Side Event: Science Meets Practice - How can Science Contribute to Risk Reduction, Disaster Management and Climate Change Adaptation?
Wednesday 11 May 12.45 – 13.45 Room B-CCV
Together with the Disaster Prevention Research Institute (DPRI), the Integrated Research on Disaster Risk (IRDR), the Italian Presidency of the Council of Ministries – Civil Protection Department and the Science Council of Japan (SCJ), GRF Davos dedicated a thematic side-event to the topic “Science Meets Practice – How can Science contribute to Disaster Risk Reduction?” chaired by GRF Davos CEO Dr. Walter Ammann.
Globally, people need efficient, sustainable solutions for disaster risk reduction and climate change adaptation. Integrative risk management, vulnerability reduction, and resilience increase are topics which need the multidisciplinary approach. How can science learn from practice and respond appropriately to practical needs? Are the practitioners ready to accept solutions from science? How can we bridge the gap between science and practice? This is just a small selection of the questions that were addressed by the speakers during their presentations.
In her lecture on “forensic investigations and risk” Dr. Jane Rovins (Executive Director IRDR International Programme Office, Beijing) presented different research initiatives conducted by her institute. IRDR is a multi-disciplinary research programme designed to look at the issues of natural and human-induced hazards and disasters from several perspectives, following an integrated collaborative approach keeping close ties with practice. Through case studies, capacity building initiatives and demonstration projects IRDR aims to deliver substantive contributions for effective decision making, reducing risks and providing guidance for good disaster management.
Dr. Kuniyoshi Takeuchi (Director UNESCO-ICHARM, SCJ Science Council of Japan, Tsukuba, Ibaraki) gave a presentation on the response to the eastern Japan Earthquake and Tsunami disaster. He spoke about IRDR related activities within the Japanese science council, triple-loop learning (coping, adopting, transferring) and the importance to address the question of how to prepare for very rare-high consequence disaster events. He also announced the next IRDR conference with a topical focus on “Disaster Risk: Integrating Science and Practice.”
The Head of the Water Resources Research Center, DPRI (Kyoto University, Uji, Kyoto) Prof. Dr. Toshiharu Kojiri gave a lecture on the “Impact Assessment of Water Environment in the Future due to Global Warming”, suggesting various countermeasures for integrative risk management of disasters including risk assessment, risk management of abnormal disasters and interdisciplinary collaboration of different sectors.
Franco Gabrielli (Head Civil Protection Department – Italian Presidency of the Council of Ministries, Rome) addressed the need for a Global Risk Modeling Initiative to foster collaborative risk management efforts and create a uniform system for the assessment of vulnerability and risks and to safeguard live and health of civil society worldwide.
The closing lecture was held by Daniel Eriksson (Programme Manager Geneva International Center for Humanitarian Demining, GICHD, Geneva) and focused on the question “what does practice need from science?” On the example of mine action he tried to show how science has and has not contributed to practice and stressed the importance of adjusting any measures to the location and the context in which they are planned and implemented.
The lectures were followed by a short but very vivid plenary discussion.
The detailed programme of this event is available as PDF for download here.
For further information or any questions regarding GRF Davos' Global Platform activities please contact:
Ms. Madeleine Colbert
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