Climate Change Adaptation and Disaster Risk Reduction: Fundamentals, Synergies and Mismatches

The IPCC special report on Managing the Risks of Extreme Events to Advance Climate Change Adaptation (see IPCC, A Special Report of Working Groups I and II of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, 2012a, p. 582) underscores the importance of linking disaster risk reduction and climate change adaptation. However, in reality, practical approaches in adaptation and risk reduction have primarily been developed in isolation, rather than as a part of a parallel and intertwined process. This chapter examines the options and concepts that allow for the strengthening of the link between Climate Change Adaptation (CCA) and Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR). In addition, barriers and mismatches between the two communities will be addressed. The chapter also discusses how limited cooperation between different institutions and ministries has hampered effective synergies between CCA and DRR in praxis. Finally, the chapter outlines recommendations and measures that need to be adopted in order to overcome existing barriers. In this regard criteria are formulated that should be applied in order to constantly monitor and evaluate adaptation strategies designed to simultaneously meet disaster risk reduction requirements.