Improving Emergency and Disaster Management Responses to Climate Change

Improving Emergency and Disaster Management Responses to Climate Change
A masters capstone project
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by
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In Partial Fulfillment of the
Requirements for the Degree of
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February 2023
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ACKNOWLEDGMENT
I wish to thank my supervisor (supervisor's Name), 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, in particular, was a great source of the literature required and for their guidance in my proposal completion.
ABSTRACT
Improving Emergency and Disaster Management Responses to Climate Change
by
(Your name)
Masters in (Course)
American Public University System
(Name of Capstone professor) Capstone Professor
The world is suffering the effects of climate change-induced disasters, which have resulted in economic loss and loss of life. Some of the climate change-induced disasters include floods, tornadoes, earthquakes, heat waves, and many others. However, according to research, the effects of climate change will be felt a thousand years from now, in the instance that there are no more greenhouse gas emissions. Therefore, with the knowledge that climate change is here to stay, there is a need to mitigate its effects through disaster management preparedness. This project will look into the current gaps that disaster management teams experience, including using a reactive approach, lack of communication, and inadequate resource allocation. I also propose measures such as increased communication, training, and the use of technology. The research method will be qualitative and quantitative, and the results will be disseminated through a report.
Table of Contents



Table of Contents


 


ABSTRACT  4


CHAPTER 1  9


Introduction  9


CHAPTER 2  10


Literature review   10


Gaps in the Current Disaster Management Measures  10


A Reactive Approach to Disaster Management 10


Limited Community Engagement 11


Inadequate Resource Allocation  11


Strategies to Improve the Emergency and Disaster Management Responses to Climate Change  11


Communication and collaboration  11


Use of Technology and Innovation  12


Capacity Building and Training  13


CHAPTER 3  13


Methodology  13



LIST OF FIGURES
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Figure 2:Variables PAGEREF _Toc127741995 \h 6
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CHAPTER 1
Introduction
Climate change is the defining issue of our time and no longer an issue of doubt. News about disasters attributed to climate change have been hitting the headlines now and then, reporting several deaths and the financial impact of disasters. For instance, in February 2023, a 7.7 magnitude earthquake struck northwest Syria and southeastern Turkey, causing 4,400 deaths and 7,600 injuries, with the statistics expected to rise (Reliefweb, 2023). However, 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 disasters increased by over three times between 1970 and 2019; the number is anticipated to increase even higher throughout 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 thousands of years to cool down to the required rates (The Royal Society, 2020).
Developing countries are the most affected by climate change disasters, as they can significantly impact the country's GDP through the loss of productivity, 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 disasters, even though it is crystal clear that they will happen. Hence, there is an urgent need for governments and organizations to develop disaster management plans.
Accordingly, this study aims to address the current challenges and strategize how to improve emergency and disaster response regarding climate change. The project will utilize a case study design combined with systems thinking approach to analyze the interrelated factors that shape emergency and disaster 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 perceiv...