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Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) in a Changing Climate: Lessons Learned about Lessons Learned
July 09, 2015
Forum Objectives
This Forum was convened to discuss and share lessons learned about lessons learned about
hydro-meteorological Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) and Climate Change Adaptation (CCA).
The Forum was not intended as a scientific conference focused on the natural science aspects of
hydro-meteorological hazards. Instead, it was about the usability of the lessons identified from
scientific and societal findings related to DRR in a changing climate.
Key reasons for convening
the Forum focused on a review of hydro-meteorological DRR including the following:
- Enhancing existing effectiveness and efficiency of DRR programs
- Sharing technical and societal experiences among the DRR and CCA programs
- Raising awareness and concern about climate change and its consequences for extreme climate, water and weather events
- Discussing the possibility of increasing numbers and intensities of extremes in an age of flat-lined disaster assistance budgets
- Searching for a way to “link” the autonomous communities of DRR and CCA more effectively
- Diagnosing institutional and individual resistance to change
- Searching for “resilient adaptation” to a changing climate
The reason for convening the Expert Forum is that many “lessons learned” have in fact only
been “identified” without further evaluation or application.
There are no preset criteria for calling a lesson “learned” nor does identifying a lesson guarantee application in the case of future, similar disasters. Just about every organization searches formally or informally for good and bad lessons (especially bad ones) from its past activities in order to improve efficiency, effectiveness, organizational image, or the financial bottom line. Marlin (2008) suggested “It would be nice to say most of the learning comes from our successes, but the reality is that most of the learning comes from our failures” (p. 1). Individuals and governments are in the lessons learning business so-to-speak. For governments it is the politically correct thing to do. For individuals and groups the search for lessons is undertaken as a matter of survival. Information gathered from Internet searches shows that there are many competing views about what constitutes a lesson as well as on the value and limitations of using them as input to future policy making.
Tags : Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) , Changing Climate , Lessons Learned
There are no preset criteria for calling a lesson “learned” nor does identifying a lesson guarantee application in the case of future, similar disasters. Just about every organization searches formally or informally for good and bad lessons (especially bad ones) from its past activities in order to improve efficiency, effectiveness, organizational image, or the financial bottom line. Marlin (2008) suggested “It would be nice to say most of the learning comes from our successes, but the reality is that most of the learning comes from our failures” (p. 1). Individuals and governments are in the lessons learning business so-to-speak. For governments it is the politically correct thing to do. For individuals and groups the search for lessons is undertaken as a matter of survival. Information gathered from Internet searches shows that there are many competing views about what constitutes a lesson as well as on the value and limitations of using them as input to future policy making.
