Societies have always lived with climate risk.

Strategies for reducing exposure and vulnerability to climate hazards like cyclones and extreme temperatures have shaped livelihoods, settlement patterns, economies and cultures throughout human history. But relying on past experience is no longer enough; climate change is increasing uncertainty about where climate hazards occur, when, for how long, and at what level of intensity. Combined with other change processes, such as urbanization and deforestation, the way socioeconomic and ecological systems are affected by climate is also changing, forcing us to re-evaluate conventional climate risk management (CRM) practices.

Our work in the area of CRM seeks to characterize, through innovative and tailored assessment processes, the changing nature of climate risk so that decision-makers can devise policies and programs that will be sustainable over the long term. IISD’s approach emphasizes participation and the combination of top-down and bottom-up assessment methods, whereby community consultations are considered alongside scientific analyses and policy reviews to identify immediate and emerging CRM priorities.