24 September 2014: The UN Population Fund (UNFPA) has developed a tool, called ‘Demographic Exploration for Climate Adaptation’ (DECA), which allows experts, policymakers and community members to identify where vulnerable people are located and what conditions contribute to their vulnerabilities.

DECA, developed by UNFPA in partnership with the International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED) and Wolfram Research, combines population data, including gender, age, location, housing and availability of services, with geographic information on areas vulnerable to climate impacts. With primary funding from the Government of Luxembourg and additional funding for the project’s work in Maldives coming from the Government of Denmark, DECA forms a central part of a plan developed for the UN Secretary-General’s Climate Summit, titled the ‘Climate Information Action Statement,’ which calls for the “integration of climate information with other data into development planning.”

DECA provides high-resolution information and analysis, revealing, for example, densely populated neighborhoods in flood-prone areas. Within those neighborhods, the tool identifies those with large populations of women and girls who tend to be disproportionately affected by climate crises. DECA also shows resources, services and infrastructure in areas vulnerable to climate impacts. Such data can not only be used to match disaster response plans to the needs of vulnerable populations, but also to plan more sustainable infrastructure.

Countries that have committed to using DECA in planning and policy development include Indonesia, Maldives, Jamaica, Saint Lucia, and Trinidad and Tobago. It is estimated that, by the end of 2015, DECA will cover up to 20 million people, with significant scale-up potential. [UNFPA Press Release]