GEOSS Capacity Building WorkdayGeneva, Switzerland

4 May 2015

Capacity Building for Earth “Observing” Systems: Enhancing Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR)

in the near, short, medium and long term

Michael H. Glantz

CCB (Consortium for Capacity Building)

INSTAAR, University of Colorado

Why Lessons?The Lessons Learned about Lessons Learned Forum was organized to discuss why “lessons,” identified after a hydromet disaster often remain unused in future responses to similar hazard events. Does the lessons learned process need to be fixed?

Why Now?The need for improved awareness and understanding of the “lessons learning process” for DRR in a changing climate is at a critical point, as disasters increase and response funding flatlines.

The Concern?We are not learning from the past. Scientists are projecting an increase in the intensity, frequency, magnitude and location of extreme hazard events as global climates continue to warm, setting the stage for even greater social and economic losses into the future.

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We held a “Forum on Lessons Learned About Lessons Learned about DRR in a Changing Climate”

Antalya Expert Forum Statement:(a lesson identified is not a lesson learned)

•1. “Lessons Learning" Process: The Need for a “Lessons Identified” Portal•2. Incentives Needed For DRR Learning for Capacity Building (and Pilot Projects)•3. Blend and Integrate DRR & CCA (Climate Change Adaptation): Fund “Orange”•4. Role for the Next Generation (Youth & Young Professionals)•5. Hydromet Warning Systems•6. Governments, Banks, and Donors need to Improve Coordination

(Turkey 2015)

Identify potential consequences,

if the lessons identified are not considered

• There is a difference between “ignorance”

and “ignore-ance”. The former can be reduced with education and training. The latter is a willful disregard for information that does not fit pre-conceived ideas.

1. The Need for a “Lessons Identified, Lessons

Learned” Portal

• A user-friendly, innovative DRR knowledge portal should

be established

– to focus specifically on collecting, verifying, cataloguing, archiving,

transferring and sharing both positive and negative DRR-related

lessons identified during previous DRR-related interventions.

• These lessons can then serve as the bases for more

efficient and effective future DRR and development

interventions

Earth Observation Goals(DRR goals as well)

1. Foster the sustained availability of satellite and ground observations

2. Find and enhance ways to apply new EO technology/techniques

3. Support countries use of EO for the development and public policies relevant to DRR

4. Educate users by providing visibility to EO DRR solutions 5. Address the most important needs of the user

community 6. Compile, archive and exchange of the lessons learned

process regarding the use of EO and technologies

Promoting GEO for DRR:Awareness, Use, Value

• The use of GEO-based products for DRR (End to End)– The ‘how’ of GEO

• The value of GEO-based products for DRR (E to E to E)– The ‘why’ of GEO

Feedback from users to EOConsider the 3 “O’s”:

Outreach, Outputs, Outcomes

Different Users, Different Uses, Different Incentives:Wholesaling vs. Retailing EO

• For individuals• For institutions• For national

governments• For donors• For EO providers• Others (such as Youth &

Young Professionals)• The public Window Seat: Reading the

Landscape from the Air

Capacity Building and Capacity Development:Where to focus?

For journalism and most other things

individuals

institutions

Sub-national(communities)

Supranational regional (trans-boundary)

Global (aka. earth, planet)

For capacity building, what isGEOSS’s “hierarchy of user needs”?

Same Same but Different?

The letter and the spirit of DRR declarations: Yokohama Declaration (1994) Hyogo Framework (2005) – HFA1Sendai Statement (2015) - SFDRR

Is “Out-of-the-box” thinking needed?

1. Making Invisible Boundaries Visible: H2O [Highlands to Oceans Initiative]

Drawing by Alejandra Acosta-Reyes, Northridge, Colorado

www.nrmsc.usgs.gov/files/norock/research/glacier_animation.gif

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2. EWSs are more important than some governments might realize

How early is early? How late is still early? Who is warned; governments and/or communities?What is the System: End2End or End2End2End?

Question: Should there be a Late Warning System (LWS)?

What one generation leaves for the next generation

Natural changes; different timescales

Human induced; not all changes are bad

The proverbial 11th hour; little time to act

Too costly, too late. Move on.

Focus should be here

This level captures attention

Changes become critical

3. Environmental Hotspots Pyramid:When to intervene? And where?

4. Ecosystems good & services for human well being

• “Some scientists have advocated a stricter definition of ecosystem services as only the components of nature that are directly enjoyed, consumed, or used in order to maintain or enhance human well-being.” http://uknea.unep-wcmc.org/

Yet, societies need ecosystems more than ecosystems need societies.

It must also be:

Human goods & services for ecosystems well being

5. DMUU vs. DMUF

Cartoon, After David Coverly. from “Speedbump.com”

Scientific view of glass:2/3rd full, 1/3 still missing.

why not full?

Decision maker’s view: 2/3 full. Must decide now. Rely on “foreseeability.”

Glass is 2/3 full

Glass ½ empty

What we know

What we don’t know

Glass ½ full

6. Pay attention to people on the street

No place on the planet to hide from change.Global observations are a necessity.

copenhagen cop 15 photo:Piotr Wawrzyniuk / Shutterstock.com