Sustainable Development, Climate Change Adaptation and Disaster Management

Abstract

Climate change necessitates changes to the methods and procedures of disaster management. A triggering event results in disaster due to the severity of impacts and sequential, secondary consequences. These consequences result from factors such as the biophysical, social, political, economic, and structural context of the community experiencing the event. Climate change adds an additional progressive factor that increases the potential severity and frequency of triggering events and the vulnerability of communities experiencing the impact. Projecting future climate change impacts is imperfect, with a high degree of uncertainty. This uncertainty combined with the self-organizing, emergent properties that characterize urban systems, demands evaluation of the question, what qualifies as recovery? The manner in which policy is formulated must be adjusted to accommodate the dynamic contexts that may be subject to disaster triggering events. To address this need, disaster management must make adaptive capacity one of its primary goals. This is achieved through a process that combines risk assessment, comprehensive vulnerability assessment, iterative policy development and implementation, and ongoing public engagement. One of the critical aspects to long-term disaster recovery in the context of climate change is consideration of both local and regional contexts. Future adaptive capacity is closely tied with regional sustainability. This connection to sustainability is due to the fact that progressive climate change may further stress systems already being pushed by human development such as water and air pollution, habitat loss, and other degraded ecosystem services. Disaster events can result in the breaking of already stressed system connections. This confluence of events must be considered as part of disaster management. Further, ongoing monitoring of these systems and clear acknowledgement of their role in the ongoing functioning and vitality of a city is critical. Without continuous monitoring and iterative update of management procedures and local policy, communities will not be adequately prepared for an uncertain future.