16 October 2018: The Summer Academy on World Risk and Adaptation Futures sought to build capacity and create networks for real-world impact, emphasize a stronger focus on drivers of future risk for risk reduction policy and action, foster collaboration between policymakers and practitioners, and provide them with information on future risk trajectories and future trends regarding vulnerability to disruption by climatic and other stressors.

The Summer Academy programme was targeted towards decision makers and practitioners in UN processes implementing the SDGs, the Paris Agreement on climate change, the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) and the New Urban Agenda (NUA), as well as towards those who require information support for implementation efforts at the regional, national and municipal levels. The Summer Academy convened from 24-28 September 2018, in Bonn, Germany, with a particular focus on urbanization. It was jointly organized by UN University’s Institute for Environment and Human Security (UNU-EHS) and Munich Re Foundation, in partnership with the UNFCCC.

Future risk is driven by the ways in which social, economic and political changes contribute to the increase of exposure and vulnerability.

Speaking during the event, Matthias Garschagen, UNU-EHS, said future risk is driven in great part by the ways in which social, economic and political changes contribute to the increase of exposure and vulnerability, for example, when cities spread into existing flood plains or when formal disaster response is lacking in informal settlements.

According to UNU-EHS, urbanization, which is shaping future exposure and vulnerability to environmental and climatic hazards, is expected to occur more in the future in hazard-prone coastal areas, in deltas or along rivers, driving up the potential for future damage. Global hotspots of future urban growth in Southeast Asia, South Asia and West Africa will be particularly impacted. Despite this, UNU-EHS warns, methods to assess pathways, magnitudes and patterns of future urbanization “are still in their infancy.”

Academy participants discussed future trends in vulnerability, risk and adaptation, focusing specifically on the interactions between urbanization and future risk. They looked at modeling and projecting of future trends in environmental hazards, and investigated the ways in which cities are likely to change in the future. Participants stressed the need to identify barriers that limit urban development and create opportunities to overcome challenges.

The September event was the first of three sessions of the Summer Academy on World Risk Futures and Adaptation. The 2019 and 2020 sessions will address demographic changes and social protection, respectively. Key findings will feed into the annual World Risk Futures Report, published by UNU-EHS. [Summer Academy Announcement] [Summer Academy Summary Report] [UNU Press Release]