Decision-Making for Uncertainty: Making Governance Systems "Fit for Purpose"

This briefing by Malini Mehra argues that current government governance systems are ill-equipped to handle the uncertainty, scale, and complexity of climate change. The author contends that climate change is frequently miscategorized as a narrow environmental issue, leading to siloed policy responses and a lack of political priority. To make governance "fit for purpose," the document proposes a shift toward integrated climate risk management, high-level political mandates, statutory duties, and a fundamental culture change within civil service bureaucracies.

• Current governance systems are insufficient for addressing climate change because they are siloed and treat the issue as a narrow environmental problem rather than a fundamental systems challenge. This results in an "incoherent and ineffective decision-making response" where climate change is often "owned" only by environmental departments, which typically have low ranking in the governmental hierarchy.
• National planning and budgeting often ignore climate risks, leading to increased vulnerability. For example, India's planning commission projected a $500 billion infrastructure build-out without specifying climate resilience, and the city of Delhi's masterplan lacks climate vulnerability or adaptation mapping, despite risks to Himalayan glaciers and water security.
• To effectively manage climate risk, the author proposes several institutional reforms: framing climate change as a strategic issue at the heart of government, establishing a high-level political mandate (led by a President or Prime Minister) with statutory duties, creating a Cabinet-level Office of Country Risk, and establishing green investment banks to fund low-carbon infrastructure.
• Successful models of integrated risk management and climate governance are emerging globally. These include the United States' national security community treating climate change as a "threat multiplier," the United Kingdom's Climate Change Act codifying an 80% emissions reduction by 2050, Singapore's "whole of government" approach to risk assessment, and Germany's collaboration with Swiss Re on integrated risk management.

APA

Mehra, M. (2010). Decision-Making for Uncertainty: Making Governance Systems "Fit for Purpose". World Resources Institute. https://files.wri.org/d8/s3fs-public/2023-01/wrr-2010-11-question-1-response-4.pdf

Chicago

Mehra, Malini. Decision-Making for Uncertainty: Making Governance Systems "Fit for Purpose". World Resources Institute, 2010. https://files.wri.org/d8/s3fs-public/2023-01/wrr-2010-11-question-1-response-4.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Mehra |first1=Malini |title=Decision-Making for Uncertainty: Making Governance Systems "Fit for Purpose" |publisher=World Resources Institute |date=2010 |url=https://files.wri.org/d8/s3fs-public/2023-01/wrr-2010-11-question-1-response-4.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{mehra2010decisionmaking, author = {Mehra, Malini}, title = {{Decision-Making for Uncertainty: Making Governance Systems "Fit for Purpose"}}, institution = {World Resources Institute}, year = {2010}, url = {https://files.wri.org/d8/s3fs-public/2023-01/wrr-2010-11-question-1-response-4.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }