Trincomalee district in eastern Sri Lanka was severely affected by the tsunami of 2004. Several years later, most people directly affected by the tsunami have been resettled. Yet many of them continue to face problems, one of which is a climate that is increasingly variable and extreme. Sri Lanka Red Cross Society’s (SLRCS) Community Based […]
Helping People to Cope with Changing Climates Read More »
Viet Nam has always suffered from extreme weather events. Because of climate change, it is likely that droughts will occur more often, and that tropical cyclones will also become more intense. In 2003, the Vietnam Red Cross Society (VNRCS) became one of the first National Red Cross Red Crescent Societies to integrate climate change into
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Tuvalu is a remote island nation often associated with the rising impacts of climate change. If, as predicted, sea levels continue to rise, this string of low-lying islands in the south-west Pacific could gradually disappear. However, life must go on in Tuvalu, and efforts are being made through risk reduction and disaster preparedness to lessen
Tuvalu: Joining forces to tackle climate change Read More »
This case study recounts the experience of the Rwandan Red Cross with the vulnerability and capacity assessment (VCA) tool. The aim of this study is to describe the approach adopted by the Rwandan Red Cross and to share the lessons it learned from that experience with other National Societies. Published in 2003.
Using the vulnerability and capacity assessment tool in Rwanda Read More »
Bangladesh is not only vulnerable to rising sea levels, but is also one of the most flood and cyclone prone countries in the world with 25 percent of its geographical area vulnerable. The floods and cyclones not only disrupt and take lives, but also isolate communities, severely affecting the livelihoods and education of the people
This study looks at flooding in Boulder, Colorado that occurred in September 2013. Though the scale of flooding was unprecedented, only 10 lives were lost, most infrastructure was maintained, and the recovery was relatively strong. This case study explores this resilience — what made it possible, and where there is opportunity for learning — by
Floods in Boulder: A Study of Resilience Read More »
The health of the population of Kazakhstan, in particular of women, requires urgent attention. The nutritional status of women and children, especially those living in economically deprived and environmentally degraded regions of Kazakhstan, is of serious concern. In Semipalatinsk and surrounding areas in east Kazakhstan, used for nuclear tests during the Soviet era, women and
In recent years, climate change impacts have created grave new threats to rural livelihoods. Community-based cost-benefit analysis (CBA) is an evidence-based tool which can effectively be used to ascertain the value and impact of integrating resilience-building interventions in food security programming. The following case study provides an overview of a community-based CBA that was conducted
The majority of the population in Mauritania provides for themselves through traditional agriculture and livestock farming and are heavily dependent on the rainy seasons. As a result of unpredictable seasonal rains and climatic conditions, climate hazards (in particular periodic droughts), encroaching desertification and competition for resources, the majority of the population remains chronically vulnerable to
Mauritania: Small-scale surface irrigation for food security Read More »
The Working Group II contribution to the IPCC Fifth Assessment Report presents the current state of knowledge on climate impacts, adaptation and vulnerability. Compared to the Fourth Assessment Report in 2007, “AR5” has a much stronger focus on risks. It presents a cold, realistic assessment of how risks are already changing and are bound to