Addressing risks with communities in a changing climate

1. Addressing risks with communities in a changing climate

2. Photo: Danish Red Cross Session summary • 1. Why incorporate climate change intocommunity assessments • 2. What steps can be taken to make risk assessments climate-smart? • before • during • after. • 3. Some points to consider

3. Keep in mind… • This guidance is based on an understanding of the IFRC’s toolboxes for Vulnerability and Capacity Assessment (VCA) and Community-Based Health and First Aid (CBHFA). • The aim is to build climate variability and change into the existing tool boxes – not create new ones. We assume you’ve already looked at CTK: 1a Science and impacts 2b Using forecast information

4. Local experts In many parts of the world, communities are already noticing changes to climate and weather patterns or “funny” weather

5. Local experts “More and more floods.” “Rains no longer normal – difficult to know when to plant.” “Our paddy fields get eaten away by sand dunes and the sea.”

6. Photo: Danish Red Cross Remember • Communities face many challenges, and climate change needs to be considered alongside . • It is not possible to determine if any one weather-related disaster is caused by climate change –all risks need to be considered.

7. Plan the VCA/CBHFA • Seeking background information in advance can help determine: • Where to do the VCA/CBHFA • Who to do the VCA/CBHFA with (draw more on elderly people’s experience) • What questions to ask to include climate concerns in analysis and planning Please refer to the exercise in this module: Brainstorming climate information sources.

8. Photo: Danish Red Cross Considering climate change in VCA/CBHFA tools • Seasonal calendar • Observation • Community mapping: • Spatial map • Hazard/risk/vulnerability map • Capacity and resource map • Transect map • Historical calendar • Institutional and social network analysis • Livelihood analysis • Interviews – key informants Please refer to the exercise in this module: Considering climate change in VCA tools

9. Solomon Islands (Pileni Island)

10. Another example from Pacific National Societies

11. Option A (easier): Don’t mention climate change in your contact with communities. Provide climate information only as a background for the facilitators conducting the VCA/CBHFA. Option B (medium difficulty): Faciliate discussion with the community about changes in climate by asking questions about weather patterns. Option C (more difficult): Introducing climate change. Help communities understand and prepare for the future by bringing in information about climate change (see Module 3b on How!). What can a facilitator decide to do?

12. Discuss changes with the community In the facilitation, use information provided from elders and others to reflect the community’s experience: • How did they deal with past events? • What if the events became more intense and frequent? • What can the community do to prepare? The answers can help in adjusting the community risk-reduction plan to become more climate-smart.

13. Climate information flow Outside information e.g. Meteorological Office, climate change focal point Community information e.g. group discussion, seasonal calendar, historical profile Decision making Community risk reduction plan Sharing information further – advocacy e.g. local government, early warning policy-makers

14. Analyse information from the community • Cross-check the data from the community with other sources whether community observations and scientific observations match up [such as: does community reports of changing flood events match with the statistics from meteorological department?] • If not: seek an explanation. Maybe the data isn’t good in the area. Maybe environmental degradation or changing land use are playing a role in the changes observed? • This can inform the planning and how the community can seek to address rising risks. • If yes: is it a priority for the community to address rising risks that have been observed? And can it realistically be considered in the overall ‘community risk reduction plan’?

15. A matrix to help the analysis

16. Photo: Danish Red Cross Developing community action plans • How might information collected before and during the VCA/ CBHFA be best considered in community risk-reduction plans? • What could the community itself address, and what would required external support and collaboration? • Do we invite government and civil society involvement if appropriate?

17. What next? Follow up with community • Just like with any VCA/ CBHFA, follow-up in the community is essential. • It is important to monitor progress so that lessons can be learned from approaches you tried.

18. Photo: Danish Red Cross What next? Sharing information for advocacy Information about changes a community is observing, and the action plans they have come up with to deal with changing risks can be used outside the Red Cross Red Crescent: • In recommendations for local governments to support practical climate change adaptation projects, on a local and a national scale • Advocate for support and collaboration to tackle concerns too large for local communities and the Red Cross Red Crescent to address • For fund-raising from adaptation funding lines, national and international See module 3a Policy dialogue

19. What about other natural variations in climate such as La Niña and El Niño? • Some parts of the world are heavily affected by year to year variability in rainfall due to factors such as El Niño and La Niña. You might gather information about this before the VCA. • Communities may receive some early warning on these, or perhaps they don’t. • A VCA/CBHFA may provide an opportunity to discuss preparedness for these events. Source: NASA • You can contact the Climate Centre if you would like assistance in trialling this. And see Module 2b Using forecast information (early warning)

20. Photo: Danish Red Cross • Final points • Start where you feel comfortable! • Capacity building of field staff is a critical element. • Take a look at the Practitioners Guidance.