Challenges in integrating disaster risk reduction and climate change adaptation: Exploring the Bangladesh case. (August 2020)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Islam, Shafiqul; Chu, Cordia; Smart, James C.R.
• Is Part Of: International journal of disaster risk reduction. Volume 47(2020)
• Publication Date: 2020-08
• Subjects: Disaster risk reduction -- Climate change adaptation -- Integration -- Challenges and strategies -- Bangladesh; Emergency management -- Periodicals; Risk management -- Periodicals; Disaster relief -- Periodicals; Hazard mitigation -- Periodicals; 363.34
• DOI: 10.1016/j.ijdrr.2020.101540
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 2212-4209

Abstract

Abstract: Climate change is widely acknowledged as responsible for increasing the scale and intensity of disasters. Literature stresses the necessity to link disaster risk reduction (DRR) and climate change adaptation (CCA) to make more efficient use of scarce resources and avoid overlapping efforts. However, integrating interventions for DRR and CCA remains a challenge because these two concepts originated from separate research-experts and are articulated by different sets of practitioners. Little study has yet investigated the challenges confronting integration and how best to overcome them in different contexts. To address this knowledge gap, we conducted in-depth interviews with 38 key stakeholders to explore the practices surrounding the integration of DRR and CCA in Bangladesh. As both approaches have similar aims to reduce vulnerabilities and increase resilience, the main arguments for linking DRR and CCA found were: to decrease overlapping of efforts and to improve the efficient use of scarce resources. Key challenges to the effective integration of DRR and CCA are found to be: inappropriate funding mechanisms, a lack of coordination and collaboration, a lack of implementation and mainstreaming, scale mismatches, poor governance, the socio-political-cultural structure, competing actors and institutions, lack of information, communication, knowledge sharing, and community involvement, and policy gaps. These challenges are underpinned by political economy, the nexus of influencing actors relevant to DRR and CCA. This study thus recommends that an in-depth political economy analysis of these challenges should be undertaken to identify reoriented institutional arrangements, and efficient governance frameworks to assist effective integration of DRR and CCA.