scholarly journals Governance Strategies for Improving Flood Resilience in the Face of Climate Change

Water ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 10 (11) ◽  
pp. 1595 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peter Driessen ◽  
Dries Hegger ◽  
Zbigniew Kundzewicz ◽  
Helena van Rijswick ◽  
Ann Crabbé ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Risk Management ◽  
Flood Risk ◽  
Climate Adaptation ◽  
Flood Risk Management ◽  
Economic Damage ◽  
Public And Private ◽  
Governance Strategies ◽  
The Face ◽  
International Comparative ◽  
Management Approaches

Flooding is the most common of all natural disasters and accounts for large numbers of casualties and a high amount of economic damage worldwide. To be ‘flood resilient’, countries should have sufficient capacity to resist, the capacity to absorb and recover, and the capacity to transform and adapt. Based on international comparative research, we conclude that six key governance strategies will enhance ‘flood resilience’ and will secure the necessary capacities. These strategies pertain to: (i) the diversification of flood risk management approaches; (ii) the alignment of flood risk management approaches to overcome fragmentation; (iii) the involvement, cooperation, and alignment of both public and private actors in flood risk management; (iv) the presence of adequate formal rules that balance legal certainty and flexibility; (v) the assurance of sufficient financial and other types of resources; (vi) the adoption of normative principles that adequately deal with distributional effects. These governance strategies appear to be relevant across different physical and institutional contexts. The findings may also hold valuable lessons for the governance of climate adaptation more generally.

scholarly journals Brief communication: Rethinking the 1998 China flood to prepare for a nonstationary future

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shiqiang Du ◽  
Xiaotao Cheng ◽  
Qingxu Huang ◽  
Ruishan Chen ◽  
Philip Ward ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Risk Management ◽  
Flood Risk ◽  
Water Governance ◽  
Flood Risk Management ◽  
Governance System ◽  
Rapid Urbanization ◽  
New Challenges ◽  
Growing Economy ◽  
Management Approaches ◽  
Coordinated Water

Abstract. A mega-flood in 1998 caused tremendous losses in China, and triggered large investments in flood risk management (Bryan et al., 2018). However, rapid urbanization and climate change pose new challenges and it is time to rethink whether China is prepared for the next mega-flood. In China’s fast growing economy, with rapid urbanization, novel flood risk management approaches are required in addition to reinforcing structural protection, such as levees. These include a risk-based urban planning and a coordinated water governance system with public participation.

scholarly journals Structuring Climate Adaptation through Multiple Perspectives: Framework and Case Study on Flood Risk Management

Water ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. 129 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mohanasundar Radhakrishnan ◽  
Assela Pathirana ◽  
Richard Ashley ◽  
Chris Zevenbergen
Keyword(s):  
Risk Management ◽  
Flood Risk ◽  
Climate Adaptation ◽  
Flood Risk Management ◽  
Multiple Perspectives

scholarly journals Obligation or Innovation: Can the EU Floods Directive Be Seen as a Tipping Point Towards More Resilient Flood Risk Management? A Case Study from Vorarlberg, Austria

2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (19) ◽  
pp. 5505 ◽  
Author(s):  
Magdalena Rauter ◽  
Thomas Thaler ◽  
Marie-Sophie Attems ◽  
Sven Fuchs
Keyword(s):  
Risk Management ◽  
Flood Risk ◽  
System Change ◽  
Flood Risk Management ◽  
Policy Cycle ◽  
Mitigation And Adaptation ◽  
Management Approaches ◽  
Floods Directive ◽  
Eu Floods Directive ◽  
The Eu

Environmental change is subject to discussion among scientists, practitioners, and policymakers. As increasing threats to both environment and society are on the agenda, alternative management approaches are gaining importance. This paper focuses on the influence of policy changes on flood risk management. There is evidence that shifts in settlement patterns and population growth might influence the dynamics of flood damage and loss. There is increased pressure to intensify land use, but also to keep free spaces for hazard mitigation and adaptation. In this paper, we focus on new regulative and management approaches associated with the implementation of the European (EU) Floods Directive in Austria. The concept of tipping points, which are defined as turning points for system change, has been applied. Based on semi-structured interviews we evaluate whether or not the implementation of the EU Floods Directive has triggered a system change in flood risk management. Our results show that triggers for change are past flood events and a general need for action rather than the implementation of the directive itself. Changes related to the EU Floods Directive are likely to happen in the long-term; however, these cannot yet be determined. The main challenges are associated with transparency and communication between policymakers and the affected society. So far, the requirements of the first policy cycle of the directive have been fulfilled. The second policy cycle will show further outcomes and potential needs.

scholarly journals Urban and river flooding: Comparison of flood risk management approaches in the UK and China and an assessment of future knowledge needs

2019 ◽  
Vol 12 (4) ◽  
pp. 274-283 ◽  
Author(s):  
Matteo Rubinato ◽  
Andrew Nichols ◽  
Yong Peng ◽  
Jian-min Zhang ◽  
Craig Lashford ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Risk Management ◽  
Flood Risk ◽  
Flood Risk Management ◽  
River Flooding ◽  
Management Approaches ◽  
The Uk

Risky policies: Local contestation of mainstream flood risk management approaches in Ireland

2017 ◽  
Vol 49 (11) ◽  
pp. 2497-2516 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alexandra Revez ◽  
Jose A Cortes-Vazquez ◽  
Stephen Flood
Keyword(s):  
Risk Management ◽  
Flood Risk ◽  
Social Dynamics ◽  
Human Dimensions ◽  
Flood Risk Management ◽  
Local Context ◽  
Management Approach ◽  
Conservation Practice ◽  
Management Approaches

In 2017, the idea that floods are exceptional and temporary episodes is a conviction increasingly contradicted by their growing incidence and severity across the globe. Floods have lasting consequences for affected populations and such effects can be wide-ranging depending on local context. However, prevailing misconceptions remain concerning the nature and effect of floods on populations. The advent of risk-based approaches is arguably responsible for a distinct managerial perspective on floods, which often undermines the local contexts and the impacts central to these experiences. This is observable in Ireland, the case study site for this article, where policy transitions into risk-based approaches are increasingly leading to growing discontent regarding the manner in which flooding and community vulnerabilities are represented. The matter is further complicated by the interplay between risk and conservation policy. This paper considers how these powerful discourses shape ideas and decisions around flooding. Using narrative-based data, centred on a case study in the west of Ireland, we explore the understanding and perception of flood risk and nature conservation by local communities and contrast these with the views expressed through managerial approaches linked to flood risk management and conservation. By bringing together these three distinct positions (i.e. the flood risk management approach, conservation practice and local narratives) we have found limitations in underlying assumptions informing current flood risk management approaches and we bring to light crucial human dimensions of flooding which, we argue, are consistently diluted and/or buried by fractured representations of environmental and social dynamics.

The role of extreme events in reaching adaptation tipping points: a case study of flood risk management in Dhaka, Bangladesh

2014 ◽  
Vol 6 (4) ◽  
pp. 729-742 ◽  
Author(s):  
Farhana Ahmed ◽  
Berry Gersonius ◽  
William Veerbeek ◽  
M. Shah Alam Khan ◽  
Philippus Wester
Keyword(s):  
Risk Management ◽  
Extreme Events ◽  
Flood Risk ◽  
Management Strategies ◽  
Developed Countries ◽  
Flood Risk Management ◽  
Tipping Points ◽  
Policy Interventions ◽  
The Face

Adaptation tipping points (ATPs) refer to the situation where a policy or management strategy is no longer sufficient, and adjustments or alternative policies/strategies have to be considered. In developed countries, the main focus of research has been on characterising the occurrence of ATPs in the face of slow variables like climate change. In developing countries, the system characteristics that lead to ATPs are more uncertain and typically comprise a combination of drivers. It is well recognised that policies and management strategies have often shifted in the wake of extreme events like floods. By focusing on flood risk management (FRM), this paper explores the role of sudden or extreme events and other drivers that trigger ATPs. It analyses the historical flooding pattern of Dhaka and policies relevant to FRM, and determines the tipping points for policy-making. A timeline has been established between the flood events, co-drivers, policy interventions and institutional reforms over the last 50 years. ATPs in a developing country context have been found to result from hydrological factors and uncontrolled urban growth as well as foreign intervention, non-implementation or untimely implementation of planned measures and fund constraints.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document