The paper suggests measures for cities vulnerable to climate change-related disasters to mitigate future damages by improving social and physical disaster-related infrastructure.
November 2010: The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) has published a paper in its OECD Environmental Working Papers series titled “Flood Risks, Climate Change Impacts and Adaptation Benefits in Mumbai: An Initial Assessment of Socio-Economic Consequences of Present and Climate Change Induced Flood Risks and of Possible Adaptation Options.”
The study demonstrates an approach to assess future risks and quantify the benefits of adaptation options at a city-scale. It results from a mixed methods approach using household surveys and scenario building in reference to the devastating flooding in Mumbai, India, in 2005. The paper assumes an “upper-bound” climate scenario in which damages associated with a one in 100 year event such as the flooding in Mumbai could triple. The analysis also demonstrates that adaptation could significantly reduce future losses, for example by: improving the city’s drainage system; extending insurance to cover the entire population; and improving access to financial support for the poorest of the poor. [The Paper]