This sessions looks back at compound climate hazards of drought, flood, and fire in four countries providing actionable insights for policy and decision making.
As the hazards of climate change become increasingly severe and frequent, compound hazards of drought, flood and fire all happening in the same year in close proximity, and sometimes the same watershed are becoming increasingly frequent. Holistic considerations in impact assessments of compound climate hazards on the watershed landscape, together with existing infrastructure and livelihoods are key. Impact assessments play a key role in understanding and describing the problemshed. However, strategic impact assessments can also play a key role in transitioning a problemshed into an opportunityshed. At the watershed level, the compound hazards of flood, drought and fire are leading to interconnected disasters of landslides (due to loss of trees and vegetation as a result of fire), damaged infrastructure (as a result of fire and flood), and transitioning agriculture (as a result of drought). While disasters are key risks and important considerations in impact assessments, they also provide opportunity in recovery phases for innovative transition to opportunityshed planning and thinking. This paper is based on case studies in Canada, Chile, Uruguay and Argentina employing interviews, focus groups and inter country partner meetings. This presentation provides actionable insights through multi case learning for policy makers and planners. This paper looks back in order to look forward.
Margot Hurlbert is a Canada Research Chair on Climate Change, Energy, and Sustainability Policy in Canada at the University of Regina. She works in law, social behavioural science, and geography.