Skip to main content

Advertisement

Log in

Climate warming and natural disaster management: An exploration of the issues

  • Published:
Climatic Change Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

This paper explores two issues that have been receiving increasing attention in recent decades, climate change adaptation and natural disaster risk reduction. An examination of the similarities and differences between them reveals important linkages but also significant differences, including the spectrum of threats, time and spatial scales, the importance of local versus global processes, how risks are perceived, and degree of uncertainty. Using a risk perspective to analyze these issues, preferential strategies emerge related to choices of being proactive, reactive, or emphasizing risk management as opposed to the precautionary principle. The policy implications of this analysis are then explored, using Canada as a case study.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1

Similar content being viewed by others

Notes

  1. (http://earthhopenetwork.net/Deforestation_Climate_Change_Magnify_East_African_Drought.htm; http://www.voanews.com/english/archive/2006-04/2006-04-06-voa15.cfm?moddate=2006-04-06)

  2. The precautionary principle states that burden of proof lies with those whose actions may cause severe harm, in the absence of a scientific consensus that the harm would not occur.

  3. Risk management is a systematic approach to managing risk based upon rational decision-making; it includes identifying and analyzing hazard, exposure and consequences, and determines which combinations of management strategies yield optimal outcomes.

  4. Over time, improved science and prediction models may reduce uncertainty.

References

  • Adams J (1999) Cars, cholera, and cows: the management of risk and uncertainty. Retrieved from http://www.cato.org/pubs/pas/pa-335es.html

  • Berkes F, Jolly D (2001) Adapting to climate change: social-ecological resilience in a Canadian western Arctic community. Conserv Ecol 5(2):18, Online: http://www.consecol.org/vol5/iss2/art18/

  • Burton, I. (1997). ‘Vulnerability and Adaptive Responses in the Context of Climate Change’, Climatic Change, Volume 36, Number 1-2, 185–196

  • Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) (2010) ‘Inuit win injunction on seismic testing’, CBC News, August 8, 2010, Accessed on: August 10, 2010, Available at: http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/north/story/2010/08/08/nunavut-lancaster-injunction.html?ref=rss

  • Commoner B (1971) The closing circle: nature, man, and technology. New York: Knopf. Canada. Department of Justice. Laws. Retrieved from http://laws.justice.gc.ca/en/

  • Davies M, Guenther B, Leavy J, Mitchell T, Tanner T (2009) Climate change adaptation, disaster risk reduction and social protection: complementary roles in agriculture and rural growth. IDS Working Papers 2009:01–37

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Eakin H, Lemos MC (2010) Institutions and change: the challenge of building adaptive capacity in Latin America. Glob Environ Chang 20(1):1–3

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Etkin D (2009) Patterns of risk: spatial planning as a strategy for the mitigation of risk from natural hazards. In: Fra Paleo U (ed) 2009. Building safer communities. Risk governance, spatial planning, and responses to natural hazards. IOS Press, Amsterdam

  • Ford J, MacDonald J, Smit B, Wandel J (2006) Vulnerability to climate change in Igloolik, Nunavut: what we can learn from the past and present. Polar Record 42(221):127–138

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ganzel B (2003) The dust bowl of the 1930s. Retrieved from http://www.livinghistoryfarm.org/farminginthe30s/water_02.html

  • Government of British Columbia (2008) Future forest initiative. Retrieved from http://www.for.gov.bc.ca/hts/future_forests/FFEI_FAQs.pdf

  • Government of Canada (2009) The Northern Strategy, http://www.northernstrategy.ca

  • Green KC, Armstrong SJ (2007) Global warming: forecasts by scientists versus scientific forecasts. Energy Environ 18(7–8):997–1021

    Google Scholar 

  • Gunderson LHL, Holling CS (2001) Panarchy: understanding transformations in human and natural systems. Island Press, Washington, DC

    Google Scholar 

  • Hansen J (2008) The threat to the planet. Retrieved from http://www.astro.columbia.edu/~roban/lab_2006_fall/hansen.pdf

  • Henry AJ (1930) The great drought of 1930 in the United States. Mon Weather Rev 58:351–354

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Higuchi K, Yuen C-W, Shabbar A (2000) Ice storm in Southcentral Canada and Northeastern United States: a climatological perspective. Theor Appl Climatol 66:61–79

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Holling CS (ed) (1978) Adaptive environmental assessment and management. Wiley, Chichester

    Google Scholar 

  • Hovden J (2004) Risk and uncertainty management strategies. Paper presented at the 6th International CRN Expert Workshop. Stockholm, 22–24

  • Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (2007a) Climate change 2007—The physical science basis. Contribution of Working Group 1 to the Fourth Assessment Report of the IPCC. University Press, Cambridge

    Google Scholar 

  • Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (2007b) Climate change 2007—Impacts, adaptation and vulnerability. Contribution of Working Group 2 to the Fourth Assessment Report of the IPCC. University Press, Cambridge

    Google Scholar 

  • Karoly D, Risbey J, Reynolds A (2003) Global warming contributes to Australia’s worst drought. World Wildlife Federation Report, Australia

    Google Scholar 

  • Kristensen V, Aven T, Ford D (2006) A new perspective on Renn and Klinke’s approach to risk evaluation and management. Reliab Eng Syst Saf 91:421–432

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mearns R, Norton A (eds) (2010) Social dimensions of climate change: equity and vulnerability in a warming word. The World Bank, Washington, D.C., p 320

  • Mercer J (2010) Disaster risk reduction or climate change adaptation: are we reinventing the wheel? J Int Dev 22:247–264

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Milligan J (2004) Heatwaves: the developed world’s hidden disaster. International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent, World Disasters Report

  • Mitchell T, van Aalst M (2010) Convergence of disaster risk reduction and climate change adaptation: a review for DFID 31st October 2008

  • Mohajer A (1993) Seismicity and seismotectonics of the Western Lake Ontario region. Géographie physique et Quaternaire 47(3):353–362

    Google Scholar 

  • Moore AL, Michael A (2009) On valuing information in adaptive-management, models. Conserv Biol 24(4):984–993

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • National Round Table on the Environment and the Economy (NRTEE) (2011) The economic risks and opportunities of climate change for Canada, Accessed on: October 1, 2011, Available at: http://nrtee-trnee.ca/climate/climate-prosperity

  • Nunavut Impact Review Board (NIRB) (2010) Completed screenings, Files 2007–2010

  • Pielke R (2004) A broader perspective on climate change is needed. Global Change News Letter Number 59. Retrieved from http://ccc.atmos.colostate.edu/pdfs/NR-139.pdf

  • Potgieter AB, Hammer GL, Meinke H, Stone RC, Goddard L (2005) Three putative types of el niño revealed by spatial variability in impact on australian wheat Yield. J Clim 18:1566–1574

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Paehlke R (2008) Some like it cold: the politics of climate change in Canada. Between the Lines, Toronto

    Google Scholar 

  • Pielke R, Wigley T, Green C (2008) Dangerous assumptions. Nature 452:531–532

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Renn A, Klinke O (2001) Precautionary principle and discursive strategies: classifying and managing risks. J Risk Res 4(2):159–173

    Google Scholar 

  • Rhodes V (2008) Climate should influence building code says expert. Retrieved August 30, 2009 from http://www.canada.com/reginaleaderpost/news/story.html?id=ee7bf4c0-56a1-412e-a222-7feb8659aa94

  • Risk Management Solutions, Inc (2008) The 1998 ice storm: 10-year retrospective. Special Report

  • Runco M, Pritzker SR (1999) Encyclopedia of creativity. Academic Press

  • Salafsky N, Margoluis R, Redford K (2009) Adaptive management: A tool for conservation practitioners. Biodiversity Support Program, Washington D.C.

  • Shaw R, Pulhin JM, Pereira JJ (2010) Chapter 1 Climate change adaptation and disaster risk reduction: An Asian perspective. In Shaw R, Pulhin JM, Pereira JJ (eds) Climate change adaptation and disaster risk reduction: an asian perspective (Community, Environment and Disaster Risk Management, Volume 5), Emerald Group Publishing Limited, pp. 1–18

  • Slovic P (2000) The perception of risk. Earthscan Publications Ltd., London.

    Google Scholar 

  • Stern Sir N (2007) The economics of climate change: the stern review. HM Treasury, Cabinet Office, Cambridge University Press. p 657

  • Stuart-Menteth A (n.d.). U.K. Summer 2007 Floods. RMS. Retrieved April 12, 2010 from http://www.rms.com/Reports/UK_Summer_2007_Floods.pdf

  • Sunstein CR (2005) Laws of fear: beyond the precautionary principle. Cambridge University Press, New York

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Tearfund (2008) Linking climate change adaptation and disaster risk reduction. London, UK

  • Union of Concerned Scientists (January 2007). Smoke, mirrors and hot air: How Exxon Mobil uses big tobacco’s tactics to manufacture uncertainty on climate science. Cambridge, Massachusetts

  • UN University (2009) Toward a Global Science and Technology Policy Agenda for Sustainable Development. United Nations University Policy Brief No. 4. Retrieved from http://www.merit.unu.edu/publications/pb/unu_pb_2009_4.pdf

  • Venton P, La Trobe S (2008) Linking climate change adaptation and disaster risk reduction. Institute of Development Studies, Brighton, United Kingdom

    Google Scholar 

  • Van der Schrier G, Briffa KR, Osborn TJ, Cook ER (2006) Summer moisture availability across North America. J Geophys Res 111

  • Williams BK, Szaro RC, Shapiro CD (2007) Adaptive management: The U.S. Department of the Interior Technical Guide. US Department of the Interior

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding author

Correspondence to David Etkin.

Electronic supplementary material

Below is the link to the electronic supplementary material.

ESM 1

(DOC 230 kb)

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Etkin, D., Medalye, J. & Higuchi, K. Climate warming and natural disaster management: An exploration of the issues. Climatic Change 112, 585–599 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10584-011-0259-6

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10584-011-0259-6

Keywords

Navigation