Improving Emergency and Disaster Management Responses to Climate Change

Improving Emergency and Disaster Management Responses to Climate Change
A master’s capstone project
Submitted to the Faculty
of
American Public University System
by
…..
In Partial Fulfillment of the
Requirements for the Degree of
Master’s in Emergency and Disaster Management
May 2023
Capstone Professor:
……
The author hereby grants the American Public University System the right to display these contents for educational purposes.
The author assumes total responsibility for meeting the requirements set by United States copyright law for the inclusion of any materials that are not the author’s creation or in the public domain.
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DEDICATION
I dedicate this project to my wife for her unwavering love, encouragement, and understanding during my entire academic journey this far, and for never giving up on me. I also dedicate this project to my friends, who have been a constant source of motivation, listening and providing feedback when needed; I do not take it for granted.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
I wish to thank my supervisor, for your constructive and continuous feedback, which has helped me increase the quality of my proposal. I would also like to extend my gratitude to the department for providing me with the necessary knowledge that I utilized in making my proposal. The library staff was a great source of the literature required and for their guidance in my proposal completion.
ABSTRACT
Improving Emergency and Tragedy Management Responses to Climate change
by
……..
Master’s in Emergency and Disaster Management
American Public University System
………..
The world is suffering the effects of climate change-induced tragedies, resulting in economic loss and loss of life. Some of the significant climate change-induced disasters include floods, tornadoes, earthquakes, and heat waves. As the climate continues to change, new challenges are presented to those responsible for responding to climate-related disasters. As a result, the processes of tragedy management need to be constantly reviewed and updated. Therefore, the aim of this project was to highlight current best practices and areas of growth within the realm of climate-related tragedy management. Using case studies and secondary data analysis, three events were studied in the United States, Bangladesh, and India, respectively. It was identified that (a) communication and collaboration, (b) capacity building and training, and (c) the use of technological tools and innovations were best practices that significantly impacted the effectiveness of climate change-associated management response. Whereas reactive response approaches, limited community engagement, and inadequate resource allocation were identified as major growth areas. Recommendations for future climate-related tragedy management responses are explored.
Table of Contents TOC \o "1-3" \h \z \u ABSTRACT PAGEREF _Toc135066526 \h ivPurpose of the Study PAGEREF _Toc135066527 \h 4Project Objectives PAGEREF _Toc135066528 \h 4CHAPTER 2: Literature Review PAGEREF _Toc135066529 \h 6Gaps in the Current Tragedy Management Measures PAGEREF _Toc135066530 \h 6A Reactive Approach to Tragedy Management PAGEREF _Toc135066531 \h 6Limited Community Engagement PAGEREF _Toc135066532 \h 7Inadequate Resource Allocation PAGEREF _Toc135066533 \h 7Theoretical Framework PAGEREF _Toc135066534 \h 8Climate Change, Natural Calamities, and Key Issues PAGEREF _Toc135066535 \h 10Climate Related Events Are Complicated and Variable PAGEREF _Toc135066536 \h 12The Role of Technology in Disaster Management PAGEREF _Toc135066537 \h 14Emergency Management Information Systems (E.M.I.S.) PAGEREF _Toc135066538 \h 15Drones PAGEREF _Toc135066539 \h 21Elements of Emergency and Tragedy Management Responses to Climate Change PAGEREF _Toc135066540 \h 27CHAPTER 3: Methodology PAGEREF _Toc135066541 \h 29Data Analysis PAGEREF _Toc135066542 \h 29CHAPTER 4: Results PAGEREF _Toc135066543 \h 31Case Studies PAGEREF _Toc135066544 \h 31United States PAGEREF _Toc135066545 \h 31Bangladesh PAGEREF _Toc135066546 \h 33India PAGEREF _Toc135066547 \h 35Global Strategies to Improve the Emergency and Tragedy Management Responses to Climate Change PAGEREF _Toc135066548 \h 36Emergency Management Plans PAGEREF _Toc135066549 \h 36Clear Communication Channels PAGEREF _Toc135066550 \h 38Regular Training and Exercises PAGEREF _Toc135066551 \h 40Application of Modern Technology PAGEREF _Toc135066552 \h 42Community partnerships PAGEREF _Toc135066553 \h 43Best Practices for Developing Effective Partnerships PAGEREF _Toc135066554 \h 44Build Strong Community Partnerships PAGEREF _Toc135066555 \h 44Results Discourse PAGEREF _Toc135066556 \h 47Limitations of the Study PAGEREF _Toc135066557 \h 49Suggestions for Future Research PAGEREF _Toc135066558 \h 49Reliance on Technology Supports Human Expertise PAGEREF _Toc135066559 \h 50Underdeveloped Countries Lack Technology PAGEREF _Toc135066560 \h 53Micro-Nuclear Reactors Usage PAGEREF _Toc135066561 \h 56References PAGEREF _Toc135066562 \h 59
LIST OF FIGURES
TOC \h \z \c "Figure" Figure 1: Social Identity Model of Post Disaster Action (SIMPDA)…………………………….15
Figure 2: Theoretical Framework………………………………………………………………..33
Figure 3: Integrated Tragedy Risk Management Database and Information Management framework. Source: (Kunguma, 2021)…………………………………………………………..35
CHAPTER 1: Introduction
The scholars emphasizing evaluating climate change research have been on the rise within the past few decades due to the rising climatic vulnerabilities and ramifications within all sectors of various global economies. These assessments are increasingly centered on distinct scales and levels (from local to national to global) as well as sectors (including health and medicine, education, forestry, agriculture, water, etc.). Different methodologies are employed in the assessments that indirectly and directly impact the awareness, policy, and establishment of fundamental issues associated with climate change, global warming, and the ecology or environment. Various research techniques have been used to evaluate and appraise the climatic vulnerabilities, risks, ramifications, as well as adaptations centered on particular research focuses and issues (Maharjan & Maharjan, 2018). Many researchers emphasize adaptation and holistic syntheses of the current research tools and methodologies to appraise processes related to climate change (Maharjan & Maharjan, 2018).
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) defines vulnerability as the extent of susceptibility of the social and/or environmental system to cope with the various negative ramifications of global warming. It prompts integrated appraisal tools with evaluation frameworks and models across different disciplinary scales and areas. Mostly scenario or top-down-centered approaches and assessments are widespread compared to the vulnerability, or bottom-up-centered strategies, which are also increasingly gaining momentum within climate change inquiry and evaluations (Maharjan & Maharjan, 2018). Integrating bottom-up and top-down techniques with scientific information, data, and local knowledge approaches is increasingly effective for a detailed appraisal of the entire process. There is also increased emphasis on the significance of scientific evidence on climatic changes and perceptions, practice, and knowledge of local populations. A great deal of this evidence is anchored in the appraisal of climatic vulnerabilities, adaptations, and risks geared at addressing long- and short-term ramifications. In addition, there is increased emphasis on adaptive capability, climate policies, researcher approaches and methodologies, and institutional capacities at various levels and sectors (Maharjan & Maharjan, 2018).
Climate change is a defining issue of our time. News about tragedies attributed to climate change has been increasingly putting a spotlight on the deaths from and the financial impact of catastrophes. For instance, in February 2023, a 7.7 magnitude earthquake struck northwest Syria and southeastern Turkey, causing around 41,000 deaths and 7,600 injuries, with this number expected to rise (Reliefweb, 2023); this is a small fraction of the effects of climate change. According to the World Meteorological Organization (2021), the number of deaths caused by climate change-related tragedies increased by over three times between 1970 and 2019; the number is anticipated to rise even higher over time. Human activities have resulted in an increased accumulation of greenhouse gas emissions to the extent that even if the world's carbon emissions were to stop, it would take tens of centuries to cool down to the required rates (The Royal Society, 2020).
Developing countries face the roughest climate change-associated calamities, significantly impacting the country's GDP through the loss of productivity, thus resulting in a humanitarian crisis. For example, Hurricane Ivan struck Grenada and led to a loss of US $119 million: two times its GDP (World Bank Group, n.d.). Indeed, most countries are not well prepared for tragedies despite the high certainty of their occurrence. Hence, there is an urgent need for governments and organizations to develop their climate change and disaster management plans.
Calamities and vulnerabilities associated with climate change or global warming are increasingly becoming a pressing global issue, as the frequency, as well as the severity of these life-threatening weather events, are on the rise. Climate change is causing regular and intense heatwaves, droughts, floods, hurricanes, and wildfires, devastatingly impacting human lives, infrastructure, and the environment (Orlove et al., 2020). In addition, climate change is exacerbating other natural hazards, such as landslides, avalanches, and coastal erosion, thus undermining the sustainability of the environment or ecological systems. The increasing occurrence of these climate-change-associated calamities and vulnerabilities poses significant challenges for emergency management, calamity response measures, as well as community resilience (Reliefweb, 2023). Therefore, the preceding discourse offers an impetus for the need to comprehend the nature and causes of these calamities as well as develop effective strategies for mitigating their impacts and improving preparedness.
Emergencies and disasters attributed to global warming have been intensified or exacerbated by anthropogenic climate change. The rising levels of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere have been attributed to the escalating issue of climate change in different regions across the globe. The greenhouse gases primarily include carbon dioxide, methane, water vapor, and other harmful gases emanating from the burning of fossil fuels as well as increased clearing of forests and vegetation. This increase in greenhouse gases leads to the warming of the earth's surface, triggering shifts in weather patterns and causing more frequent and severe weather events that are detrimental to global sustainability and human life (Masson-Delmotte et al., 2018). Climate-related disasters can significantly impact human populations, infrastructure, and ecosystems, resulting in loss of life, displacement, economic losses, and environmental degradation. Examples of tragedies attributed to climate change include Hurricane Katrina in 2005, which devastated New Orleans and caused over 1,800 fatalities; the 2010 Pakistan floods, which affected 20 million people and caused $10 billion in economic losses; and the 2019-2020 Australian bushfires, which burned over 18 million hectares of land and killed at least 34 people (Reliefweb, 2023). These tragedies illustrate the devastating impacts of climate change and highlight the urgent need for effective tragedy risk reduction and adaptation measures.
Purpose of the Study
Accordingly, the current study addresses the current challenges and strategizes how to improve emergency and tragedy response regarding climate change. The project will utilize case study analysis combined with secondary data analysis to analyze the interrelated factors that shape emergency and tragedy responses due to climate change. Additionally, I will utilize the risk society theory as my theoretical framework, which argues that the emergence of global risks, such as climate change, has transformed how societies perceive, respond to, and manage risks. The study will contribute to the growing research of real-world needs and help in policy formulation that will mitigate the ramifications of climate change.
As the impacts of climate change become more pronounced, it is essential to understand the underlying causes of these tragedies better and to develop effective strategies for mitigating their effects and improving resilience (Masson-Delmotte et al., 2021).
Project Objectives
1 Identify the main types of climate-related tragedies and their impacts on human populations, infrastructure, and ecosystems.
2 Analyze the underlying drivers of climate-related tragedies, including natural and human-induced factors.
3 Evaluate the effectiveness of current response strategies and policies for managing and mitigating the impacts of climate-related tragedies.
4 Develop recommendations for improving tragedy risk reduction and structuring resilience in the expression of climate change.
CHAPTER 2: Literature Review
Climate hazards and tragedies have different profiles based on factors such as the location and type of disaster. The effects of climate change are not evenly dispersed, with vulnerable populations and developing countries being disproportionately affected. Adaptation and mitigation strategies can aid in the reduction of the effects of climate change. Climate change is a global phenomenon that significantly threatens the world's ecosystems, societies, and economies. Some of these natural tragedies, such as the sea-level rise and extreme weather events, are increasingly being felt worldwide (Maharjan & Maharjan, 2018). At the same time, technological advancement has provided new opportunities to mitigate the impacts of climate change and improve the resilience of communities to climate hazards.
With climate change-related calamities increasing, proper tragedy management responses must be implemented. Climate-related hazards, as well as the existing and future exposure and susceptibility of a wide variety of human, ecological, and socio-economic systems, are primary causes of climate change in many sectors and locations around the world (Masson-Delmotte et al., 2018). In this case, reducing and managing climate change risks through a combination of adaptation- and mitigation-focused actions are essential. However, with the ongoing trend, there is still a gap in the current practices of emergency responses based on the devastating impacts.
Gaps in the Current Tragedy Management Measures
A Reactive Approach to Tragedy Management
Many tragedy management measures tend to focus much on reactive approaches after the tragedy has already occurred (Rahman 2018). When the damage has already been done, it is difficult to reverse it, and the damage control leads to more cost. Additionally, a reactive approach to tragedy management is problematic in terms of the resources used. When there is no planning, there can be a shortage of resources and a delayed response.
Limited Community Engagement
Tragedy managers ought to consider that their information needs are not homogeneous and need to engage various stakeholders; this has not been the case with the current practices. Rahman (2018) emphasizes that tragedy management is a locally driven process that calls for participation from all stakeholders in creating risk profiles to support risk reduction actions. If tragedy managers do not practice mutual information management and communication about tragedy management efforts with the necessary stakeholders, stakeholder relationships and involvement may not be achievable. As a continuing component of tragedy management, stakeholders must be aware of what is happening in and around their environment (Rahman, 2018). It is crucial to keep in mind that tragedy preparedness planning needs to be created from the ground up in order to connect the community with all levels of government.
Inadequate Resource Allocation
With the current knowledge that climate change is here to stay, some tragedy response management teams remain underfunded, which by extension means that they will not have enough necessary resources to respond to the tragedy, which leads to gaps in the response capacity.
Theoretical Framework
Figure 1: Social Identity Model of Post-Disaster Action (SIMPDA).
In order to establish whether disasters and crises result in social change or maintenance of the status quo, it is vital to propose a framework that shows the different avenues through which administrators can mobilize public resources following the occurrence of a natural calamity. These procedures are well-established within the Social Identity Model of Post Disaster Action (SIMPDA), guiding action plans following the emergency. The postulates three fundamental phases that result in a better post-calamity preparedness state or post-calamity paralysis state. These include the pre-calamity situation, the critical timescale instantly in the aftermath of the environmental calamity, and the post-calamity situation (Jetten et al., 2021). It is expected that within the post-calamity situation, government leaders and policymakers are likely to play an influential role in establishing post-calamity agenda to their best and take actions geared at enhancing shared identity with the general public. In order to understand how this theory informs the current research, I will appraise the different processes within the framework and how it can help understand and create effective disaster management programs.
Environmental hazards and pre-calamity vulnerability define the pre-calamity situation. Pre-calamity exposure constitutes a fundamental factor influencing whether there would be a calamity in the initial instance. For instance, an earthquake could potentially lead to extensive material damage as well as enormous loss of lives, bit is less likely to escalate to a calamity when the impacted area has practically mitigated its vulnerability via actions and policies about earthquake-proof buildings. In combination, pre-calamity exposure, as well as environmental hazards, establish the probability of a calamity occurring and the degree to which the catastrophe becomes widespread and poses detrimental implications. Moreover, the pre-calamity situation should be appraised and evaluated in a pre-calamity response context (Jetten et al., 2021). Fundamentally, pre-calamity preparedness must facilitate a proactive and adaptive post-calamity response.
The second phase is the critical timescale in the aftermath of a calamity. After the disaster, there is typically a time lag when the status quo could be altered. This time window is termed “critical junctures,” which is usually a comparatively short timescale during which there is a significantly heightened likelihood that the agent’s choices would impact the decisions of interest. This implies that the constraints that typically undermine political measures are downplayed, thus potentiating two implications. First, agents constantly face more comprehensive than the normal threshold of potential options. Second, the agent’s choices from the available options are inclined to substantially affect the subsequent results (Jetten et al., 2021).
Phase three of the social identity framework entails the post-calamity situation. The disaster’s critical juncture provides a vast latitude for administrators to push for specific agendas. More specifically, there is feasible evidence that in the period following the occurrence of a calamity, political players or policymakers are tasked with a larger mandate compared to before to execute policy to augment post-calamity preparedness as well as prevent such calamities from recurring in the future in the affected country or region. This is particularly inclined to be when disaster creates increased emphasis on the pre-calamity vulnerability of the country or region and the degree to which the severity of the environmental hazards had been underestimated previously. This need to execute change emanates from the fact that calamities require much attention, are linked to social media emphasis, as well as are susceptible to public discourse, irrespective of whether maintaining the status quo regarding policy assists in mitigating future calamities or climate change-associated disasters. Consequently, in the aftermath of the disaster, the limitations that typically influence political decision-making and policy formulation processes are usually relaxed due to the public inquiring about what went amiss, including how such calamities could be minimized or averted (Jetten et al., 2021). This is authentic because disasters offer critical lessons for policymakers and political players to inform policy reforms since the general public increasingly embraces the need for a radical shift from the existing thinking pathways to augment post-calamity readiness.
Climate Change, Natural Calamities, and Key Issues
Climate change will remain a common threat to infrastructure and human life. In response, emergency and tragedy management must adapt to the challenges posed by climate change. This literature review will examine the latest research on improving emergency and calamity management responses to climate change. The relationship between climate change and natural tragedies has been well-established in the literature. According to World Meteorological Organization (2021), weather, water hazards, and climate contributed to 50 percent of all calamities, 45 percent of all the reported mortalities, and 74 percent of all the reported financial/economic losses (World Meteorological Organization, 2021). Based on the United Nations Country Classification, over 91 percent of the mortalities were recorded in developing economies. In addition, calamities associated with climate, water hazards, or weather have happened daily on average over the past half-century leading to the deaths of 115 individuals and over $202 million in losses every day (World Meteorological Organization, 2021). In addition, the prevalence of the calamities has escalated by a variable of 5 over the past half-century timescale, increasingly triggered by rising extreme weather, climate change, as well as better reporting. However, the mortality rates have reduced over three times thanks to better disaster management and initial warning systems (World Meteorological Organization, 2021). Recent research concluded that climate change is expected to lead to more frequent and severe hurricanes in the Atlantic basin, posing significant challenges to emergency response organizations (Shultz et al., 2020).
In order to address challenges contributed by climate change, emergency, and tragedy management, organizations are developing adaptation strategies. One approach is to invest in infrastructure that is resilient to climate change. For instance, the city of New York has implemented a climate resiliency plan that includes upgrading infrastructure, such as wastewater treatment plants, to withstand the impacts of extreme weather events (Zimmerman et al., 2019). Another approach is to improve communication and collaboration among emergency responders. A study of emergency management in the United States found that improved coordination between agencies can lead to more effective responses to natural tragedies (Haupt, 2021). This discourse offers the impetus to discuss constructs that are central to informing the emergency and disaster management responses to climate change or global-warming-associated calamities.
Climate-Related Events Are Complicated and Variable
Floods and tropical storms are two of the most common climate hazards that result in tragedies. In this context, floods occur when there is an overflow of water in rivers or coastal areas, while high winds and heavy rainfall characterize tropical storms. Both hazards have different frequencies and magnitudes in other regions, leading to different tragedy profiles (Iglesias et al., 2021). For example, hurricanes are more frequent in the United States along the Gulf Coast, while floods are more common in the Midwest (Iglesias et al., 2021). Warmer temperatures lead to increased atmospheric moisture, which can result in heavier rainfall during tropical storms. This, in turn, can lead to more frequent and severe floods. The impacts of floods and tropical storms are not evenly distributed across different regions and populations. According to Leal-Filho et al. (2019), developing countries are more vulnerable to the impacts of floods and tropical storms due to factors such as poverty, lack of infrastructure, and weak governance. Within these countries, marginalized groups such as women, children, and indigenous communities are disproportionately affected by floods and tropical storms (Leal-Filho et al., 201).
Global warming increasingly alters the intensity, spatial distribution, and frequency of adverse events. It is vital to evaluate tropical cyclones, wildfires, heatwaves, river floods, crop failure, and droughts within the present-day, past, and possible future climate change contexts. According to Lange et al. (2020), climate hazards can be categorized into four main types: meteorological, hydrological, climatological, and human factors, including population density and land utilization. Meteorological hazards include extreme temperatures, storms, and hurricanes. Hydrological hazards include floods, landslides, and droughts. Climatological hazards include wildfires and desertification. These hazards have different frequencies and magnitudes in different regions, leading to different tragedy profiles (Lange et al., 2020). Alterations in exposure are unequally distributed, with subtropical as well as tropical areas recording higher increases compared to higher latitudes (Lange et al., 2020). For example, Southeast Asia is highly vulnerable to floods and typhoons, while the Horn of Africa is vulnerable to droughts (Nilsson et al., 2021). The most significant increase in aggregate exposure is anticipated for the South Asia population (Lange et al., 2020). Climate change, weather, and climate impact human health in different economies. The health ramifications of climate change happen predominantly because of the implications of rising sea levels, increasing temperatures, as well as an increase in adverse weather events. These vulnerabilities integrate with socioeconomic, environmental, and demographic factors as well as healthcare quality and access to medical care to influence the risk patterns and severity. Health vulnerabilities are unevenly distributed globally, across populations, and within countries. Global warming-associated calamities potentially exacerbate existing health inequalities and challenges (Nilsson et al., 2021).
Adaptation and mitigation strategies can help reduce the impacts of floods and tropical storms. Adaptation strategies include early warning systems, building resilient infrastructure, and risk reduction of tragedy. As noted earlier, the World Meteorological Organization (2021) recommended the need for warning systems and robust disaster management systems to reduce the adverse implications of such occurrences on human life and economies at large. Mitigation strategies aim to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to limit the extent of climate change. A recent study established that a combination of adaptation and mitigation strategies is necessary to achieve climate goals and reduce the impacts of floods and tropical storms (Maharjan & Maharjan, 2018).
The Role of Technology in Disaster Management
Disaster management is tailored to reduce the potential negative ramifications of calamities, guarantee instant and necessary support for the victims, and atta...