The Challenge of Moving from Acknowledgement to Action: A Review of Vulnerability to Environmental Stresses and Natural Hazards in PRSPs

The report finds that while PRSPs acknowledge vulnerability, they often treat it as a static dimension of poverty rather than a dynamic process. There is a significant gap between the acknowledgement of vulnerability and the implementation of specific, targeted reduction measures, with a tendency to overemphasize exposure over sensitivity and resilience.

• In most reviewed PRSPs, vulnerability is not analyzed separately but is instead integrated as a dimension or part of the definition of poverty.
• PRSPs frequently identify vulnerable groups, but these are typically presented as static categories without analysis of the processes or circumstances that create their vulnerability.
• There is a systemic lack of detailed analysis regarding the risks and impacts of natural hazards; while hazards are mentioned, they are rarely discussed in terms of frequency, magnitude, or timing.
• Data in PRSPs is rarely disaggregated by social or geographic markers, which limits the ability of policymakers to target interventions effectively.
• PRSPs often rely on a narrative that the poor are the primary cause of environmental degradation, while ignoring the role of political-economic structures and private companies in resource scarcity.
• While livelihood diversification is widely recognized as a tool for reducing vulnerability, less than half of the reviewed PRSPs prioritize socio-economic equity, which is essential for building resilience.
• A gap exists between the use of vulnerability terminology and the application of actual vulnerability reduction measures in policy.

APA

Miller, F., de le Rosa, E., & Bohn, M. (2008). The Challenge of Moving from Acknowledgement to Action: A Review of Vulnerability to Environmental Stresses and Natural Hazards in PRSPs. Stockholm Environment Institute. https://www.sei.org/mediamanager/documents/Publications/Risk-livelihoods/the_challenge_of_moving_from_acknwldmnt_action_prsps.pdf

Chicago

Miller, Fiona, Elnora de le Rosa, and Maria Bohn. The Challenge of Moving from Acknowledgement to Action: A Review of Vulnerability to Environmental Stresses and Natural Hazards in PRSPs. Stockholm Environment Institute, 2008. https://www.sei.org/mediamanager/documents/Publications/Risk-livelihoods/the_challenge_of_moving_from_acknwldmnt_action_prsps.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Miller |first1=Fiona |last2=de le Rosa |first2=Elnora |last3=Bohn |first3=Maria |title=The Challenge of Moving from Acknowledgement to Action: A Review of Vulnerability to Environmental Stresses and Natural Hazards in PRSPs |publisher=Stockholm Environment Institute |date=2008 |url=https://www.sei.org/mediamanager/documents/Publications/Risk-livelihoods/the_challenge_of_moving_from_acknwldmnt_action_prsps.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{miller2008challenge, author = {Miller, Fiona and de le Rosa, Elnora and Bohn, Maria}, title = {{The Challenge of Moving from Acknowledgement to Action: A Review of Vulnerability to Environmental Stresses and Natural Hazards in PRSPs}}, institution = {Stockholm Environment Institute}, year = {2008}, url = {https://www.sei.org/mediamanager/documents/Publications/Risk-livelihoods/the_challenge_of_moving_from_acknwldmnt_action_prsps.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }