In this thesis, I conduct a global event-data study investigating the relationship between exposure to natural hazards and climate change adaptation. Exposure to natural hazards has previously been linked to actions aimed at reducing risks related to future natural hazards. With climate change, and predicted increase in hazard frequency and intensity, a feasible approach to risk mitigation is climate change adaptation, which can thus be considered a disaster risk reduction strategy. I investigate the effects of disaster frequency and severity on the amount of climate change adaptation actions taken on a subnational level of government, using disaster data from the International Disaster Database (EM-DAT) and data on adaptation actions from CDP. Disaster severity is operationalised in three separate ways to distinguish between different kinds of disaster impacts: in terms of (1) economic damage, (2) how many are affected, and (3) fatalities. I hypothesise that all independent variables are positively related to climate change adaptation, and test the hypotheses using OLS regression. The result depicts a positive correlation between the number of disasters experienced and adaptation actions. I do not see a positive relationship between climate change adaptation actions and the two impact variables total affected and total fatalities. The relationship between economic damages and adaptation actions indicates that economic damages could have different impacts depending on the level of economic development in a country. This study contributes to the integration of the two research fields climate change adaptation and disaster risk reduction by studying climate change adaptation as a form of disaster risk reduction, and deepening the knowledge of what can drive adaptation. Finally, this study contributes by showing that the level of economic development could be an important aspect of the exposure-adaptation relationship.

<div>Every year power outages cost billions of dollars and affect millions of people. Historical data shows that between 2000 and 2016, 75% of power outages (in terms of duration) were caused due to severe weather events. Due to climate change these severe weather events are becoming more frequent. The National Association of Regulatory Commissioners have recently emphasized on the importance of building electricity sector's resilience thus ensuring long term reliability and economic benefits for the stakeholders. These severe weather events are called High Impact Low Frequency (HILF) events, which means that these events may not occur every year, but when they happen, the impact is likely to be severe. So, it is imperative that the risk of power outages due to severe weather events and their economic impact is persistent. To mitigate the risk, utilities need to invest heavily so that the impacts due to these HILF events can be minimized. Under this situation, utilities face three key questions (1) where to invest (2) how much to invest and (3) how to justify the investment. Therefore, there is a need to develop a framework for investment related decision-making, which can identify the optimal strategies for minimizing the economic impacts of severe weather induced power outages under different budget conditions. It is equally important to understand the cascading impacts of the sustained power outages during natural disasters before investment can be planned for building resilience in electricity sector. The existing frameworks to access the costs of severe weather induced power outages grossly undermines the overall economic impacts. This research has (1) assessed the economic loss due to severe weather induced power outages in terms of loss of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and (2) developed a framework for identifying the optimal risk reduction strategies to minimize the economic impact. For assessing the economic impact, this research has adopted Inoperability Input-Output Model (IIM) using 20 years of historical data from the Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA). The proposed framework has the flexibility to accommodate the risk appetite of the decision maker. The framework can be used by the Investor Owned Utilities (IOUs) for the rate approvals from the State Utility Regulatory Commissions by justifying the importance of their resilience building projects to the State's economy. <br></div>

This thesis aims to investigate and describe what Disaster Risk Reduction and Risk Management looks like in Zimbabwe through the research question “How is Disaster Risk Reduction implemented and executed in Zimbabwe?”. Exactly what will be analyzed in this paper is then what actions are done in Zimbabwe to prevent disasters, how they plan and implement actions and policies, how they handle ongoing disasters and also how they deal with the aftermath of disasters. This is to see how a country such as Zimbabwe with their preconditions and circumstances performs when it comes to Disaster Risk Reduction and the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction. The results show that Zimbabwe has established different measures to handle the matter, such as creating the Department for Civil Protection and the Civil Protection Act among many other things, but that despite their efforts they might need to further improve some aspects.

The ambition of this thesis is to fulfill two aims. The first aim is theory development, by presenting a theoretical framework where climate change adaptation (CCA) and disaster risk reduction (DRR) are combined. The second aim is empirical, where the theoretical framework is used to analyze an example of DRR with an ambition to include CCA. An integrated approach is beneficial for the achievement of sustainable development and for strengthening resilience to hazards (Schipper 2009; Mitchell et al 2010). However, the two fields largely operate in separate which can cause reversed development outcomes and hamper the overall objectives of both DRR and CCA. The ambition of this thesis is hence to investigate to what extent the approach is used within humanitarian aid organizations today, with a specific focus on the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC). The method used is a qualitative content analysis of the “Integrated Flood Resilience Programme” in Bangladesh (IFRP) conducted by the IFRC. The main finding of the study suggests a surprising progress of including CCA and climate change as components within DRR. However, there are still core aspects of an integrated approach missing in the project. For instance, there is no inclusion of an environmental risk assessment or alignment with climate frameworks, except for parts of the Sustainable Development Goals. Moreover, the efforts associated with CCA are perceived unspecific in comparison to other parts of the project. This thesis therefore reaffirms some of the conclusions made by other scholars (e.g. Mitchell et al 2010; Schipper 2009: Thomalla et al 2006; Hammond 2017), implying that DRR and CCA still mostly operate separately.

This study aims to explore if learning through policy change is possible after natural disastersoccur. Previous studies are divided concerning if natural disasters in fact lead to learning or policy change taking place. Thomas Birkland and his theory on “event related learning” suggest that it is possible for learning to take place after a ”focusing event” has occurred, which in turn forces policy to change. Through an operationalization of Birkland’s concept of learning, this study seeks to explore how learning can be understood to have occurred, due to and during the 10 years after the earthquake struck Haiti in 2010. The study concludes that there are many different indicators through multiple different sectors that suggest both learning and policy change has taken place on Haiti, due to the earthquake that occurred in 2010, viewed through Birkland’s theory of learning.

The increasing frequency of disasters in recent years has made clear the importance of preparing for their devastating impacts. The intersection of immigrant status and older age in immigrant older adults subjects them to a high risk for harm in disasters. Thus, ensuring that this population can effectively prepare for disasters is crucial. However, research that focuses on disaster preparedness among immigrant older adults in a Canadian context is limited. We interviewed informal caregivers of immigrant older adults to explore their experiences regarding the disaster preparedness of their care recipients. We aimed to describe caregivers’ knowledge of disaster risk among immigrant older adults, as well as their experiences and perceptions of barriers and facilitators of preparedness among older immigrants. We conducted semi-structured individual interviews with a sample of 10 informal caregivers of older immigrants who reside in Ottawa and Toronto. All interviews were audio-recorded, and interview content was analyzed using inductive thematic analysis. Participants were able to identify the additional risks their older immigrant family members experience, and they took on the responsibility for disaster preparedness and response for the care recipients. However, the following barriers to preparedness efforts were identified: The financial costs of preparing, lack of confidence to prepare due to inadequate information about preparedness measures, communication difficulties among family members, and time constraints. Participants’ contingency plans for caregiving for the older immigrants were largely unspoken, and influenced by cultural norms. Lastly, faith-based organizations were seen by participants as potentially having a significant role in their family members’ disaster preparedness and response; participants were largely unaware of any other relevant community-based supports. We anticipate that our results will provide insight into the barriers and protective factors that older immigrants and their caregivers experience in safeguarding against harm in disasters, and we anticipate the recommendations will inform policies and interventions to support them.

京都大学 / 0048 / 新制・課程博士 / 博士(地球環境学) / 甲第18437号 / 地環博第119号 / 新制||地環||24(附属図書館) / 31295 / 京都大学大学院地球環境学舎環境マネジメント専攻 / (主査)教授 ショウ ラジブ, 教授 清野 純史, 准教授 小林 広英 / 学位規則第4条第1項該当 / Doctor of Global Environmental Studies / Kyoto University / DFAM

京都大学 / 0048 / 新制・課程博士 / 博士(地球環境学) / 甲第19155号 / 地環博第130号 / 新制||地環||26(附属図書館) / 32106 / 京都大学大学院地球環境学舎地球環境学専攻 / (主査)教授 ｼｮｳ ﾗｼﾞﾌﾞ, 教授 岡﨑 健二, 准教授 西前 出 / 学位規則第4条第1項該当 / Doctor of Global Environmental Studies / Kyoto University / DFAM

京都大学 / 0048 / 新制・課程博士 / 博士(地球環境学) / 甲第19420号 / 地環博第146号 / 新制||地環||29(附属図書館) / 32445 / 京都大学大学院地球環境学舎地球環境学専攻 / (主査)准教授 西前 出, 教授 舟川 晋也, 教授 清野 純史 / 学位規則第4条第1項該当 / Doctor of Global Environmental Studies / Kyoto University / DFAM

京都大学 / 0048 / 新制・課程博士 / 博士(地球環境学) / 甲第19875号 / 地環博第149号 / 新制||地環||30(附属図書館) / 32911 / 京都大学大学院地球環境学舎地球環境学専攻 / (主査)教授 藤井 滋穂, 教授 岡﨑 健二, 准教授 西前 出 / 学位規則第4条第1項該当 / Doctor of Global Environmental Studies / Kyoto University / DFAM