Tribute paid to climate change scientists

Source(s): United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction
Mr. Robert Glasser, head of UNISDR, makes a point during the panel discussion at opening today of the UNISDR Science and Technology Conference (Photo: UNISDR/Fabio Chironi)
Mr. Robert Glasser, head of UNISDR, makes a point during the panel discussion at opening today of the UNISDR Science and Technology Conference (Photo: UNISDR/Fabio Chironi)

GENEVA, January 27, 2015 - The UNISDR Science and Technology Conference opened today in Geneva with a tribute to the hundreds of scientists who have contributed their time to ground-breaking research on climate change and its impacts.

The head of the UN Office for Disaster Risk Reduction, Mr. Robert Glasser, said: “The painstaking work of the hundreds of scientists who have contributed to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s reports is an outstanding example of the public service and dedication to the greater good which we have come to expect from the global science community.”

In particular, he cited the IPCC’s Summary for Policymakers report “Managing the Risks of Extreme Events and Disasters to Advance Climate Change Adaptation” which he said was an example of how scientists can “lay out the evidence for us in a way that is convincing and actionable.”

The three-day Conference has been convened to “set the course for further collaboration on the implementation of the Sendai Framework and to support coherence in our understanding of disaster risk reduction across the other relevant international agreements,” said Mr. Glasser. The opening day attracted 700 scientists, disaster risk experts and government representatives.

The Conference is the first such gathering since the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction was adopted last year by UN member States with the stated goals of reducing disaster risk and disaster losses with a focus on mortality, numbers of people affected, economic losses and damage to critical infrastructure.

Mr. Glasser noted: “The Sendai Framework specifically recognises the importance of enhancing the scientific and technical work on disaster risk reduction and it calls for mobilisation of the scientific and technological community through the coordination of existing networks and scientific research institutions at all levels and in all regions.”

He said that by the end of the week there would be two important outcomes: the launch of the UNISDR Science and Technology Partnership and agreement on a Science and Technology Road Map for the implementation of the Sendai Framework.

Mr. Pichet Durongkaveroj, Minister of Science and Technology, Government of Thailand, told the opening plenary that one of the lessons from his country’s costly floods in 2011 was the need for “a single command entity” for disaster management.

Thailand is focussed on community-based management systems. "We need to have an inclusion approach to reducing disaster risk, Without that, we will have gaps between the haves and have nots, the rural and urban, for example," he said.

Ms. Stella Gama, Assistant Director of Forestry, Ministry of Natural Resources, Energy and Mining, Malawi, said: "Men and women in poor countries are vulnerable to climate change, but it’s to varying degrees, and they respond to disasters in different ways." It is important to understand the gender dimension in disaster risk reduction.

Noting that disasters increase poverty levels in the country, Ms. Gama stressed: “In Malawi, climate information for farmers is important. It is important for agriculture and it is also important for disaster preparedness.”

Dr. José Rubiera, Director, National Forecast Centre, Cuba, stressed the importance of good communication when disaster threatens. "If people don’t understand the message, there will be a problem. Or if they are not confident in the measures."

He added: "Science alone will not solve the problem. If a forecast is made, and put in a drawer, it will do nothing and then there will be a disaster." He advised that scientists should be taught communication skills, to make sense to non-experts.

Dr. Flavia Schlegel, Assistant Director-General for Natural Sciences, UNESCO, noted the need for alignment across the 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda between the Sendai Framework, the Sustainable Development Goals and the Paris Agreement on Climate Change.

If the outcome is to be efficient delivery on the ground, "we are all called upon now to make sure that all these frameworks and agendas are aligned." She highlighted improving early warning systems and mainstreaming disaster risk reduction and science in government decision-making.

The conference is supported by the UNISDR Scientific and Technical Advisory Group (STAG) and the co-organisers include the European Commission, IRDR, ICSU. GEM. GRF, iap, GFDRR, Public Health England, Science Council of Japan, UNESCO, the United Nations University, WMO and WHO.

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