The World Bank Group.

Knowledge and Capacity for Climate Risk Management in Cities

Habiba GitayWorld Bank Institute

February 2009 – Cities at Risk

2The World Bank Group.

Knowledge for practical use

• The “knowledge cycle”

• Challenges– existing knowledge to knowledge use– Responding under “urgent” agenda– Integrating climate risk knowledge holistically

into development agenda

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share

apply generate

• R&D• Synthesis

• Awareness raising • Skills development• Consensus building• Fostering networks

Formulate and Implement strategy, plans and programs

Knowledge cycle

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Knowledge GenerationResearch & Development Synthesis

• Global focus– much of the scenario and modeling work, IPCC

assessments• Language

– English dominated; hard for many city managers• Community based work – but much in rural

areas• Coastal cities work –recent, externally driven• Work on some specific sectors

– e.g. ports, drainage, flood• Strategies, e.g. Mexico City

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Knowledge sharing

• Most amongst peers • Most in a passive mode:• conferences and

seminars– Most at international to

national level– Most generic information

Methods

Demonstration

Expert SpeakerExpert Panel

InterviewProject-basedLearning

Brainstorming

Case-basedLearning

Simulation/Scenario building Forums

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Knowledge sharing

• Climate Portal – user oriented?• Communication Platforms • Wikis• Blogs

Most broad and not “meaningful”Limited capacity to use that knowledge in

decision making

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Knowledge application

• Limited application for “adaptation”

• “Learning by doing” or “learning-by-failing”

• Link to disaster risk management – an entry point for many cities

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Some challenges

EvaluationAssess, compare, review

Analysis

ApplicationApply, implement, manage, produce

KnowledgeDefine, describe, recognize

Focus of effort

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Knowledge application - challenges

• Fragmented responsibilities – Coordination and decision-making

• Focused on infrastructure as a “solution” not the suites of options

• Finance for local governments

• Bringing together lessons learned from “learning-by-doing” into the knowledge cycle fast

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Knowledge sharing

• Move from passive to active Methods

Demonstration

Expert SpeakerExpert Panel

InterviewProject-basedLearning

Brainstorming

Case-basedLearning

Simulation/Scenario building Forums

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Apply what we know!

Information overload!

Learn from other areas:Change management

• Even if what people need to do is to explore new ways of doing things, they need to stop doing some of things that prevent them from making time for that exploration.

• First hand experience is the best teacher and a building block for problem solving and acquiring new competencies. The second best teacher is a story of success from someone people trust, respect and feel confident they can emulate.

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Some thoughts ……• Move away from “emergency management”• Understand the problem and develop an appropriate response - long-

term and at the right spatial scale; not just technological solutions• Not be externally driven but externally facilitated• Facilitate peer-to-peer learning at appropriate spatial scale • Facilitate networks and communities of practice: sustainable efforts at

city level; collaborations with other cities – experiential learning; draw on the cities own experiences on climatic extremes for strategic planning

• Move from “mine”, “mine” “mine” to partnership - drawing on partners strengths

• Behavioural change and changes in decision-making; gatekeepers to become champions

• Share knowledge and apply it in timely manner – including discussion here to development outcomes (Global expert teams)

• Innovation needed: social not just technological

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Moving forward

• Attention to disasters and present pressures is fine, but need to go into more systematic changes within a dynamic decision-making (adaptive management)

• Science-policy-development practitioners: cross boundaries, change mind sets and do it in a timely manner