2. Climate Smart Disaster Risk
Management Approach
An Overview
Presented at the Christian Aid – Regional Consultation on Resilience – South Asia
06-08 Feb 2013, Kathmandu, Nepal

3. Why a Climate Smart Disaster Risk Management
approach?
• 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.

4. Characteristics of a Climate Smart Approach
• To respond, disaster risk managers must:
 Triangulate local experiences of changing disaster risks with the
evidence of the climatological and meteorological community
 Tackle people’s exposure to disasters.
 Help to create adaptive capacity among people, communities and
organisations that helps them deal with surprises and new risks
 Tackle the underlying drivers of vulnerability and poverty unless
disaster risk will continue to increase, recognising the role of
climate change in exacerbating these.
 Ensure that disaster risk management interventions are
environmentally sustainable and do not unnecessarily emit
greenhouse gases

5. Overview of the Development of the Approach
• Development of the approach through national and
regional consultations in 11 at risk countries in South East
Asia, South Asia and East Africa and 3 cases studies.
• Expert Review in February – mix of practitioners,
academics and decision makers – sought to simplify the
approach in order to operationalise it.
• 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

6. Pillar I: Tackle Changing Disaster Risk and
Uncertainties
• Supports priority areas of HFA highlighting importance of
collaboration between multiple actors
• Focuses on improved information on risk – detailed risk
assessment, based on multiple source of knowledge
• Increased access to information by all stakeholders-
education, EWS, Information dissemination
• Integrating climate change as key consideration.

7. Pillar I: Tackle 1a: Strengthen collaboration and integration
between diverse stakeholders working on
Changing disasters, climate and development
Disaster Risk
1b: Periodically assess the effects of climate
and change on current and future disaster risks
Uncertainties 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

8. Pillar II: Enhance Adaptive Capacity
• Adaptive capacity within this approach can be understood
as 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 (Bahadur et al, 2010) review we have
identified 10 Characteristics of resilience which promote
adaptive capacity.

9. Pillar II: Enhance 2a: Strengthen the ability of people,
Adaptive Capacity organisations and networks to experiment
and innovate
Cont
2b: Promote regular learning and reflection
 High Levels of Diversity
to improve the implementation of policies and
 Flexible and Effective Institutions
practices
 Cross Scalar Perspective
 Integrating Uncertainty 2c: Ensure policies and practices to tackle
 Ensuring Community Involvement changing disaster risk are flexible,
 Promoting Equity integrated across sectors and scale and
 Accepting Non- Equilibrium have regular feedback loops
 Promoting Learning
 Preparedness, Planning & 2d: Use tools and methods to plan for
Readiness uncertainty and unexpected events
 Social Values and Structures

10. Pillar III: Address Poverty, Vulnerability and
their Structural Causes
• Focused on MDGs which highlight agreed goals for
poverty reduction, builds on Pressure and Release model
by Wisner ( Root causes underscore the importance of
access to power , structure and resources). A lack of skill
and institutions (organizations) coupled with macro
process increases vulnerable.
• Sought to include key drivers of poverty: social, political,
economic & climatic processes.
• Low greenhouse gases & Sustainability.
McGray et
al. 2007

11. 3a: Promote more socially just and
equitable economic systems
Pillar III: Address
Poverty, 3b: Forge partnerships to ensure the
Vulnerability rights and entitlements of people to
access basic services, productive
and their assets and common property
Structural resources
Causes 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

12. Thank You from the SCR team!
Strengthening Climate Resilience (SCR) website:
www.csdrm.org