Climate Change Adaptation and Disaster Risk Reduction

By training and supporting humanitarian and development actors, RedR UK helps to build climate and disaster resilience in communities vulnerable to the impacts of climate change.

The impact of Climate Change

It is a vital time for our climate. Published in March 2022, the latest IPCC report is the most damning confirmation to date of the irreversible impacts that climate change is having on our planet, with observed impacts across every country and ecosystem on the globe. UN Secretary General António Guterres recently called the science of climate change a ‘code red for humanity’. The report highlights the integral role of adaptation and risk reduction in our response to climate change. There remains a capacity gap on how to align and implement initiatives and approaches at the local levels, using climate change adaptation to reduce disaster risk, and vice versa.

Many countries face the dual threat of high vulnerability to climate change while having limited capacity to respond to disasters. This results in chronic cycles of disaster and recovery, meaning communities are less able to rebuild after disasters. However, the impact can be mitigated through disaster risk reduction (DRR) practices and building climate change-resilience capacity at a national and local level. Building this capacity also forms part of the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) for reducing poverty globally.

The increasing frequency and severity of extreme weather events due to climate change pose significant risks to the health, housing, food security and safety of vulnerable communities and countries around the world. Of those impacted by climate change, it is the least-resilient groups - such as women, children and those living in poverty - who are disproportionately vulnerable.
[Rescuers evacuate people from a flooded area to a safer place in Aluva, Kerala after the worst monsoon rains in 100 years devastated local communities.] August 18, 2018. REUTERS/Sivaram V. Courtesy www.alertnet.org — The increasing frequency and severity of extreme weather events due to climate change pose significant risks to the health, housing, food security and safety of vulnerable communities and countries around the world. Of those impacted by climate change, it is the least-resilient groups - such as women, children and those living in poverty - who are disproportionately vulnerable. [Rescuers evacuate people from a flooded area to a safer place in Aluva, Kerala after the worst monsoon rains in 100 years devastated local communities.] August 18, 2018. REUTERS/Sivaram V. Courtesy www.alertnet.org

How RedR UK is responding to climate change impacts in East Asia, Southeast Asia and East Africa

Since 2019, RedR UK has been offering an innovative training programme on Climate Change Adaptation and Disaster Risk Reduction (CCADRR) to participants in climate-vulnerable countries, with generous funding from AXA XL. The programme aims to empower participants across South Asia, Southeast Asia, and East Africa with the knowledge and skills to respond to, and advocate for, improved action around climate change adaptation and disaster risk reduction. It builds community resilience to the hazards climate change brings, both longer-term changes to the environment, and climate-related shocks and disasters. RedR UK will continue efforts to bridge this gap in 2022 and beyond, framing the project into the wider CCA and DRR discourse.

Over 330 people have been trained in CCADRR, with an extra 205 people joining short courses on more innovative and specific topics, such as Forecast-based Financing, and Ecosystem-based Adaptation.

Empowering local communities

With the aim to empower local and national actors in climate-vulnerable regions to align climate change adaptation and disaster risk reduction approaches, this programme helps communities to better prepare for the risks that climate change presents.

When participants put their new knowledge and skills into practice, from mapping climate hazards in the Philippines to natural resource management in South Sudan, we see the practical results of our programme. As an advocacy and ensuring the cascading of participants’ knowledge are essential elements of the project, participants are also encouraged to share their learning with their communities and colleagues.

You can learn more about the impact of our work in local communities here.

With this project we have the time to create great impact to the communities we are serving.

Foni Sarah Juma Joseph

Food Security and Livelihoods Project Lead World Vision South Sudan, CCADRR course participant

CCADRR in the Philippines

I learned a lot, it inspired me to teach and I can see that my students have also gotten really interested in the topic.

Pamela Acheng

Lecturer at Makerere University, Kampala, Uganda, and CCADRR course participant

CCADRR in Bangladesh

Join our Training!

To read more about the current courses on offer and to apply for funded places, click here.

We also offer a tailor-made option, to train multiple members of staff within an organisation, on CCADRR and related topics. If you would like to speak to the team about running a CCADRR focused training tailored to your organisation’s needs, please click here.

More information

If you would like more information or to talk to the team about this programme, please click here.