IRI at COP14 in Poznan
COP14/Poznan 2008
The International Research Institute for Climate and Society's participation at this year's Conference of the Parties (COP14) in Poznan, Poland centers around two important side events that highlight the importance of climate risk management for adaptation. Climate risk management enables climate-change adaptation through practical and immediate actions that diminish a society's vulnerability to current and future climate impacts.  On December 3, IRI's Simon Mason discussed the use of climate science in supporting decisions in the humanitarian sector at a side event called "The humanitarian response to climate change: early warning/early action", which was hosted by the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC). Mason and representatives from other organizations presented their views and experiences with integrating climate change risk into policies and measures and for strengthening preparedness and response systems. During the side event, the International Federation also unveiled a new brochure that addresses the challenges that climate-related risks pose to the efforts of humanitarian agencies. Called Early warning > Early action, the document highlights a number of ways in which the International Federation has used IRI's expertise in integrating climate information into decision making.  On Monday, December 8, IRI and the Munich Climate Insurance Initiative co-hosted a side event on climate-related insurance. MCII presented its proposal for climate risk insurance as an adaptation strategy. IRI and its partners showcased their experiences in implementing innovative index insurance to manage climate risks. IRI's Molly Hellmuth and Dan Osgood spoke at the packed event, which is available as a webcast. For more information, please download the agenda. You can also find a number or resources, stories and other documents about IRI's work on index insurance for poverty reduction and development by following this link. Following on the Global Humanitarian Forum's index insurance roundtable this summer and the more recent technical workshop held at Columbia University, the side event is the latest step in the production of the next Climate and Society publication. The publication is a collaborative effort between IRI and Swiss Re, the United Nations Development Programme, Oxfam America, the World Food Programme, the International Fund for Agricultural Development, the World Bank Commodity Risk Management Group and the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. |