Publication: Digital Public Goods for Disaster Risk Reduction in a Changing Climate
Loading...
Date
2023-03-16
ISSN
Published
2023-03-16
Editor(s)
Abstract
The growth of the disaster and climate risk analysis has largely taken place through the development of proprietary models and data only accessible to a restricted group of users. However, core digital assets have received a push early this century to open access so that larger populations can benefit from their use as public goods. This includes: (i) data used to produce evidence on past disasters or climatic conditions; (ii) models used by scientists to run future climate risk scenarios; (iii) technology and standards for disaster risk modeling; and (iv) crowdsourced maps created by volunteers and used by governments to prepare for and respond to crises. This briefing note aims to promote and explore ways that digital public goods can support disaster risk reduction. It starts by providing a series of definitions and historical context, before delving into the prevailing trends and opportunities that promote the use of open resources to support disaster risk reduction. The target audience for this note includes governments, international organizations, and other institutions that might want to play a role in advancing digital public goods. While the note focuses on disaster risk reduction, preventing new and reducing existing disaster risk, it also addresses the broader aspects of resilience and climate change adaption and might be of interest to practitioners or decision makers in those fields. Finally, this briefing note is a result of a collaboration between the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR) and the Global Facility for Disaster Reduction and Recovery (GFDRR) with inputs from 40 people gathered through a virtual workshop in November 2021. While short and concise, this paper aims to inspire more discussions and actions at the nexus of digital technologies, disaster risk management, and international development.
Link to Data Set
Citation
“Global Facility for Disaster Reduction; United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction. 2023. Digital Public Goods for Disaster Risk Reduction in a Changing Climate. © World Bank. http://hdl.handle.net/10986/39551 License: CC BY 3.0 IGO.”
Associated URLs
Associated content
Other publications in this report series
Journal
Journal Volume
Journal Issue
Collections
Related items
Showing items related by metadata.
Publication Understanding Risk : Review of Open Source and Open Access Software Packages Available to Quanify Risk from Natural Hazards(World Bank Group, Washington, DC, 2014-11)The World Bank s disaster risk management (DRM) activities utilize a range of open access and open source computational modelling tools to quantify the risk posed by natural hazards. An important goal of these activities is to build capacity among national and local governments and international development professionals working in disaster risk management. A key decision in these activities is the choice of modelling tool that will be used to address the hazard, exposure, and/or risk question under consideration. This document presents an objective analysis of freely available hazard and risk modelling software in order to facilitate selection of appropriate tools for various DRM activities. There have been previous evaluations of freely available modelling tools across various natural hazards, but this is the first multi-hazard systematic review using a set of consistent criteria. The analysis covers hazard risk models for cyclone (wind), storm surge and tsunami, earthquake, and flood.Publication Disaster Risk Reduction and Emergency Management in Armenia(World Bank, Washington, DC, 2009-10)This report addresses the fact that natural disasters have caused vast social upheaval and economic damage to Armenia. This ongoing vulnerability to natural disasters has led Armenia to appreciate the advantages of developing a comprehensive strategy to help minimize ensuing fiscal exposure because the national budget will never be adequate to mitigate, respond, and recover from these recurrent but unavoidable crises. Since the Spitak earthquake, Government has reorganized its emergency management system and established many seismic mitigation activities and created a Ministry of Emergency Situations (MoES) and established a cabinet-level Minister responsible for disaster response. Government may wish to build on these achievements. The report is also based on a study carried out in Armenia under the Global Facility for Disaster Reduction and Recovery (GFDRR) project, which analyzed disaster risks, assessed existing systems, mechanisms, and institutional capacities, and made recommendations for developing a comprehensive national disaster reduction and preparedness agenda, which could form the basis for a natural disaster reduction project.Publication Fiscal Disaster Risk Assessment Options for Consideration(World Bank, Washington, DC, 2015-06)Pakistan is vulnerable to a number of adverse natural events and has experienced a wide range of disasters over the past 40 years, including floods, earthquakes, droughts, cyclones, and tsunamis. The World Bank is supporting the Government of Pakistan (GoP) in building capacity in the area of disaster risk management (DRM) in order to build resilience from both humanitarian and fiscal shocks associated with natural disasters. The World Bank is providing technical assistance to the GoP for the development of a national disaster risk financing strategy. This non-lending technical assistance aims to: (i) assess the fiscal exposure of the GoP to natural disasters; (ii) present options for the development of a national strategy to improve financial response capacity for natural disasters; and (iii) promote property catastrophe risk insurance for both public and private dwellings. Disaster risk financing and insurance (DRFI) is one of the five pillars in the proactive and strategic framework for DRM promoted by the World Bank. The World Bank has been promoting a proactive and strategic framework for DRM based on five pillars: (i) risk identification; (ii) risk reduction; (iii) preparedness; (iv) financial protection; and (v) resilient recovery. Chapter one is introduction. Chapter two presents an overview of the budget processes for the financing of natural disaster losses during each of the three post-disaster phases. Chapter three provides a preliminary financial disaster risk assessment for Pakistan, focusing particularly on the fiscal impact of natural disasters. Chapter four presents an overview of the private catastrophe insurance market; and chapter five reviews the options for future financing of natural disaster recovery and reconstruction expenditures.Publication Understanding Risk in an Evolving World : Emerging Best Practices in Natural Disaster Risk Assessment(World Bank, Washington, DC, 2014-10)The 10-year-long Hyogo Framework for Action (HFA) set out to substantially reduce impacts from natural disasters by 2015. Despite efforts toward this goal, economic losses from natural disasters are rising from US$50 billion each year in the 1980s, to just under $200 billion each year in the last decade (World Bank and GFDRR 2013). The economic losses sustained by lower- and middle-income countries alone over the last 30 years represent a full third of all total development assistance in the same time period, offsetting tremendous efforts by governments, multilateral organizations, and other actors. As the HFA period ends against a backdrop of challenging disaster risk trends, and consultations toward a post-2015 framework move forward, it is important to reflect on the role of disaster risk assessments in achieving disaster and climate resilience, and on the contributions risk assessments have made over the last 10 years. Understanding Risk in an Evolving World: Emerging Best Practices in Natural Disaster Risk Assessment, which was developed to inform post-HFA discussions and the 2015 Global Assessment Report on Disaster Risk Reduction (GAR),1 reports on the current state of the practice of risk assessment and on advances made over the last decade.Publication Adaptive Social Protection and Disaster Risk Management(World Bank, Washington, DC, 2020-09-29)Japan has long suffered from intermittent but devastating natural disasters. Over the years, the country has developed a comprehensive disaster risk management (DRM) system to ensure that disaster response and recovery are as effective and efficient as possible. Japan has also created an elaborate system to provide social and economic assistance to disaster victims, including the most vulnerable. Today, Japan isa model of how the DRM and Adaptive Social Protection (ASP) systems can function in the context of rapid onset disasters, which, though infrequent, often have severe consequences. Japan is ranked fourth among the 171 countries most exposed to natural disasters (Bundnis Entwicklung Hilft 2017). Until the 1950s, such disasters frequently led to thousands of deaths. Since then, however, the number of deaths from these events has decreased markedly due to the improvement of the country’s DRM system. Nevertheless, mega-scale disasters, especially the ‘Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake Disaster’ in 1995 and the ‘Great East Japan Earthquake’ and tsunami in 2011, have still resulted in significant damage and loss of life. Given the high probability that a large-scale disaster could occur soon, Japan has continuously made efforts to further develop disaster risk mitigation and preparedness measures, often in response to a specific disaster for which aspects of the existing systems were found wanting.
Users also downloaded
Showing related downloaded files
Publication Climate-Smart Agriculture Implementation Brief(World Bank, Washington, DC, 2020-06)African countries are adopting a range of context-specific climate-smart technologies and practices to meet their food security and climate change goals. Improved livestock production is the most prevalent practice, followed by improved water management, conservation agriculture, agroforestry, and, notably, digital agriculture. The application of digital technology in the design and delivery of integrated weather and market advisories using big data analytics is increasingly helping countries identify conditions that may endanger food security and inform farmers’ decisions to adequately respond to and, when possible, capitalize on, the changing conditions.Publication Cost Benefit Studies on Disaster Risk Reduction in Developing Countries(World Bank, Washington, DC, 2013-08-01)The focus of development actors working in the area of disaster management has shifted substantially from disaster recovery to disaster risk reduction over the past decade, coinciding with the decade of the Hyogo Framework for Action (HFA) 2005-2015. Amidst this strategic shift, there is now the need to work towards ensuring that investments made to reduce disaster risks are cost-effective and that the benefits reach all members of the population including the poor and vulnerable, who are often 'affected disproportionately' (Global Assessment Report 2009, The Sendai Report 2012). The losses from natural disasters to mankind are undoubtedly massive-on average, globally every year over 100,000 people were killed and some 246 million people affected by natural disasters during the period 2002-2011 and the estimated average economic loss was US$131 billion per year. The purpose of this note is to briefly survey existing evidence in developing countries with regard to the benefits and costs of various disaster risk reduction interventions so as to provide some general lessons for Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) practitioners on the strengths and limitations of such existing work. In doing so, this note examines evidence on the economics of DRR in developing countries. The note begins by providing a comparative guideline for analysis. This is followed by a summary diagnostic of seventeen case studies along five key dimensions comprising the guideline as follows: 1) metric and methodology, 2) sources of uncertainty, 3) measuring fatalities and injuries, 4) results obtained, and 5) disaggregated impacts. In the concluding section that follows, the note discusses the overall trends in the field of performing cost and benefits analysis of DRR measures and offers some recommendations for ways forward.Publication Central African Republic Country Climate and Development Report(Washington, DC: World Bank, 2024-10-23)The Central African Republic (CAR) Climate Change and Development Report (CCDR) provides an in-depth analysis of the country’s vulnerability to climate change and its implications for sustainable development. The report identifies key challenges, including frequent extreme weather events such as floods and droughts, deforestation, and weak institutional capacity. These challenges threaten the livelihoods of rural populations, exacerbate food insecurity, and hinder economic development. However, the CCDR also highlights significant opportunities for CAR to transition toward a more resilient and sustainable future. By promoting climate-smart agriculture, sustainable forest management, and renewable energy development, the country can mitigate the effects of climate change while unlocking new economic growth avenues. The report provides strategic recommendations to strengthen institutional capacities, integrate climate action into national development plans, and mobilize climate finance to support resilience-building initiatives. The CCDR serves as a roadmap for operationalizing climate action in CAR, calling for stronger governance, enhanced stakeholder engagement, and innovative financing mechanisms to help the country adapt to climate challenges while promoting sustainable development.Publication Rising to the Challenge(Washington, DC: World Bank, 2024-10-31)About 1.2 billion people - one in five people in the world – are at high risk from climate-related hazards, but much can be done to make people, business, communities, and countries more resilient. The new World Bank flagship report “Rising to the Challenge” argues that reducing climate and disaster impacts requires a combination of more rapid development, more resilient development, and targeted adaptation interventions. Development plays a key role as nobody can be resilient without access to basic infrastructure and social services, decent housing, or while living in poverty. While a 10-percent increase in income is associated with a decrease in the population at high risk by close to 100 million people, current development patterns will not be enough. An assessment of 44 countries shows that, in spite of growing attention and adaptation planning, most countries are still lagging in implementing resilience interventions, especially those related to policies and macro-fiscal dimensions, and in the monitoring and evaluation of their actions. However, the report dispels the idea that no progress is being done: a collection of case studies - with firms, governments, and public-private partnerships - shows that the private and public actors are undertaking promising adaptation and resilience efforts with measurable results and good practices that can replicated to scale up action and to build resilience for all.Publication Quantifying Costs of Drought Risk in Ethiopia(World Bank, Washington, DC, 2017-03)Ethiopia’s ministry of finance and economic cooperation (MoFEC) has requested that the World Bank and the United Kingdom (UK) Department for International Development (DfID) provide technical assistance to MoFEC to develop a comprehensive disaster risk financing framework for Ethiopia, in support of Government of Ethiopia (GoE’s) interest in continuing to strengthen its system for delivery of post-disaster aid. MoFEC has requested that the analysis identify sources of funding for past humanitarian response and include a forward-looking analysis using statistical simulation techniques, taking into account historical changes in population and vulnerability. This document represents an effort to quantify the historical needs and expenditures associated with drought risks, with a view to supporting the dialogue about ways to strengthen Ethiopia’s existing risk financing framework by improving the cost-effectiveness of risk management instruments used, and timeliness of response. The report is structured as follows: section one provides an analysis of the historic needs and expenditures associated with droughts in Ethiopia. Section two provides a forward-looking statistical analysis of disaster risks, identifying the annual financial needs associated with disasters, as well as a probabilistic analysis of the costs associated with disasters of different frequency and severity. Section three presents a way to view the financial gap between the current sources of financing for drought risks and expected annual losses related to droughts. Section four concludes.