ABSTRACT

The greatest challenge in the fight against climate change is to show how switching to green growth is really more profitable than business as usual. Including carbon costs, ecosystem services, and disaster risks in policy and decision-making will demonstrate the benefits of green growth. The majority of countries have continued to muddle through half-hearted attempts to tame the silent dangers of climate change and the fury of natural disasters. The question remains: why are politicians not putting more effort into reducing disaster risks and into preparing more proactively for more regular and fierce climate-induced natural disasters? Disaster risk reduction (DRR) and prevention are not as newsworthy and not as politically attractive as disaster response, relief, and reconstruction. Political leaders will act on major climate change problems when the pressure comes either from a seemingly disengaged electorate, or from the enlightened self-interest of the political class to gain relative autonomy from the fossil-fuel industry.