28 August 2014: The UN Environment Programme (UNEP) has unveiled the first-ever ‘Massive Open Online Course’ (MOOC) on how to minimize disaster risk through natural or ecosystem-based solutions. The MOOC, titled ‘Disasters and Ecosystems: Resilience in a Changing Climate,’ which was introduced during the 5th Annual International Disaster Risk Conference (IDRC), aims to broaden awareness on a range of tools for eco-disaster risk reduction and adaptation by demonstrating how climate change, disasters and the environment are linked.

The MOOC also aims to overcome the limited awareness of services offered by ecosystems and the “false perceptions” regarding their effectiveness in disaster risk reduction (DRR) by building “skills, scale and speed” in DRR efforts.

Projections indicate that damages from disasters will increase to US$400 billion per year and, with climate change expected to worsen these impacts, identifying innovative solutions and responses has become an urgent priority. The MOOC targets policymakers, decision makers, practitioners, experts and the wider public, with over 20 hours of video lectures, guest lectures and real-life case studies, which enable participants to apply ecosystem-based DRR and adaptation in their own communities.

During the IRDC conference, which convened from 24-28 August 2014, in Davos, Switzerland, UNEP also hosted, along with the Partnership for Environment and Disaster Risk Reduction (PEDRR), an interactive panel discussion on ‘Bridging DRR and climate change adaptation through ecosystems management’ to demonstrate through field projects how ecosystem-based DRR and adaptation are building community resilience globally. [UNEP Press Release] [IDRC Conference Website]