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Enabling Knowledge for Disaster Risk Reduction in integration to Climate Change Adaptation

Disaster mitigation & climate change adaptation in times of economic crisis:

Summary of results of KNOW4DRR Workshop in Athens, Greece on April 7, 2014

M. Dandoulaki, Th.Karymbalis & S.Skordili Harokopio University of Athens

P.No 603807 ENV.2013.6.5-2

Final conference

Knowledge management for improving DRR / CAA:

state of the art, findings & steps forward

26 -27 May 2015, Chambéry, Savoie, France

Harokopio University

The topic

Produc.on, sharing, dissemina.on, maintenance and usage of knowledge for Disaster Risk Reduc.on and Climate Change Adapta.on in the context of the economic crisis focusing on Greece

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Research methodology §  Literature review – News’ search §  Exploratory interviews §  Focus groups Ø  Crisis and disaster risk Ø  Knowledge produc.on, diffusion, maintenance and usage in .mes of crisis

Ø  DRR/CCA policies and their implementa.on in the midst of crisis

Ø  The use of knowledge in DRR/CCA policies and ther implementa.on in the crisis era`

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The stakeholders

Private Sector

Civil society

Public Sector

Scientists

Media

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Focus group: Scientists

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Findings from the scien.sts (1/4)

§  Scien.sts are forced to leave their comfort zone and find ways out. They are pushed to reach society and to claim together par.cipa.on in policy making.

§ Knowledge on disaster risk reduc.on and climate change adapta.on was advanced before the crisis. Crisis hinders further advance.

§  Threat of redundancies and of closure or merging of public ins.tu.ons generates a feeling of insecurity.

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§ Brain drain is a shocking reality that depletes the country from highly specialized personnel and eradicates past investment of the state and of households on educa.on.

§ Universi.es and research ins.tu.ons find themselves at the margins of policy making even if their reputa.on was high before the crisis.

§ Uncertainty rela.ng with the future risks in combina.on with uncertainty regarding the present survival muddles risk percep.on and acceptability.

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Findings from the scien.sts (3/4) § Policies targe.ng immediate visible outcome become easier to support by decision makers and poli.cians who also operate under uncertainty.

§  Everyday short-‐term considera.ons prevail to long-‐term strategies and planning. DRR and climate change adapta.on lose ground to emergency management.

§ New risks emerge and old risks grow in the crisis era. Knowledge about them even if available and shared cannot really influence policies especially those imposed under the circumstances.

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§  Safety and security are compromised in the name of economic growth or employment. Economic interests prevail in decision making while consulta.on and public par.cipa.on lose ground.

§ During crisis, decisions are hasty and are taken under stress; the poli.cal agenda leaves out science.

§ Although knowledge, crea.vity and inven.veness could be especially beneficial for policy making, evalua.on and implementa.on during crisis, this is not the case especially as regards DRR/CCA.

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Focus group: The public sector

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Findings from the public sector (1/4)


§  The Greek public sector is obliged to open and adjust.

§ Administra.ve reforms long overdue are introduced.

§ Public en..es are pushed to iden.fy funding opportuni.es, develop rela.onships with EU ins.tu.ons and get acquainted with EU procedures.

§ More cau.ous public spending and ra.onal usage of resources and funding.

§ An increase of “volunteerism a_tude at work” and more involvement.

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§ Rushed administra.ve reforms and fiscal restrains strain public agencies and their doings for DRR/CCA.

§ Merging and abolishing of public en..es, staff reduc.on and mobility, forced re.rements etc. generate a real concern about data, informa.on and knowledge upholding.

§ Percep.on and acceptability of risks alter in the mist of crisis. Disaster risk nego.ates its posi.on with socioeconomic risks and new risks arise. Disaster risk must be seen within the emerging risk milieu of crisis.

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§  There is a visible shia from disaster reduc.on and preven.ve policies to emergency management and the role of uniformed personnel in disaster management rises.

§ Due to the acute shortage of na.onal funding there is a severe dependency on EU funding which dictates policy priori.es regarding CCA and DRR. Although CCA is advanced through European policies, a balance should be looked for between na.onal and local concerns and EU policy and research priori.es.

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§  Fiscal and economic compels set aside the quality of infrastructure. There are already signs of conflict between the key goal of facilita:ng investment on the one hand and environmental protec:on and risk reduc.on on the other.

§ Knowledge of what present decisions invoke in terms of risks is essen.al; yet knowledge is not a panacea and must be seen within the present power dynamics.

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Focus group: The civil society

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Findings from the civil society (1/3)

§  The forma.on of Civil Society in Greece has been based on processes of social change that have been leading to restricted and top-‐down forma:on of CSOs, which in many cases have been state-‐oriented.

§  There is not even a proper account of which en..es cons.tute the Civil Society, as registries and surveys are created on specific and ad hoc basis.

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§  The Environment and Humanitarian Aid are the primary fields of NGOs in Greece, a fact that is now said to be changing due to crisis.

§  There is a significant augmenta:on of non typical organiza:ons of social solidarity, oaen with a lea poli.cal orienta.on. These organiza.ons have in turn, and in contrast to mainstream media, contribute to highlight problems of poverty and social exclusion.

§  The environment and especially disaster risk reduc.on, has lost much of its predominance in the public sphere.

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§  Scien.fic-‐based ac.ons and an internal division of labour are a feature of larger and more mul.-‐task NGOs, while the smaller ones are based on empirical, non-‐tacit knowledge.

§  The current crisis, with both its posi:ve and nega:ve effects, is reproducing exis.ng strengths and weaknesses in the social system. By being a part of that system, civil society en..es face a number of differen.ated threats and, parallel to that, are also being challenged by some windows of opportuni:es, which they are currently exploring.

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The private sector

The crisis has changed dras.cally risk percep.on of the private sector en..es. Financial risks are in the forefront while natural disaster risk has retreated.

Firms operate at a loss and struggle for survival. They dras.cally reduce costs. Maintenance and repair of buildings and equipment, training, drills, are among the first costs to be abolished.

Penetra.on of insurance in Greek firms has always been rela.vely low and is expected to be even lower. This situa.on goes hand in hand with a very protec.ve state in case of a disaster.

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The private sector

The rather pessimis.c situa.on of DRR capaci.es and involvement of firms in Greece does not reflect the rela.vely low toll Greek firms pay in disasters, because:

§ Private firms are open to several groups of risks, “new” and “old” ones.

§ Businesses in Greece are accustomed to operate in an unstable and highly unpredictable business environment.

§ Around 99% of the Greek firms are SMEs (the vast majority even micro SMSs). These SMEs operate in a high risk environment by defini.on.

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Summing up: main challenges


Percep.on and acceptability of risks alter in the mist of crisis. Disaster risk nego.ates its posi.on with socioeconomic risks and new risks which arise.

Challenge:

Disaster risk must be seen within the context of crisis and the new risk milieu it generates.

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There is a visible shia from disaster reduc.on and preven.ve policies to emergency management.

Challenge: Convergence between the separated fields and segregated prac:ce and scholar communi:es of: § civil protec:on, civil defense, security § climate change, disaster risk reduc:on and the environment

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Dependency on EU funding due to the acute shortage of na.onal funding, dictates policy priori.es regarding CCA and DRR.

Challenge:

Balance between concerns at a local and na:onal level and EU priori:es as regards DRR and CCA.

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Fiscal and economic compels set aside the quality of infrastructure and environmental concerns .

Challenge:

Avoid transferring disaster risk to social groups, places and the next genera:ons while struggling with the crisis.

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Thank you!