Decision Making Needs in a Changing Environment

This research paper by Amos Makarau of the Meteorological Services Department of Zimbabwe outlines the specific data and information requirements for different stages of climate change adaptation decision-making: responsive, proactive, and robust planning. It emphasizes the necessity of integrating climatic and non-climatic data and defines the roles of various stakeholders, including governments, local communities, and scientific institutions, in creating integrated adaptation policies.

• Responsive policymaking and planning focus on prevention, protection, and risk reduction. This requires basic climatology (temperature and rainfall statistics, averages, extremes, and trends) and specific data on vulnerable factors such as changes in weather calendars, agro-ecological zone patterns, and pest and disease trends, such as increased malaria due to rising temperatures.
• For immediate disaster response, policymakers require non-climatic data to conduct impact and needs assessments. This includes identifying affected areas and communities, counting casualties and infrastructure damage, determining required financial and manpower resources, and strategizing logistics for rescue services.
• Proactive planning for medium and long-term risks, such as sea level rise and tsunamis, requires science-based climate and hydrological projections, GIS-based vulnerability and risk maps, population dynamics, and sector-specific projections. It also involves planning hazard-resistant infrastructure and researching alternative income sources to diversify economies.
• Robust policymaking requires inter-agency coordination across all stakeholders, the fusion of traditional and evidence-based scientific knowledge, and the use of worst-case scenarios to formulate adaptation measures. These measures should be integrated into existing national development plans and supported by credible, downscaled science and pilot projects.
• The document identifies a diverse set of stakeholders essential for adaptation, each with specific roles: the Government provides policy and coordination; local communities participate in implementation; NGOs provide local data and awareness; meteorological/hydrological services provide data and projections; research institutes generate impact studies; and the private sector drives economic adaptation through new technologies.
• The author notes that climate-related disasters are currently hindering development, particularly in Small Island Developing States (SIDS) and Least Developed Countries (LDCs). The 2010 situation in Pakistan is cited as an example of climate-related disasters causing development retrogression.

APA

Makarau, A. (2010). Decision Making Needs in a Changing Environment. World Resources Institute. https://files.wri.org/d8/s3fs-public/2023-02/wrr-2010-11-question-6-response-3.pdf

Chicago

Makarau, Amos. Decision Making Needs in a Changing Environment. World Resources Institute, 2010. https://files.wri.org/d8/s3fs-public/2023-02/wrr-2010-11-question-6-response-3.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Makarau |first1=Amos |title=Decision Making Needs in a Changing Environment |publisher=World Resources Institute |date=2010 |url=https://files.wri.org/d8/s3fs-public/2023-02/wrr-2010-11-question-6-response-3.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{makarau2010decision, author = {Makarau, Amos}, title = {{Decision Making Needs in a Changing Environment}}, institution = {World Resources Institute}, year = {2010}, url = {https://files.wri.org/d8/s3fs-public/2023-02/wrr-2010-11-question-6-response-3.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }