Description:

Climate change is becoming a more common topic of conversation, and climate extremes have recently been dominating headlines. According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, billion dollar disasters have increased over the past 30 years, and 2021 marks the 7^th consecutive year with 10 or more such disasters.

From a planning perspective, the risk of a disaster can be defined by 1) a climate or weather extreme, 2) exposure, and 3) vulnerability. There is evidence that some extremes are likely to increase in number and severity as the result of a changing climate. But many climate extremes will continue to be the result of natural variability. The best options for disaster risk reduction are by focusing on exposure and vulnerability.

Climate services serves as a key partner in disaster risk reduction by providing critical climate information to planners. Beyond simply the provision of climate data, climate services encompasses stakeholder engagement, local knowledge, and communicating and disseminating  useful-to-useable information and products. A growing number of efforts are relying on climate services, including climate smart agriculture, state-level hazard mitigation plans, and vulnerability studies. Incorporating climate services into planning can increase climate resilience by reducing both exposure and vulnerability to extremes.

This session will highlight successful projects where climate services have been integrated into decision-making and planning to reduce the risk of disasters. These efforts can serve as guideposts for future planning and may also provide some challenges encountered and lessons learned. This session would also be a good opportunity for discussion on how to increase the visibility and utility of climate services. As we become more aware of all that is vulnerable to climate change, it is essential that climate information (and ultimately climate services) becomes a regular part of planning and decision-making.