Climate change is expected to increase the severity and frequency of weather-related natural hazards such as storms, high rainfalls, floods, droughts and heat-waves (IPCC Fourth Assessment Report). Coupled with sea level rise, this will lead to more disasters in future – unless prompt action is taken.
Climate change is altering the face of disaster risk, not only through increased weather related risks and sea-level and temperature rise, but also through increases in societal vulnerabilities from stresses on water availability, agriculture and ecosystems. Disaster risk reduction and climate change mitigation and adaptation share a common space of concern: reducing the vulnerability of communities and achieving sustainable development.

Governments have recognized the importance of coordinating climate change adaptation with relevant natural disaster risk reduction measures and the need to integrate these considerations in a comprehensive manner into development plans and poverty eradication programmes. For several years, the ISDR secretariat, has made climate change as a priority and aim to provided information and guidance on disaster risk reduction as a tool to manage climate risks and adapt to climate change, both to inform regional policy deliberations and to assist governments and other parties to reduce climate-related vulnerabilities and risk, in line with the Hyogo Framework.