Recommendations for linking climate change adaptation and disaster risk reduction in urban coastal zones: Lessons from East London, South Africa

Abstract

Climate-related disasters in coastal urban areas are intensifying with significant impacts on populaces, environments, and ecosystems. Hence, climate-related disaster preparedness is now acknowledged by climate change adaptation and disaster risk reduction experts. However, there is limited knowledge of communities and policy-makers on the integration of climate change adaptation (CCA) and disaster risk reduction (DRR). This paper through the lens of resilience theory presents goals towards linking coastal climate change adaptation and disaster risk reduction from the case study of East London, coastal city in South Africa. This study gathered data through a semi-structured survey, aimed at defining salient public issues to improve CCA and DRR policies, public participation inclusion, and programmes. This study shows that the knowledge of CCA and DRR is relatively low in the study area, also the provision of disaster information by the local authority is quite low. Conversely, most of the respondents affirm that available disaster information is always in locally understood languages, this is important in understanding disaster early warning by local dwellers. Accordingly, in disaster information dissemination, the government should be proactive and responsive in spreading information that covers every people. Further work that respects the importance of indigenous knowledge for CCA and DRR integration is needed i.e. local participation in the framework of development endeavours, through the inclusion of indigenous people in policymaking at the sub-national, national and international levels, this would help them to participate in administrative processes that affect them; providing a resilient community, improved adaptive capacity and sustainable living. Effective flexibility, adaptability, interoperability among stakeholders at various levels are key ingredients to reaching these goals.