Managing Climate Extremes and Disasters in the Water Sector: Lessons from the IPCC SREX Report

This briefing, published by the Climate and Development Knowledge Network in 2012, synthesises findings from the IPCC SREX report specifically for the water sector. It examines how climate extremes—such as floods and droughts—interact with human vulnerability and exposure to create disaster risk, and provides a framework for integrating disaster risk management (DRM) with climate change adaptation (CCA) to build long-term resilience in water management systems.

• Disaster risk is projected to increase in many countries even without accounting for climate change, primarily because more vulnerable people and assets are being exposed to climate extremes.
• Climate change has already altered the frequency and severity of some extreme weather events in certain global regions since 1950, exemplified by record-high flooding in Brazil in July 2009.
• There is high confidence that climate changes could seriously impact water management systems, including supply systems, water storage, and treatment plants. Failures are most typically caused by water shortages relative to demand (droughts), which can be triggered by increased demand, deteriorating water quality, or shortages in groundwater and river flows.
• Economic losses from climate-related disasters are increasing globally, with annual estimates ranging from a few billion to approximately US$ 200 billion (in 2010 dollars). While developed countries see the highest absolute dollar losses, developing countries experience higher fatality rates and higher economic losses as a proportion of their GDP.
• Coastal cities and Small Island Developing States (SIDS) face significant risks from sea-level rise and coastal inundation. In SIDS, more than 50% of the population lives within 1.5 km of the shore, making them vulnerable to saltwater intrusion into aquifers and damage to critical infrastructure like capital cities and airports.
• Future climate projections for the 21st century suggest an increase in the frequency of heavy precipitation across many regions and an intensification of droughts in specific areas, including southern Europe, the Mediterranean, central Europe, central North America, Central America, Mexico, northeast Brazil, and southern Africa.
• Effective disaster risk management requires a balance between risk reduction, risk transfer (such as insurance), and preparation for disaster impacts. 'Low regrets' adaptation strategies, which provide benefits across various climate scenarios, include improving forecasting and warning systems and flood-proofing homes.
• To address severe climate change (such as warming beyond 4C this century), incremental changes to existing systems may be insufficient, necessitating 'transformational' changes in institutions, processes, and culture.
• Successful national disaster risk management systems are characterised by the integration of risk into national budgets, the use of robust information for decision-making, and the coordination of functions across sectors led by high-level political organisations.

APA

Back, E., Cameron, C., & Norrington-Davies, G. (2012). Managing Climate Extremes and Disasters in the Water Sector: Lessons from the IPCC SREX Report. Climate and Development Knowledge Network. https://cdkn.org/sites/default/files/files/SREX-Summary-WATER_web.pdf

Chicago

Back, Emma, Catherine Cameron, and Gemma Norrington-Davies. Managing Climate Extremes and Disasters in the Water Sector: Lessons from the IPCC SREX Report. Climate and Development Knowledge Network, 2012. https://cdkn.org/sites/default/files/files/SREX-Summary-WATER_web.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Back |first1=Emma |last2=Cameron |first2=Catherine |last3=Norrington-Davies |first3=Gemma |title=Managing Climate Extremes and Disasters in the Water Sector: Lessons from the IPCC SREX Report |publisher=Climate and Development Knowledge Network |date=2012 |url=https://cdkn.org/sites/default/files/files/SREX-Summary-WATER_web.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{back2012managing, author = {Back, Emma and Cameron, Catherine and Norrington-Davies, Gemma}, title = {{Managing Climate Extremes and Disasters in the Water Sector: Lessons from the IPCC SREX Report}}, institution = {Climate and Development Knowledge Network}, year = {2012}, url = {https://cdkn.org/sites/default/files/files/SREX-Summary-WATER_web.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }