A new joint report released by the World Bank and United Nations last November 11, 2010 estimates a tripling of annual global losses from natural disasters to US$ 185 billion by the end of this century.  The report also warned that climate change could add an additional US$ 30-70 billion each year from the impact of tropical cyclones alone. It also estimated that the number of people exposed to storms and earthquakes could double to 1.5 billion by 2050.

The 250-page report, “Natural Hazards, UnNatural Disasters: The Economics of Effective Prevention,” advocates simple, common sense approaches for reducing the impact of natural hazards such as earthquakes, hurricanes, and flooding.  Some of the measures outlined in the report include: making information about hazards and risks easily accessible, the provision of land titles to encourage informal settlers to invest in safer structures, the removal of rent control to encourage landlords to prioritize building maintenance, and re-orienting public spending to prioritize day-to-day maintenance of public infrastructure.  The report stresses that such measures do not require that governments allocate additional funds, only that current spending be carried out in a more focused, risk-sensitive manner.

More information on the report is available here.

Source: UNISDR

Mayor Marcelo Ebrard was nominated as a champion of the “Making Cities Resilient” campaign by the UN’s top disaster risk reduction official, Margareta Wahlstrom, at a ceremony during the World Mayors Summit on Climate in Mexico City on November 21, 2010.

Mayor Ebrard was recognized for his exemplary leadership and for showing how local action can be taken to build the resilience of nations and their assets. The mayor is one of the prime movers of the “Mexico City Pact - Global Cities Covenant on Climate,” a historic emissions reduction agreement with over 70 other mayors that commits signatories to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in a transparent manner.

More information on the “Making Cities Resilient” campaign is available here.

Source: UNISDR

Parliamentarians from 10 Asian countries issued the Manila Call to Action last November 27, 2010, calling on national governments to allocate at least 1% of their national budgets and development funding for reducing disaster risk.

Gathered in Manila, Philippines for the Consultative Meeting for Asian Parliamentarians on “Disaster Risk Reduction: An Instrument for Achieving the Millennium Development Goals,” the legislators from Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Maldives, Pakistan, Philippines, and Thailand pledged to be agents of change and agreed “to transcend political boundaries in advancing disaster risk reduction and in fostering synergies with climate change adaptation for achieving the Millennium Development Goals.” The parliamentarians also agreed to enhance their knowledge and capacity in disaster risk reduction through closer collaboration with the UNISDR and recommended that governments use UNISDR’s Advocacy Kit for Parliamentarians on Disaster Risk Reduction as an Instrument for Achieving the Millennium Development Goals.

The Manila Call to Action can be accessed here.

Source: UNISDR

People in photo: Albay Gov. Joey Salceda, Climate Change Commission Vice Chairperson Heherson Alvarez, UNDP Country Director Renaud Meyer

One of the highlights of the recently concluded Local Government Summit on Climate Change held in Legazpi City, Philippines from Nov. 4-6, 2010, was the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding between the Philippines’ Climate Change Commission, the Provincial Government of Albay, and the U.N. System in the Philippines for the establishment of a Climate Change Academy that will serve as a resource for knowledge and expertise on local adaptation practices. The Academy will be housed within a local academic institution, Bicol University, and is expected to be a venue for disseminating information on such practices and their successful application.

Albay Governor Joey Salceda, the UNISDR Senior Global Champion for Climate Change Adaptation and Disaster Risk Reduction, vowed to aggressively pursue institutional partnerships with national government agencies, leading academic institutions, and international development organizations in pursuit of the objectives of the Climate Change Academy.

Source: The Green Economist