitoring systems are still necessary, initial results do point to important mitigation effe ...
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Available online: http://ella.practicalaction.org/sites/default/files/130718_ENV_CitAdaMit_BRIEF3. [...]
Published by: ELLA ; 2013
The transport sector is one of the largest contributors to global GHG emissions, both worldwide and in the Latin America region. In response, some cities in Latin America are taking steps to revamp their transport sectors as part of a strategy to mitigate GHG emissions. This Brief begins by discussing the environmental impacts of the transport sector before turning to three key Latin American transportation innovations: Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) systems; bicycle lanes; and electric taxis. While stronger monitoring systems are still necessary, initial results do point to important mitigation effects in the cities that are implementing these new transportation options. Key contextual factors and lessons learned are also presented to help cities in other regions consider whether these types of innovations might work in their own contexts. - See more at: http://ella.practicalaction.org/node/1157#sthash.V2Em9yRh.dpuf
Language(s): English
Format: Digital (Free)Tags: Climate change ; Climate change - Mitigation ; Urban zone ; Latin America
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Institutionalising Disaster Risk Management: Latin America’s systems approach
Watanabe Masahiro - ELLA, 2013How are Latin American countries mainstreaming decentralised, democratic and participatory strategies to disaster risk management across public policy?
Through a systems approach, the region is making important advances. Against a backdrop of inadequate disaster preparedness and repeated humanitarian aid interventions, Latin American countries have driven forward the institutionalisation and mainstreaming of Disaster Risk Management (DRM) in public policy. Based on a systems approach, Latin American governments are establishing coherent policy and regulatory frameworks for DRM f ...
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Available online: http://ella.practicalaction.org/sites/default/files/130220_ENV_DisRisManCit_BRIE [...]
Published by: ELLA ; 2013
How are Latin American countries mainstreaming decentralised, democratic and participatory strategies to disaster risk management across public policy?
Through a systems approach, the region is making important advances. Against a backdrop of inadequate disaster preparedness and repeated humanitarian aid interventions, Latin American countries have driven forward the institutionalisation and mainstreaming of Disaster Risk Management (DRM) in public policy. Based on a systems approach, Latin American governments are establishing coherent policy and regulatory frameworks for DRM focused on improving coordination between public institutions, harnessing and building expertise, modernising investment systems and securing commitment and participation from multiple stakeholders.
This Brief begins by describing how approaches to DRM in Latin America have evolved from purely responsive actions to broad institutional reforms aimed at mainstreaming disaster prevention and mitigating risk. It then provides an analysis of the main characteristics of this systems approach, describing how it has facilitated the institutionalisation of DRM into public policy in Latin America and providing key examples from across the region. Finally, the Brief describes the major contextual factors that have facilitated these processes, identifies on-going challenges and offers lessons learned that may be useful for other countries and regions.Language(s): English
Format: Digital (Free)Tags: Climate ; Climate change ; Adaptation ; Latin America ; Region IV - North America, Central America and the Caribbean ; Region V - South-West Pacific
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Pushing Through Reform: Lima's Disaster Risk Management Strategy | ELLA
Watanabe Masahiro - ELLA, 2013In recent years, there have been a number of important actions at the institutional level for promoting disaster risk management (DRM) in developing countries. Yet securing a city-level political commitment that ensures the required investment and specific action plans in big cities has remained a pending challenge. This Brief describes how the Municipality of Lima designed and implemented its Disaster Risk Management Strategy, in particular analysing how disaster risk management was successfully positioned through advocacy and communications efforts. This case highlights some particularly int ...
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Available online: http://ella.practicalaction.org/sites/default/files/130404_ENV_DisRisManCit_BRIE [...]
Published by: ELLA ; 2013
In recent years, there have been a number of important actions at the institutional level for promoting disaster risk management (DRM) in developing countries. Yet securing a city-level political commitment that ensures the required investment and specific action plans in big cities has remained a pending challenge. This Brief describes how the Municipality of Lima designed and implemented its Disaster Risk Management Strategy, in particular analysing how disaster risk management was successfully positioned through advocacy and communications efforts. This case highlights some particularly interesting DRM issues in cities: the relationship between city and national level governments; the use of communications to convince citizens to want to prioritise DRM public works and the resulting political will this builds; and finally, the context of the integrated, systems-approach to disaster risk management strategies that is becoming increasingly characteristic of the region. In telling the story of Lima's strategy, the Brief also highlights the role of key actors, initial results achieved, the contextual factors enabling the process, and some interesting lessons that could prove useful for city-level DRM efforts in other contexts.
Language(s): English
Format: Digital (Free)Tags: Natural hazards ; Disaster Risk Management (DRM) ; Climate change ; Adaptation ; Case/ Case study ; Latin America ; Region IV - North America, Central America and the Caribbean ; Region III - South America
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Latin American experience in combining Disaster Risk Management with poverty reduction
Watanabe Masahiro - ELLA, 2013Extreme weather events have a direct impact on households' welfare, and in particular, the poorest, most socially excluded populations. Increasing frequency and intensity of disasters, such as earthquakes, hurricanes and flooding, is closely linked to the growing vulnerability of households and communities. Thus, the impacts of extreme events on poverty, income, consumption, health and education present a serious challenge to the well-being of these populations, and also produce negative long-term consequences for economic and social development across the region. In order to reduce the impact ...
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Available online: http://ella.practicalaction.org/sites/default/files/130218_ENV_DisRisManCit_BRIE [...]
Published by: ELLA ; 2013
Extreme weather events have a direct impact on households' welfare, and in particular, the poorest, most socially excluded populations. Increasing frequency and intensity of disasters, such as earthquakes, hurricanes and flooding, is closely linked to the growing vulnerability of households and communities. Thus, the impacts of extreme events on poverty, income, consumption, health and education present a serious challenge to the well-being of these populations, and also produce negative long-term consequences for economic and social development across the region. In order to reduce the impacts of disasters on existing economic and social disparities, Latin American countries are implementing a range of initiatives that combine Disaster Risk Management (DRM) approaches with poverty reduction measures, social inclusion and the creation of jobs and productive activities. This Brief presents some key experiences from across the region, with a focus on urban governance, public investment systems and innovative insurance mechanisms. The Brief then describes the main contextual factors that explain why Latin American countries have made progress in these areas, as well as on-going challenges and key lessons that may be useful for other regions.
Language(s): English
Format: Digital (Free)Tags: Natural hazards ; Disaster Risk Management (DRM) ; Poverty and Poverty reduction ; Case/ Case study ; Latin America ; Region IV - North America, Central America and the Caribbean ; Region III - South America
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Disaster risk reduction in urban areas
This document presents the disaster risk reduction (DRR) processes developed in several Latin American cities. It shows the benefits of making risk reduction an integral part of local development. It also highlights the importance of good information for risk assessment, government-civil society collaboration, and links between local, national and regional levels of government. It is intended to offer a wealth of lessons for African and South Asian counterparts embarking on their own urban risk reduction processes.
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Efectos del cambio climatico en la costa de América Latina y el Caribe: vulnerabilidad y exposición
CEPAL, 2012Este documento es el primero de una serie de textos que se han elaborado en el marco del Estudio regional de los efectos del cambio climático en la costa de América Latina y el Caribe. La zona de estudio comprende una longitud total de costa de aproximadamente 72.182 km distribuidos en cuatro zonas geográficas: Norteamérica, Centroamérica, Sudamérica y las Islas del Caribe. En el dominio de estudio se han analizado los cambios detectados en las dinámicas costeras, la influencia de la variabilidad climática, información diversa sobre la vulnerabilidad presente en las costas de la región, abarca ...
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Strengthening capacities for climate change adaptation in mountain ecosystems: the Latin American response
This document presents a range of experiences, publications and organisations involved in the strategies used to build capacities for climate change adaptation in the Latin American region, by: (i) improving natural resource conservation; (ii) providing access to new technologies; (iii) capturing traditional knowledge and practices; and (iv) maintaining water resources and agrobiodiversity. It concludes with lessons that could prove useful to other mountain regions of the world.
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Integrated Urban Water Management - Lessons and Recommendations from Regional Experiences in Latin America, Central Asia, and Africa
The purpose of this working paper is to review a set of Integrated Urban Water Management (IUWM) initiatives and pilot studies funded by the World Bank’s Water Partnership Program (WPP) in Latin America and the Caribbean, Europe, and Central Asia and sub-Saharan Africa.
The report is structured into three chapters:
(1)Introduces the main concepts of IUWM;
(2)Reviews the findings of 10 case studies;
(3)Puts forward recommendations to sustain and enhance the scope of IUWM activities;
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Improving small farmers' adaptive capacity in semi-arid regions
In Latin America, as in Africa and Asia, 15-25% of the population lives in semi-arid areas, mostly in small isolated rural communities that are often the most severely affected by climate change. Strategies employed to build adaptive capacity in Brazil’s semi-arid areas focused on improved water supply, management and use, while at the same time promoting access to technology and improved production techniques, all with a focus on knowledge sharing and multi-level collaboration. The lessons from Brazil’s response will be useful for policymakers and community organisations in other semi-arid re ...
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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 ...
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The decade of Latin America and the Caribbean, a real opportunity
This book takes a unique look at the current economic and social development trends in Latin America and the Caribbean and the region’s challenges for the future, including those of climate change and 'natural' disaster mitigation. It calls on cities to integrate the management of the possible impacts of climate change as well as the obvious disaster risks into urban planning, and to prepare action plans focused on adaptation methods that include an analysis of the added dangers faced by the urban population, adequate land-use planning, effective water resource management, risk management, the ...
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The Climate and Development Challenge for Latin America and the Caribbean: Options for Climate Resilient Low Carbon Development: executive summary
IDB, 2012Climate change will have broad impacts on human activities and ecosystems during this century. The likely consequences are of such magnitude that the simultaneous need to adapt to the new climate conditions and reduce the carbon footprint to prevent further damage will likely become one of the main driving forces for the global community. Specifically, a rise of 2C over pre-industrial levels is now seen as unavoidable with significant negative effects in economic activities, social conditions and on ecosystems.
This study, a joint IDB-ECLAC-WWF effort, addresses key topics related to th ...
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Managing climate extremes and disasters in Latin America and the Caribbean: lessons from the IPCC SREX reports
This summary highlights the key findings of the IPCC Special Report on Managing the Risks of Extreme Events and Disasters to Advance Climate Change Adaptation (SREX) report including an assessment of the science and the implications of this for society and sustainable development. It includes material directly taken from the SREX report, where the underlying source is clearly referenced, but it also presents synthesis messages that are the views of the authors of this summary and not necessarily those of the IPCC. It is intended to illuminate the SREX report’s vital findings for decision maker ...
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Sustainable development 20 years on from the Earth Summit: progress, gaps and strategic guidelines for Latin America and the Caribbean
ECLAC, 2012This report describes the progress achieved in relation to sustainable development since 1992 and the gaps still remaining. It is divided into two parts: (i) of the main traits of development in Latin America and the Caribbean in the past 20 years, particularly those which touch upon economic, social and environmental aspects such as the reduction of exposure to disasters; and (ii) proposed guidelines for moving towards sustainable development in the region.
The guidelines recommend: (i) creating synergies among inclusion, social protection, human security, empowerment of peopl ...
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