MARCUS MOENCH President, ISET

Urban Climate Resilience

Vietnams Contribution to Global Solutions

The Climate and Urbanization Challenge

Over 50% of the worlds

population is now urban Growth of urban areas is particularly rapid in Asia Urban areas are of fundamental importance in an increasingly globalized world economy Urban vulnerability to climate change & disaster is potentially very high Climate will continue changing over centuries even if emissions stabilize

Vietnam is Particularly Vulnerable

Most population and food production is within a few meters of sea level; Storms, floods and droughts are recurrent problems Rural-Urban migration is high and many migrants are poor and lack access to social safety nets Many responses to climate change emerge spontaneously through individual initiative as well as government action.

Another Challenge

Historical attention to urban climate vulnerability is low Greatest attention and analysis is focused on rural areas, Increasing attention to urban areas is, however, evident Vietnam is a leader with the ACCCRN program

Recognition Growing

ISDR & Other Disaster Agencies are increasingly focused on urban risk Growing global research networks are focusing on urban resilience COP-17: Urban Adaptation will be a major focus

Urban Areas Present Different Challenges

Dependence on fragile systems Large marginalized populations & high population density Weak institutions High levels of exposure to climate change and other risks

Fragile Systems
Higher level systems all depend on these foundations:

Energy: Many other systems wont work without assured power Ecosystems: water, flood control, temperature Transport: Delivery of goods, people, food, services Communications: Early warning systems, markets, city-centers

Marginalized Populations
The nature of populations critically different from rural

Economically weak groups Recent migrants who often lack formal access to social safety nets Women, children, the elderly Ethnic minorities Urban governments often marginalized (in relation to national)

Weak Institutions
Institutions that constrain rather than enable adaptation

Small cities often lack strong governance Poor systems for planning Weak social protection Tenure often uncertain Codes can be restrictive and difficult to enforce Individual initiatives are poorly tapped and often disempowered by institutions

Climate Exposure
Cities face unique forms of exposure

Coastal cities storms, sea level rise Cities in flood plains Cities in drought prone areas Systems that are affected by climate: such as regional water systems, globalized food systems, energy systems

Examples From Other Cities

Can Tho, Viet Nam Tidal flood

Quy Nhon, Viet Nam 2009 Flood

ACCCRN in Vietnam
A Unique Contribution
Resilience strategies are a model for implementing national policy Climate coordination offices are critical as a basis for cross-sector, long-term planning and action Integration of urban DRR and Climate Resilience Demonstration of effective urban climate planning through decentralized mechanisms Strong conceptually and practically

The Way Forward

Strengthening institutions (building the climate offices & resilience planning process) Addressing system fragility (storm resilient housing, dengue monitoring, water supply, etc...) Helping marginalized populations (women-headed households, fishermen) Understanding exposure (new climate information) Understanding of response options and the ability to act supported by systemic learning and information sharing.

For more information, please visit: www.i-s-e-t.org | www.acccrn.org