Reducing vulnerability, preventing disasters, and adapting to climate variability and climate change

Reducing vulnerability, preventing disasters and adapting to climate variability and climate change are receiving increasing attention by the international community. Contributions from the international scientific community have expanded knowledge and understanding of these problems, but experiences in communities in developed and developing countries illustrate the difficult transition from conceptual frameworks to successful operational approaches at the local level. This paper presents lessons learned from a recent project in a Mexican city seeking to prevent climate related disasters and to create adaptation to climate variability and climate change within the context of local development. The results of the project stress the importance of a detail and scientifically based analysis of social vulnerability to climate variability and climate change to reduce vulnerability, prevent disasters, and adapt to climate change. The dynamic involvement of local stakeholders along the project illustrates the value of inclusive approaches but also the huge importance of the institutional dimension of climate change adaptation. The presentation compares the lessons from this Mexican city with those in other cities around the world showing that institutional change is one of the major obstacle to adapt to climate change at the local level.