Global Lessons on Development Planning and Climate Hazards Reduction

Climate change is a global reality. Shrinking glaciers and changing seasonal weather conditions point to developing differences in the norms of the 21st century and of the immediately preceding era. Starting in the1980s, international aid organizations such as the Swedish Red Cross and the Organization of American States noted developing vulnerability to the effects of rising sea levels and stronger hurricane and typhoon seasons. Likewise, Disasters by Design in 1999 and the International Federation of Red Cross (IFRC) 2010 World Disasters Report focus on linkages between economic development and the built environment including cities, natural hazards, and disasters.