Dr. Chris Field, senior fellow at the Stanford Woods Institute for the Environment, recently told participants at the annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) in Boston that even though the “mounting scientific evidence indicates [that] climate change will lead to more frequent and intense extreme weather that affects larger areas and lasts longer…we can reduce the risk of weather-related disasters with a variety of measures.”

Dr. Field’s talk entitled, “Weather Extremes: Coping with the Changing Risks,” was a featured part of a symposium called “Media: Communicating Science, Uncertainty and Impact.”  He said, “Without adequate preparation for extreme weather, even a modest event can trigger disaster. Such preparation can be beneficial in multiple ways.” He called climate change adaption, disaster risk management, and sustainable development “all sides of the same coin.”

He went on to say, “Withstanding these increasingly frequent events will depend on a variety of disaster preparations, early warning systems, and well-built infrastructure,” Field said. “A good strategy,” Field remarked, “should include a variety of actions such as communicating risk and transferring it through vehicles such as insurance, taking a multi-hazard management approach, linking local and global management, and taking an iterative approach as opposed to starting with a master plan.”

He continued, “The most effective options tend to produce both immediate benefits in sustainable development and long-term benefits in reduced vulnerability. Solutions that emphasize a portfolio of approaches, multi-hazard risk reduction, and learning by doing offer many advantages for resilience and sustainability. Some options may require transformation, including questioning assumptions and paradigms, and stimulating innovation.”