Glossary
Climate change adaptation - The adjustment in natural or human systems in response to actual or expected climatic stimuli or their effects, which moderates harm or exploits beneficial opportunities. Various types of adaptation exist, e.g. anticipatory and reactive, private and public, and autonomous and planned (IPCC, 2007).
Disaster - A serious disruption of the functioning of a community or a society at any scale due to hazardous events interacting with conditions of exposure, vulnerability and capacity, leading to one or more of the following: human, material, economic and environmental losses and impacts (UNDRR, 2017).
Disaster risk reduction - Disaster risk reduction is aimed at preventing new and reducing existing disaster risk and managing residual risk, all of which contribute to strengthening resilience and therefore to the achievement of sustainable development (UNDRR, 2017).
Ecosystem-based adaptation (EbA) is the use of biodiversity and ecosystem services as part of an overall adaptation strategy to help people to adapt to the adverse effects of climate change. EbA aims to maintain and increase the resilience and reduce the vulnerability of ecosystems and people in the face of the adverse effects of climate change” (CBD 2009).
Ecosystem-based disaster risk reduction (Eco-DRR) is defined as “the sustainable management, conservation and restoration of ecosystems to reduce disaster risk, with the aim to achieve sustainable and resilient development” (Estrella and Saalismaa, 2013).
Hazard - A process, phenomenon or human activity that may cause loss of life, injury or other health impacts, property damage, social and economic disruption or environmental degradation (UNDRR, 2017).
Mitigation - The lessening or minimizing of the adverse impacts of a hazardous event. It should be noted that, in climate change policy, “mitigation” is defined differently, and is the term used for the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions that are the source of climate change (UNDRR, 2017).
Nature-based Solutions (NbS) are actions to protect, sustainably manage and restore natural or modified ecosystems that address societal challenges effectively and adaptively, simultaneously providing human well-being and biodiversity benefits (IUCN, 2016).
Resilience - The ability of a system, community or society exposed to hazards to resist, absorb, accommodate, adapt to, transform and recover from the effects of a hazard in a timely and efficient manner, including through the preservation and restoration of its essential basic structures and functions through risk management (UNDRR, 2017).
Vulnerability -The conditions determined by physical, social, economic and environmental factors or processes which increase the susceptibility of an individual, a community, assets or systems to the impacts of hazards (UNDRR, 2017).
References:
Estrella, M. and N. Saalismaa (2016) Ecosystem-based Disaster Risk Reduction. An Overview. In: Renaud, F, Sudmeier-Rieux, K, Estrella, M. (2013) The Role of Ecosystems in Disaster Risk Reduction, United Nations University Press, Tokyo, 489pp. https://collections.unu.edu/view/UNU:1995
International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) (2016) IUCN Global Standard for Nature-based Solutions. World Conservation Congress and members’ assembly resolution (WCC-2016-Res-069) Website accessed on 6 January, 2021 https://www.iucn.org/theme/ecosystem-management/our-work/iucn-global-standard-nature-based-solutions#:~:text=%E2%80%9Cactions%20to%20protect%2C%20sustainably%20manage,%2Dbeing%20and%20biodiversity%20benefits%E2%80%9D.
International Panel for Climate Change (2012). Summary for Policymakers. In: Managing the Risks of Extreme Events and Disasters to Advance Climate Change Adaptation. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK, and New York, NY, USA. Website accessed on 6 January, 2021 https://www.ipcc.ch/report/managing-the-risks-of-extreme-events-and-disasters-to-advance-climate-change-adaptation/
United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR) (2017) Terminology. Website accessed on 6 January, 2020 https://www.undrr.org/terminology