Disaster risk management for climate change adaptation: Experiences from German development cooperation

Disaster risk management for climate change adaptation: Experiences from German development cooperation Britta Heine 1, Jens Etter 2 1 Deutsche Gesellschaft für Technische Zusammenarbeit (GTZ) GmbH, Postfach 5180, 65726 Eschborn, e-mail: Britta.Heine@gtz.de, phone: +49 619679 1742 2 Deutsche Gesellschaft für Technische Zusammenarbeit (GTZ) GmbH, Postfach 5180, 65726 Eschborn, e-mail: Jens.Etter@gtz.de, phone: +49 619679 4225 1 Introduction Climate change has become a tangible reality: all around the world, disasters caused by extreme meteorological events such as storms, floods, heatwaves and droughts are dramatically rising in frequency and intensity. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) expects further amplification of this trend, according to its most recent report Impacts, Adaptation, and Vulnerability (IPCC 2007). Developing countries are especially vulnerable to the consequences of climate change, the impacts of which are most evident when they intensify pre-existing problems in these countries. For instance, the majority of the population in such countries live directly from agriculture in Africa, for instance, the figure is 70%. Thus their livelihoods are directly dependent on climatic and weather conditions. Secondly, poverty itself is a major cause of vulnerability to the consequences of climate change. A lack of capacity (technical, human and financial) makes it harder to adapt to changing conditions and to mitigate the risks. High population growth in particular locations, e.g. in river deltas threatened by sea-level rise, exposes a growing number of people to the risks of climate change. As a consequence of their great vulnerability to changes in climatic and weather conditions, even now developing countries are experiencing a higher incidence of disasters. These are expected to keep rising in frequency as a result of the forecast changes in the climate. Disasters not only disrupt development processes but can also block long-term development gains. In other words, disasters are jeopardising efforts to reduce poverty and achieve the Millennium Development Goals. Due to the conditions described above, developing countries generally have difficulties in contending with these additional challenges. There is therefore a special need for development cooperation to address the theme of adaptation. Disaster risk management has a special role to play in mitigating the novel risks induced by climate change. Accordingly, climate change adaptation and disaster risk management are becoming increasingly relevant themes for development cooperation. Within the German Technical Cooperation (GTZ) there are two projects dealing with these themes: Climate Protection Programme for Developing Countries and Disaster Risk Management in Development Cooperation. The following paragraphs briefly introduce these two projects and their activity areas. 1.1 Climate protection at GTZ Under commission from the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) the GTZ Climate Protection Programme deals with the themes of mitigating greenhouse gases, avoiding deforestation, and adapting to climate change. It also contributes to international policy processes and supports BMZ in these processes, such as the negotiations on implementing the Framework Convention on Climate Change and the Kyoto Protocol. In order to prevent further escalation of global warming, the Climate Protection Programme directly promotes measures for greenhouse gas mitigation in developing countries. Here the priority is to expand and promote global emissions trading. For example, support is provided with the establishment of Clean Development Mechanism approval authorities in developing countries under the Kyoto Protocol. On the thematic area of avoided deforestation, the Climate Protection Programme is carrying out pilot measures in Madagascar and the Congo. Avoided deforestation refers to prevention of forest clearance as a means of avoiding the resultant greenhouse gas emissions. On the theme of adaptation, the Climate Protection

Programme supports the implementation of specific adaptation measures in developing countries. The Programme operates in developing countries which are particularly severely affected by climate change, carrying out pilot measures whereby practical experience is gained in situ and subsequently disseminated. An important activity area on the theme of climate change adaptation is ensuring the sustainability of development cooperation projects, by assessing the risks either caused or heightened by climate change as a standard part of project planning and implementation. This is known as climate proofing. In order to mainstream the themes of climate change adaptation and greenhouse gas reduction within German development cooperation, on behalf of BMZ the Climate Protection Programme further supports the initiation and implementation of larger bilateral and regional projects and programmes. 1.2 Disaster risk management at GTZ The Sector Project on Disaster Risk Management is supported by BMZ in order to orient German development cooperation towards preventive approaches to disaster risks, and to contribute to international processes of disaster risk management. To achieve these objectives, the Sector Project works in the following areas: Developing strategies and tools: Application-oriented strategies and tools for, e.g., incorporating risk assessments into development projects or into partner countries budget planning. Institutional mainstreaming of disaster risk management in German development cooperation: Disaster risk management is integrated into German development cooperation projects as a crosssectoral theme (mainstreaming) or supported as a new stand-alone activity to meet the needs of the countries affected. All instruments and institutions of development cooperation are addressed (technical cooperation, financial cooperation, non-governmental organisations, etc.). Initial and further training: The Sector Project has developed disaster risk management training programmes for various target groups for the initial and further training of German development staff. The programmes are offered both in Germany and internationally, and are embedded in training establishments and other organisations for long-term sustainability. International positioning of BMZ: Within this work area, advice is provided to BMZ on strategically important events, cooperation with strategically important partners, and on international processes such as financing mechanisms (e.g. the GFDRR). On behalf of BMZ, the sector project actively engages in networking and cooperation management. Implementation of innovative pilot measures: The Sector Project promotes and coordinates innovative disaster risk management measures with the objectives of a) assisting projects in disaster-prone countries with the integration of disaster risk management into their own planning and implementation, and b) gathering practical experience in addressing new themes and using new instruments, for later dissemination. These measures are financed by means of a supraregional small-scale project fund replenished by BMZ on an annual basis. 2 Disaster risk management for climate change adaptation The relevance of disaster risk reduction to climate change adaptation has been highlighted above. The following section clarifies the conceptual similarities and distinctions between these two areas. The core aim of disaster risk management is to reduce the risk of disaster for societies living in regions threatened by natural hazards (risk management) and to prepare them to cope if disaster strikes (preparedness). This holistic approach focuses on the whole of a society, including its people, its infrastructure, economy and institutions. It considers not only risks arising from meteorological events (e.g. storms, floods) but also in contrast to climate change adaptation risks stemming from tectonic events (e.g. earthquakes and volcanic eruptions). Disaster risk management encompasses the elements of risk analysis, disaster prevention and mitigation, and disaster preparedness. The purpose of risk analysis is to identify the disaster risk to which a certain region or society is exposed. To this end, the specific hazards and vulnerabilities affecting a society are recorded and assessed. The risk analysis process includes analysis of the possible consequences and impacts of extreme natural events. On this basis, appropriate prevention and preparedness measures are planned.

Prevention and mitigation encompass activities and measures with the long-term objective of preventing a natural disaster and its consequences, and putting in place some permanent protection against its impacts. Prevention and mitigation are primarily achieved by addressing human behaviour and human patterns of production and consumption. For instance, people may need to adapt their agricultural practices, by adopting erosion prevention measures in high-rainfall areas, waterconserving production techniques in drought-prone areas, new farming techniques, etc. Extreme weather events whether induced by climate change or not are critical hazards which have always been a focus of disaster risk management. Appropriate disaster preparedness makes it possible to coordinate a swift and effective response to an impending disaster. Important elements include emergency plans, rescue and emergency services in readiness, emergency medical care, information systems for distributing warnings, and usable communication systems. Climate change adaptation means re-examining and, if necessary, modifying our policies, programmes, investments and ultimately also behaviours in the light of our knowledge about climate change and its impacts. This may mean coping with changing risks, but it may equally mean capitalising on positive impacts of climate change. Every adaptation strategy involves the following steps: The first step is to gain a clear picture of the anticipated climate impacts, as a prerequisite for establishing the vulnerability of societies and ecosystems. In contrast to disaster risk management, this extends beyond an appraisal of the immediate hazards and vulnerability. Identification of climate impacts also encompasses an assessment of future trends or the possible range of anticipated climatic changes. The second step is to compare climate impacts with vulnerabilities in order to derive possible adaptation measures. Priority measures are then identified by carrying out a cost-benefit analysis from a macro-economic perspective. The third and final step in this sequence is to determine the social governance aspects; who should most usefully tackle which area, with which risk management intervention? By following this sequence, it is possible to develop local, national or regional adaptation strategies. Adaptation just like disaster prevention and mitigation is understood as a cross-sectoral theme which calls for the collective efforts of various societal actors, working on different levels and across sectoral boundaries. Disaster Risk Management Adaptation to Climate Change Adaptation by: Preventive measures to reduce the risk of disasters (risk management) by: 1. Reducing a society s vulnerabilty 2. Preventing the emergence of new risks 1. Assessing impacts and vulnerability; 2. Identifying and prioritising measures; 3. Managing adaptation as a cross-sectoral process (governace) Reduction of risks induced by climate change Figure 2: Intersection between disaster risk management and climate change adaptation

The points discussed so far have shown that both climate change adaptation and disaster risk management are concerned with reducing the risks caused and amplified by climate change. At this intersection point, GTZ has already succeeded in gathering preliminary experience in Mozambique that will be presented below. 3 A community based disaster risk management programme for climate change adaptation experiences from Mozambique Mozambique situated on the east coast of southern Africa is one of the poorest countries in the world. The watershed of the Búzi river in Sofala province is affected by very severe floods. Neighbouring communities are regularly hit by floods and cyclones. The flood in the year 2000 affected some 4.5 million people, and claimed the lives of 800. According to reports from the IPCC, a further increase in heavy rainfall events and more intensive and widespread droughts in Mozambique are very likely. On behalf of BMZ, in 2001 one year after the flood GTZ initiated a programme on rural development with a component on disaster risk management. Its aims included the organisation of a comprehensive local and participatory disaster risk management system, as a means of adaptation to the growing disaster risks stemming from climate change and extreme events in Búzi district. To this end, initially a participatory risk analysis was carried out. It identified one-third of the district's inhabitants as particularly vulnerable to extreme natural events. Today the most risk-prone areas have been mapped in detail, along with areas of higher ground which could be used for emergency evacuation purposes. On the basis of the risk analysis, local disaster management committees were established and trained with the help of local experts from Costa Rica and Honduras. Villagers and volunteers also established a local early warning system based on relatively simply resources. At seven measuring stations, readings are taken of daily rainfall and river water levels. This provides useful information and triggers early warnings when necessary. Figure 3: Villagers taking rainfall readings (photo: GTZ) Furthermore, syllabus content and lesson plans were developed at four project schools to raise awareness among children and young people about the impacts of climate change, and to familiarise them with the theme of disaster risk management at an early age. Both themes have been integrated into local curricula. As a result of the activities described, villagers and local government representatives, teachers and schoolchildren have been sensitised to the issues, and disaster risk management measures for climate change adaptation have been integrated into the district s development plan. The success of the project was most evidently demonstrated in 2007, when extreme flooding struck the area once again. On that occasion, most of the inhabitants escaped with their lives. This is ascribed to the successful implementation of the local disaster risk management system, and especially the effective operation of the early warning system. In the meantime, these experiences have been passed on to other districts, where plans are now also in hand to establish local disaster risk management mechanisms. In

summary, disaster risk management measures for climate change adaptation dramatically reduced the vulnerability of the population of Búzi district. 4 Conclusions The theme of climate change adaptation is currently a topic of intensive discussion in development cooperation, where it is steadily gaining in significance. At the same time, however, it is a relatively recent theme on which there is little concrete experience so far. It is a field in which GTZ, as described in the context of the Mozambique example, has already gained preliminary experience. During this work it became apparent that most concrete measures that contribute to climate change adaptation, such as disaster risk management, are nothing new: a reminder of the time-honoured truism that there is no need to reinvent the wheel. Hence there is strong commitment within GTZ to mobilising diverse experience from the different sectors and turning it to the purpose of climate change adaptation. One aspect, for example, is the use and continuous development of tools and methods of disaster risk management, e.g. to incorporate the climate change perspective into awareness-raising measures or risk assessments. Another equally important aspect is to learn from the experience gained in disaster risk management, as a basis for mainstreaming risk management as a cross-sectoral theme. On this aspect, thinking is beginning to move in the direction of integrating an assessment of risks induced by extreme natural events including climate change risks into the obligatory risk assessment performed for every German development cooperation project. References BMZ (2004) Disaster Risk Management Contributions by German Development Cooperation (BMZ Information Materials No. 136), Bonn GTZ (2006) Fact sheet Adaptation to Climate Change in Mozambique. Early Warning and Education, Eschborn GTZ (2005) Disaster Risk Management along Rio Búzi, Eschborn GTZ (2004) Risk Analysis a Basis for Disaster Risk Management, Eschborn GTZ (2004) Adaptation to Climate Change. Causes, Impacts, Responses, Eschborn GTZ (2002) Disaster Risk Management Working Concept, Eschborn Parry, Martin et al. (2007): Climate Change 2007: Impacts, Adaptation and Vulnerability. Contribution of Working Group II to the Fourth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. New York Süddeutsche Zeitung, 14.03.2007: Flutfunk. Ein einfaches Warnsystem rettet Menschenleben in Mosambik [Flood radio. A simple warning system saves human lives in Mozambique] (http://www.sueddeutsche.de/wissen/artikel/681/105576/print.html) The opinions and views expressed by the authors of this article do not necessarily represent the official position of GTZ.