Book Summary

The start of the new millennium will be remembered for deadly climate-related disasters — the great floods in Thailand in 2011, Super Storm Sandy in the United States in 2012, and Typhoon Haiyan in the Philippines in 2013, to name a few. In 2014, 17.5 million people were displaced by climate-related disasters, ten times more than the 1.7 million displaced by geophysical hazards.

In this setting, this book sends three messages.

• First: human-made factors exert a growing influence on the frequency and intensity of climate-related disasters.
• Second: because of the link to human-made factors, there is a pressing need for climate mitigation as an integral part of the development strategies of countries.
• Third: prevention, including climate adaptation, should not be viewed as a cost to economic growth but as a necessary and high-return investment.

In Southeast Asia and everywhere, attention to climate-related disasters can be instrumental in transitioning to a path of low-carbon growth, improving disaster resilience, and caring for the urban environment.

Endorsements for the Book

“Climate Change and Natural Disasters is not only a valuable survey of the causes and consequences of climate change, but also a ringing endorsement of the urgent need to incorporate disaster risk reduction in core economic planning alongside efforts to radically reduce greenhouse gas emissions.”

—Robert Glasser, special representative of the Secretary-General for Disaster Risk Reduction, The United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction

 

“A highly authoritative, lucid and timely analysis of the implications of climate change and disasters for sustainable development—the universally accepted path for humanity in the 21st century.”

—Mohan Munasinghe, chairman, Munasinghe Institute for Development

 

“A thought-provoking examination of the links between climate change and natural disasters, and how to tackle both. Its call for greater investments in natural capital, “nature’s infrastructure”—in addition to physical and human capital—to meet these critical 21st century challenges is particularly timely and welcome.”

—Inger Andersen, director general, International Union for Conservation of Nature

 

“This excellent analysis confirms that in an increasingly fragile world we need greater focus on investment in disaster risk reduction, climate mitigation and adaptation. This is the only way to move towards the new paradigm we have universally endorsed with the Sustainable Development Goals.”

—Kristalina Georgieva, European Commission vice-president and former EU commissioner for International Cooperation, Humanitarian Aid and Crisis Response to Climate Change and Natural Disasters

 

“Recent extreme climate impacts in Asia and across the world underscore the urgent need to act on climate change. Policymakers need every resource available to put in place effective policies and incentives to achieve the vision outlined in the 2015 Paris Agreement, and this book holds great potential to secure the practical pathways that can turn the Paris vision into reality.”

—Christiana Figueres, executive secretary, United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change

 

“Estimates suggest that South and South-East Asia, as well as Sub-Saharan Africa, would be most severely affected by climate change, particularly by the increase in natural disasters. This new report provides an extensive survey of the issues of climate risk mitigation, adaptation, resilient infrastructure and calls for the transformation of policy framework. I highly welcome this input to address these longterm but imminent challenges.”

—Rintaro Tamaki, deputy secretary-general, Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD)

 

“This landmark study demonstrates that natural disasters are increasingly man-made. Cutting across knowledge domains it offers a comprehensive, positive and realistic policy agenda that captures the universal aspirations of the post 2015 sustainable development era.”

—Robert Picciotto, former director general, Independent Evaluation Group, World Bank

 

“This is a timely and engagingly written book on an important topic of increasing international concern.”

—Jagdish Bhagwati, Columbia University

 

“By focusing on the connection between hazards of nature and climate change, this book provides compelling reasons for countries to switch urgently to a low-carbon growth path. This would enable the world not only to avoid the most damaging of the climate scenarios but would also deliver cities where we can move, breathe and be productive, investments to promote sustainable agriculture and rural economies, and foster ecosystems that can move from fragile to flourishing. A timely and essential read.”

—Nicholas Stern, IG Patel Professor of Economics and Government, LSE and President, British Academy

 

“A compelling evidence-based call to action on the climate-natural disaster link. A must-read for development economists and advocates in rich and poor countries alike.”

—Nancy Birdsall, president, Center for Global Development

 

“The book provides rich data behind the realities Oxfam is grappling with every day — an escalation of disasters linked to climate change which are hitting the poorest hardest everywhere. Its call to radically scale-up investment in adaptation and building resilience must be heard if we are to tackle this climate injustice.”

—Winnie Byanyima, executive director, Oxfam International