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Disaster Risk and Climate Change  

Climate change is expected to increase the severity and frequency of weather-
related natural hazards such as storms, high rainfalls, floods, droughts and heat-

waves (IPCC Fourth Assessment Report). Coupled with sea level rise, this will lead to 
more disasters in future – unless prompt action is taken. 

 

Over the period 1995-2004, a total of 2,500 million people were affected by 

disasters, with losses of 890,000 dead and US$ 570 billion costs. Most disasters 
(75%) are related to weather extremes (ISDR disaster statistics). Of particular 

concern is the fact that disasters have been increasing over recent decades, mainly 
owing to increased populations in hazard-prone locations, unplanned settlements and 

environmental degradation, but evidence is also mounting that climate change is a 
factor too, for example in more intense hurricanes, higher rainfall intensities and 
heat-waves. 

 

Climate change is altering the face of disaster risk, not only through increased 
weather related risks and sea-level and temperature rise, but also through increases 
in societal vulnerabilities from stresses on water availability, agriculture and 

ecosystems. Disaster risk reduction and climate change mitigation and adaptation 
share a common space of concern: reducing the vulnerability of communities and 

achieving sustainable development. 

 

 

ISDR and climate change 

 

Governments have recognized the importance of coordinating climate change 

adaptation with relevant natural disaster risk reduction measures and the need to 
integrate these considerations in a comprehensive manner into development plans 

and poverty eradication programmes. 

 

For several years, the ISDR secretariat has provided information and guidance on 
disaster risk reduction as a tool to manage climate risks and adapt to climate 

change, both to inform international policy deliberations and to assist governments 
and other parties to reduce climate-related vulnerabilities and risk, in line with the 
Hyogo Framework. 

 

Key points include: 

 

•

 

Use the guidance of the Hyogo Framework for Action: Building the Resilience 
of Nations and Communities to Disasters, agreed by 168 Governments in 

Kobe, Hyogo, Japan in 2005 to facilitate a systematic rather than project-
based approach to adaptation to climate change.  

•

 

Scale-up the use of existing disaster risk reduction tools that have proven to 

be effective in dealing with climate-related events that will be exacerbated by 
climate change. These include vulnerability and risk assessments, early 

warning systems, land-use planning and building code regulation, and 
institutional and legal capacities.  

 

2

•

 

Ensure adaptation to climate change and disaster risk reduction are 
integrated into development planning in all sectors. Establish inter-ministerial 

committees and national platforms for risk reduction to ensure inter-sectorial, 
multistakeholder coordination. 

•

 

Improve capacities and services for knowledge transfer from science to 
practice and application to bridge gaps in risk management in climate-

sensitive sectors.  

ISDR secretariat focuses its efforts on there areas of action: 

 

•

 

Achieve recognition, understanding and specific policies at the international 
level on the synergies between reducing disaster risk and responding to 

climate change,  

•

 

Mobilize, guide and facilitate action at national and regional levels to integrate 

disaster reduction and climate change policies and practice, and  

•

 

Strengthen the capacities of the ISDR system and secretariat to support the 

integration of disaster reduction and climate change by all actors.  

ISDR Asia-Pacific and climate change 

 

The Asia Pacific Office of UNISDR works on two areas of work on the linkages 
between disaster risk reduction and climate change adaptation - these are high level 

advocacy - the promotion of the positive linkages at institutional and policy levels; 
and analytical work on finding out what makes good climate adaptation that also 

incorporates disaster risk reduction. In order to do this, a study of good and sound 
practices and lessons learned is currently being undertaken in Viet Nam and India, 
with plans for similar work in 2009 in the Philippines and Indonesia. 

 

Ongoing activities include the launch of the Climate Resilient Cities pilot programme 
in Pune and Mumbai, India followed by an assessment of lessons learned, good 
practices and sustainability of the programme. In Vietnam, an analysis of the 

institutional and policy landscape at the national level has been completed and an 
analysis of the enabling environment related to the implementation and sustainability 

of ongoing work at the city and community level is underway. A high level policy 
forum on the linkages between disaster risk reduction and climate change adaptation 

is also planned to be organized by the Government of Viet Nam supported by 
UNISDR in September 2009.