Organizer: art-science-media.com, SERNAGEOMIN, Universitat de Barcelona
Using the Earth Girl Volcano free casual strategy game as a case study, this session examines a people-centric approach to providing populations at risk with a science-based but engaging set of effective survival tools. Topics include game design, scientific foundations, and field work.
Speakers: Isaac Kerlow, Director/Producer, art-science-media Gabriela Pedreros, Geologist, SERNAGEOMIN Helena Albert, Lecturer Professor, University of Barcelona
Early warning for early action: Toward more behaviorally-informed early warning systems
Organizer: Food for the Hungry
“EWSs are only as good as the actions they catalyse; action is an essential part of any warning system. If a warning is sounded, and no one takes the action that the warning was intended to trigger, then the warning system failed.” (IFRC, 2012) The movement toward more people-centered EWSs has improved the overall quality of warning information gathered and analyzed along with the timeliness and quality of warning messages. However, as the literature review finds, EWSs have primarily been designed from a technocratic perspective, aimed at informing governments and official stakeholders of when, where, and how to initiate humanitarian relief efforts. While EWSs have indeed gotten more people-centered in the development of the warnings themselves, less progress has been made in understanding how to best elicit early preparation, prevention, and mitigation actions from the exposed and vulnerable populations themselves. In an effort to contribute to the improvement and further development of people-centered early warning systems (PC-EWSs) and approaches, this paper reviews current literature on the role of social-cognitive perspectives, culture, perceptions of risk, and other aspects of individual and social worldviews that influence how we sense, think, and act in relation to early warning information, messages, and preparedness efforts. Furthermore, we build on existing notions of people-centered early warning systems and incorporates social and behavior change theories and experience to propose a new, behaviorally-informed EWS framework. Rather than the orthodox starting point for EWS design and development – hazard data and analysis – this new framework proposes to “flip the script” for EWS design and development, beginning by identifying the desired early actions of exposed and vulnerable populations and the behavioral determinants that influence decisions to take those actions. We then propose that the EW information that is collected is relevant for prompting action and that the EW messages communicate through channels relevant for all vulnerable groups. These messages, having been tailored to behaviors and actions as opposed to the hazard only, address the previously identified behavioral determinants while calling for specific action.
Speakers: Mary DeCoster, MPH, MLS, IBCLC, Sr. Director of Social & Behavioral Change Programs Claire Boswell, Technical Advisor for Social and Behavioral Change Lauren Woodside de Alegre, Risk & Resilience Manager Josh Ayers, Sr. Risk & Resilience Advisor Dr. Supriya Akerkar, Sr. Lecturer and Course Director, Development & Emergency Practice at Oxford Brookes University, UK Ann Jimerson, Social & Behavior Change Specialist
Recalibrating approaches towards urban resilience investments: System thinking and prioritization methods for decision making
Organizer: The World Bank
The objective of this session is to introduce and debate a set of existing and emerging methodologies to prioritize resilient infrastructure investments (e.g., betweenness centrality/connectivity analysis, accessibility indexes, criticality analysis, community-based participation, etc.) that can be used in low-income climate vulnerable countries. These approaches will be placed against the backdrop of the process and technologies used at different stages of their development (e.g., data collection using GIS-based information, remote sensing and machine learning, analysis and planning with asset management tools and open decision platforms, etc.). During this live presentation and discussion, we hope to: 1) Share some of the system of systems’ paradigm and underlying innovative technique developed for the prioritization of resilient infrastructure investments; 2) Understand attendees’ preferences in terms of the methods that can be deployed for the prioritization of resilient infrastructure investments – this can be related to pragmatic concerns against the backdrop of data scarcity or the complexity of the method itself to more subjective preference. We are interested in understanding what methods and what trajectories are worth exploring more based on attendee’s judgment; and 3) Learn from the attendees as they will also introduce methods based on their experience and from their sectors. In so doing, we are also looking forward to understanding how prioritization methods can be used interchangeably by sectors, and towards the shared goal of improving urban resilience. The session also aims to be contextually diverse and will use several country case studies distributed globally. This community session is open to all – particularly to engineers, researchers, managers and decision makers that deal with urban resiliency. While some of the methods introduced during the side events will come from the transport sector, the goal of the session is to provide an opportunity for a broad spectrum of participants to exchange ideas and share practical experiences across various sectors such as transport, water, energy, etc. regarding the prioritization methods for resilient infrastructure investments.
Speakers: Mohammad Saied Dehghani, K.N. Toosi University of Technology, Management Consultant Emanuele Strano, Urban Scientist & Researcher
Doing drainage differently: Tackling urban flooding in the future mega-city of Dar es Salaam, Tanzania
Organizer: World Bank
Every year floods in the Msimbazi River Valley in Dar es Salaam result in deaths and millions of dollars of infrastructure and economic losses. The Msimbazi Valley is a strategically important area in the city. Two of four of Dar es Salaam’s main traffic arteries cross the main flood plain; communities at the lower reaches of the river depend on close access to Dar es Salaam’s central business district for their livelihoods; and the river catchment includes significant environmental assets, including protected forest areas, wetlands and mangrove forests. The session will present a comprehensive participatory driven, scientifically validated, and economically verified approach to manage flooding, improve mobility, reclaim land and protect the environment. The presenters will showcase a nearly two-year long process of developing a blueprint for the regeneration of 400 hectares of land located in the Central Business District of Dar es Salaam. This blueprint is a product of a consultative process that brought together more than 250 stakeholders from 59 institutions; and was informed by an extensive data collection, modeling and technical studies. The session will also share a real estate market analysis for residential, retail and office space and the overall economic benefits of this comprehensive regeneration and creation of the largest urban park in the region. Finally, a cutting edge Virtual Reality tour of the challenges and solutions of urban flooding will be demonstrated as an innovative tool for communicating complex and multi-sectoral projects.
Speakers: Edward Anderson, Senior Disaster Risk Management Specialist Mussa Natty, Senior Urban Resilience Specialist MaryGrace W. Lugakingira, Urban Planning Specialist, World Bank Larissa Duma, Urban Ecology and Resilience Specialist Chris Morgan, Senior Digital Engagement Specialist
Organizer: Risk Modelling Group of the Insurance Development Forum InsuResilience Secretariat
There are many human factors in risk decision-making, but we know that to manage and finance risk it helps to quantify it. However countries and cities interested in building their risk understanding do not always have access to the models and data needed to inform risk strategy or execute transactions. So much of the world’s modelling capability and resource is locked up in the global north and there is a strong case for improving access and usability. This workshop will explore a range of open risk modelling initiatives in development and humanitarian contexts, including open platforms, open data standards and cross-sector collaborations. It will discuss what resources and knowledge can be gained by combining private sector, public sector and civil society strengths, and how together we can: • Lower the barriers to understanding risk, sharing capabilities that were once inaccessible. • Build national and community capacity at a fraction of previous costs. • Harness private sector risk experience and methodologies. • Improve strategic risk thinking by integrating local and global research. • Open up access to finance for risk prevention, residual risk transfer and anticipatory action. Building on country stories, a cross-sector group will offer a menu of ideas for discussion, suggesting that the best way to accelerate the availability of risk understanding (and the empowerment it brings) is through public-private collaboration and the principles of genuinely open risk modelling. The session will be based on ideas shown in the IDF Development Impact of Risk Analytics paper, which will be released to attendees beforehand. The paper’s contributing authors include UNDP, UN DRR, IDF, InsuResilience, IFRC, GEM, Start Network, Red Cross Red Crescent, Oasis LMF, finance sector companies, science institutions and academics. The session will be designed to be entertaining, informative, and most of all interactive. An initial presentation, rich with current country-level examples, will lay out the logic. The session will end with learning points, offering connections across sectors and a look to next steps.
Speakers: Tuga Alaskary, Advisor at the Secretariat of the InsuResilience Global Partnership Nick Moody, Editor and Joint Lead Author of the Development Impact of Risk Analytics Report Augusto Hidalgo, Climate & Disaster Risk Finance to Governments, Development Banks and Corporations Katherine Miles, Gender Consultant, InsuResilience Global Partnership’s Gender Working Group Ana Beatriz Acevedo, Doctor of Philosophy, Universidad EAFIT, Department of Civil Engineering Paul Maisey, Catastrophe and Disaster Risk Consultant, JBA Risk Management Litea Biutoko, Team Leader Disaster Risk for the Geoscience, Energy and Maritime Division of the Pacific Community (SPC) Clare Harris,
RiskChanges: An open source tool for multi-hazard risk assessment and decision making
Organizer: Geoinformatics Center, Asian Institute of Technology – ITC, University of Twente
This session will provide an advanced approach for multi-hazard risk assessment providing how risk changes over time, and how the information on changing risks can be used for disaster risk management. While risk in a particular area usually changes gradually over time due to land-use/land-cover change, population growth, and possibly climate change, however, risk status may also change abruptly due to a catastrophic disaster which may further adversely affect the environmental and socioeconomic conditions. We have developed an open-source tool for multi-hazard risk assessment and decision making, called “RiskChanges”, which allows the end-users and stakeholders to assess and evaluate the prevailing risks in a designated area and decide the best available risk reduction alternatives. To this effect, the end-users and stakeholders need to analyze not only the changes in hazards but also the changes taking place in elements-at-risk (buildings, population, transportation infrastructure, etc.), especially their vulnerabilities. In order to evaluate optimal risk reduction alternatives (structural and non-structural), the RiskChanges facilitates cost-benefit analysis for each of the alternatives.
Speakers: Manzul Kumar Hazarika, Director, Geoinformatics Center, Asian Institute of Technology Cees van Westen, Professor at ITC, University of Twente Ashok Dahal, Student at ITC, University of Twente
Drawing a regional picture of hydromet and early warning services in Africa
Organizer: World Bank, ECCAS, ECOWAS, IGAD, SADC
With more extreme and more frequently occurring weather and climate events in Africa, the Regional Economic Communities in Africa – Economic Com-munity of Central African States (ECCAS), Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), Inter-governmental Authority on Development (IGAD), Southern African Development Com-munity (SADC) – have called for modernizing weather, water and climate services to build resilience in communities and economies and provide effective early warning in their regions. The session will draw a picture on the status of weather, water, climate and early warning services in Africa and highlight different initiatives, policies and programs of ECCAS, ECOWAS, IGAD and SADC for strengthening them as critical enablers for effective early warning and early action. The activities presented in this session were supported among others by the Building Disaster Resilience to Natural Hazards in Sub-Saharan African Regions, Countries, and Communities Program and include the following: – Taking stock of weather, water, climate and early warning services in Western, Central and Southern Africa- Draw a picture of the regional issues and collaboration, notably with regard to data exchange- Present regional initiatives, notably on severe weather forecasting in Southern Africa, regional drought forecasting in Eastern Africa as well as water resources management in the Central Africa’s Congo River Basin- Share policy guidance and share experience from the formulation of ECOWAS’ regional flood management policy frameworks and the ECOWAS Hydromet Initiative- Demonstrate relevant early actions taken linking drought forecasting to climate smart agriculture and local action in the Horn of Africa.
Speakers: Johnson Boanuh, Director Environment and Natural Resources (ECOWAS) Desire Ndemazagoa, Director Water Resources (ECCAS) Keflemariam Sebhatu, DRM Program Coordinator Prithiviraj (Raj) Booneeady, Coordinator – SADC Climate Services Centre Marieke De Groen, Director AquaLinks
Launch of the Global Model for Earthquake Social Vulnerability and Resilience
Organizer: Global Earthquake Model (GEM)
Background Social Vulnerability (SVR) modelling is an important aspect of not just understanding risk but also in reducing disaster risk at any given scale. SVR modelling can give disaster management professionals, especially at the country level, the ability to anticipate an impact that goes beyond physical damage or casualties from earthquakes. This ability to anticipate can greatly help DRR agencies to prepare and plan on how to address damage to the economy, society and social well-being as a result of disasters. Purpose To present GEM’s global model of earthquake risk, the valuable addition of the Social Vulnerability component into the Global model, and to foster future opportunities and partnerships to reduce Earthquake risk from a global to a local perspective.
Speakers: John Schneider, Global Earthquake Model Secretary General Ana Beatriz Acevedo Jaramillo, Full Professor in the Civil Engineering Department at EAFIT University in Medellin Chrsitoper G Burton, Assistant Professor at the University of Connecticut (UCONN) Surya Narayan Shrestha, Executive Director, National Society for Earthquake Technology – Nepal (NSET) Jair Torres, PhD Senior consultant Disaster Risk Reduction at SAR Global Miguel Toquica, Social Vulnerability and Resilience Modeler
Organizer: Practical Action, Red Cross Red Crescent Climate Centre, British Geological Survey, King’s College London, Imperial College London, University of Birmingham, Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche, UK Met Office, Geological Survey India, Amrita University, Newcastle University, Tribhuvan University, Society of Hydrologists and Meteorologists, Kathmandu Living Labs, Nepal Department for Hydrology and Meteorology, International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis, Geological Survey of Austria, University of Geneva, Wageningen University, United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organisation.
Landslides are complex hazards that affect many areas of the world and cause significant loss of life and damage. Landslide early warning systems provide an opportunity to generate information in advance of such events, allowing for early actions that can reduce risks and impacts of these hazards. However, landslide early warning systems vary widely in approaches, scale, and many case studies are non-operational. There are also no existing holistic guidance resources for countries considering implementing landslide early warning systems. This session will provide an overview of landslide early warning systems from both a technical and operational/practical perspective, drawing on experiences and knowledge across the globe and case studies of Nepal and India from the Science for Humanitarian Emergencies and Resilience programme (SHEAR). Both slope and regional scale landslide early warning systems will be covered in a marketplace format to encourage discussions and tailored sharing of knowledge aligned with participants’ interests and needs. The essential value of a combined approach across physical science, social science and practitioners will be emphasised in order to achieve an operational, sustainable system.The session will also test launch a new guidance resource for setting up and implementing landslide early warning systems, getting feedback from the participants to ensure the guide provides appropriate and comprehensive information for stakeholders embarking on landslide early warning.
This session is part of the Development & Climate Days.The world is facing two unprecedented risks: biodiversity loss and climate change. The causes of these parallel challenges are interrelated, as are the solutions.Nature-based Solutions (NbS) are increasingly recognised for its role in addressing risks associated with biodiversity loss and climate change. NbS are actions that protect, sustainably manage and restore natural or modified ecosystems to address societal challenges – they have wide-reaching economic, social and environmental benefits. Functioning ecosystems can buffer key climate change risks and reduce the risks and impacts of extreme events such as storms, landslides and floods. As carbon sinks, ecosystems also provide climate mitigation opportunities.Enthusiasm around NbS as a reliable solution to biodiversity loss and climate change has continued to grow. World leaders have called for bold and urgent actions on biodiversity loss and climate change leading up to the climate change COP 26 hosted by UK and biodiversity COP 15 hosted by China. This has been further reinforced by the recently launched ‘Leaders’ Pledge for Nature’, signed by more than 70 countries at the Biodiversity Summit in September 2020. This online event will bring together practitioners from government, community and the private sector to explore how NbS is essential to managing risks associated with biodiversity loss and climate change, and is a critical ingredient in fulfilling international obligations and addressing local risk.
Speakers: Xiaoting Hou Jones, Senior Researcher, Natural Resources Group, International Institute for Environment and Development “Mike Jennings, Strategic Grant Manager, South African National Biodiversity Institute “ Vu Ley Y Voan , Vice Director of International Cooperation, Viet Nam Farmer’s Union Chip Cunliffe, Director, Sustainable Development, AXA XL
